Untitled Document

Research Results Available

Top 20 Wireless Apps - immr recently surveyed consumers to calibrate interest in a wide range of emerging wireless applications in the U.S. The study used an innovative trade-off methodology called MaxDiff to quantify consumers' interest in some 20 applications on a 0-100 scale. View summary ratings of the top 20 apps. The study also examined factors that are likely to influence rate of adoption, including consumers' curiosity, skepticism, and purchase intent. Here is an overview of the model and measures examined. For additional information, contact Dr. Phil Hendrix.

Measuring Purchasing Intent for Really New Products - Along with coauthors from Duke University, Dr. Phil Hendrix gave a presentation on "Measuring Purchase Intent for Really New Products" at the Third Annual German French Austrian Conference on Quantitative Marketing at ESSEC University (France). Calibrating demand for products that are very new to the market presents unique challenges - view a summary of best practices developed and employed in immr research studies. This research is part of an on-going series of studies with Prof. John Lynch (Duke University), Prof. David Alexander (U. of St. Thomas), and Stuart Drucker (Drucker Analytics).

Research Methods - Among the challenges in studying new wireless apps are (i) the large, ever expanding number of apps and (ii) differences across segments in terms of usefulness, value, and willingness to pay. Dr. Phil Hendrix and Stuart Drucker recently presented a paper at the Sawtooth Software Conference titled "Alternative Approaches to MaxDiff with Large Sets of Disparate Items - Augmented and Tailored MaxDiff." The paper reports findings from a study that examined consumer interest in some 40 wireless apps. Four of the top 10 are location-based services, while two of the top 10 (including the #1 ranked app) are commonly associated with VoWLAN (dual-mode phones that work on Wi-fi). The study introduced two new variations on MaxDiff to deal with large sets of items.

MAppTrac - immr is launching MAppTrac™ (for Mobile Application Tracking), an innovative research program that tracks and models the adoption of a wide range of wireless apps. Using an innovative, longitudinal research design, the on-going research provides informative, detailed insights into the potential for and adoption of key MApps, such as LBS, wireless multimedia, MMS, and others. Findings from MAppTrac help companies prioritize opportunities, time investments, identify and target ready markets, and accelerate the adoption of new mobile applications. Detailed information about MAppTrac is available here.

LBS Market Analysis - immr conducted an in-depth study examining demand for more than a dozen Location-based Services among consumers in the U.S.. The survey used virtual prototypes and Choice Modeling to calibrate demand for a wide range of alternative LBS offerings, based on varying platforms (cellular vs GPS), devices (cellphone vs. PDA's vs. fixed, in-vehicle systems), and a number of other features, such as speech recognition. The study reveals significant demand for the top location-based applications, particularly delivered via cellphones at moderate price points. Key findings are available here, and a Research Brief is available upon request.

Recent Presentations - Downloads Available

Oct. 2007 - Dr. Phil Hendrix and Stuart Drucker presented a paper at the Sawtooth Software Conference titled "Alternative Approaches to MaxDiff with Large Sets of Disparate Items - Augmented and Tailored MaxDiff." The paper reports findings from a study that examined consumer interest in some 40 wireless apps. The study introduced two new variations on MaxDiff to deal with large sets of items.

Sept. 2007 - Dr. Phil Hendrix presented a paper titled "Measuring Purchase Intent for Really New Products" at the Third Annual German French Austrian Conference on Quantitative Marketing at ESSEC University (France).

July 2007 - Dr. Hendrix presented What's Next - Calibrating Consumer Needs for Very New (Potentially) Wireless Services at the WWRF 18 Conference in Helsinki (click here to view a summary of findings, or download a copy of the presentation).

Book by immr Research Fellow

Dr. Dan Steinbock (immr Research Fellow) has written an important new book that describes how wireless technology and ‘mobilization’ are transforming how we live, work and play. Presenting compelling evidence that communication is moving "from the business of ears" to the "business of eyes," The Mobile Revolution: The Making of Mobile Services Worldwide (Kogan Page, 2005) is the first comprehensive account of the explosion of mobile services (rich voice, internet, messaging, content). Supported by in-depth interviews with some 80 leading executives and trendsetters, representing the world’s leading mobile vendors, operators, IT enablers, publishers, media concerns, entertainment conglomerates, music & record companies and publishers, ad agency networks, as well as mobile developers and many other major corporations and pioneering enterprises, Dr. Steinbock tells the story of these services in the pioneering markets of Europe, the United States and Asia-Pacific, and argues convincingly that mobility is having an enormous impact on consumer and business markets, across all industries.