Apple Just Released iOS10: Here’s What Marketers Need to Know!

Apple recently released the highly anticipated iPhone 7 — and with it, a new operating system in iOS10. Both have been the source of much speculation in recent months. Now that the features of iOS10 have been released officially, it’s time to understand what that means for your brand.

Marketers should consider how they can utilize new features, enhancements, and services to best serve their consumers. Normally, this means rethinking the user experience, doing extensive testing, and considering the implications of platform changes on your overall mobile app and marketing strategy.

New iOS10 Features
Naturally, understanding the new iOS 10 features is the first step toward integrating them into your digital-marketing strategy. I’ve chosen to highlight a few major enhancements that marketers should consider to increase the quality of personalized, targeted, and relevant experiences — the experiences customers want. So, without further ado, let’s examine not only the new features made available through the iOS10 update, but also how marketers can use these new features to enhance their customers’ experiences.

1. Messaging
Messaging has received what is probably the biggest overhaul in iOS10. Push and other messaging features that iOS offers have always been vital tools for improving user engagement. In this iteration of iOS, Apple has added audio and video support for push notifications that users can access from their lock screens. Not requiring users to unlock their phones increases both the likelihood that consumers will pay attention to their messages and the window of opportunity for catching their precious attention. Where consumers may have become distracted previously after unlocking their phones, prioritizing the notifications they wanted to check first, they can now address notifications directly from their lock screens.

2. Mail App
The mail app now offers a simple way to unsubscribe from marketing emails. Once you have an unsubscribe button integrated within the mail app, it becomes incredibly easy for customers to drop out of your sales or conversion funnels. This makes having a personalized email experience that offers relevant content more important than ever before. If your content seems irrelevant to your users’ lives, they can now opt out with a literal click of a button.

3. App Store Update
Though not a platform update per se (but closely related), the iOS app store will soon begin showing pay-promoted apps on search, meaning app store search results will feature one sponsored app at the top. Since the app store is still the best way for users to discover your apps, this is a huge opportunity to enhance app findability. If your app can land that coveted position as the top result — even if achieved through purchasing paid advertising — it could provide a sizeable advantage for your brand. This app store update is one that’s simply critical for marketers to be aware of.

4. Watch OS3 and Apple Watch Series 2
The new Watch OS3 and Apple Watch (Series 2) supports GPS within the app as well as in-app payments via Apple Pay. It also lets you unlock your Mac, call 911, and control HomeKit-enabled devices. These features are making the watch more applicable for consumers by providing them with useful experiences.

While all of this is great for consumers, what does it really mean for marketers? Ultimately, it means that Apple is providing a speedy, feature-laden, and increasingly independent wearable platform. In the past, marketers have struggled somewhat to make the Apple Watch part of their core marketing plans. These new features should give marketers more room to deliver relevant services to their customers. As this wearable platform matures, marketers will be very glad they got in on the ground floor!

5. Revenue Split With App Subscriptions
Apple also announced changes regarding how it splits revenues on apps that deliver services via subscriptions. Apple has traditionally taken 30 percent of these recurring charges. However, they will start taking only 15 percent of ongoing subscriptions after the first year. They will also begin allowing all app categories to sell subscriptions, possibly making it more compelling for marketers to deliver apps with fresh content and services. Generally speaking, the additional margin could also increase the possibilities for subscription-app models to become profitable revenue streams for brands.

6. Expedited App Reviews
Apps can now be pushed into the marketplace in a shorter timeframe — sometimes, in as little as two days. Therefore, when creating a marketing plan for a new campaign, product, or brand, you can more easily — and much more quickly — consider apps as well as updates to existing apps. This updated timeframe means your mobile app-marketing strategy can be much more agile.

7. Siri Kit
Siri has been opened up to allow integrations with third parties. Just like with the new Apple Watch, this announcement may not be applicable to all. However, it’s important to understand what you have here, as consumers begin to increasingly prefer voice-driven interfaces. With the Siri Kit, Siri can now be integrated into existing apps (see Apple’s demo on Uber or other examples here). This integration seeks to save users time and effort, potentially increasing brand loyalty over time.

iOS10 for Marketers — The Bottom Line
There are certainly potential benefits — but also risks from misuse, saturation, and misalignment with a broader brand strategy. The bottom line is that marketers should continually improve their mobile apps and stay informed of key platform changes and opportunities. When they do so, they can make the most of every feature available to them, and ultimately, provide the best customer experiences imaginable.

The post Apple Just Released iOS10: Here’s What Marketers Need to Know! appeared first on Digital Marketing Blog by Adobe.

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