An increased number of consumers are using the mobile web and native apps on their smartphones to research products and make purchases, however many mobile marketing efforts miss key opportunities to maximize their app ROI. By focusing on a consumer-friendly app strategies, companies can increase their ROI, gain insight into consumers’ mobile behavior, and enhance their consumer appeal. Download our white paper to learn more about how Gold Mobile can accelerate customer engagement, drive transactions, and reward your most loyal customers with our unique platform. Included are examples of how our platform has been utilized by other companies to help combat precise challenges and achieve specific goals.

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April 1, 2013
Making the Most of Mobile:
Introduction
As smartphones become the norm among Americans,
consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile
phones before making purchases.
A recent survey of 2,000 smartphone owners
found that 71% of respondents had used their
phone to research products before making
a purchase, additionally 42% had responded
that they found better prices elsewhere, 19%
were looking for coupons, and 16% were
looking for location based offers.
Though more than half of adult mobile phone owners
use those phones to make purchasing decisions,
many consumers are frustrated with spam text
messages and unwanted sales and marketing calls.
The right mobile experience can meet consumers
with sales and marketing messages they choose to
receive, when and where they want them.
Aaron Smith, Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, . “Main Findings: The Future of Money.” http://www.pewinternet.org. N.p., 17 Apr 2012. Web. 28 Mar 2013
David, Moth . “32% of smartphone owners use mobile to research products every week.” http://econsultancy.com. N.p., 14 october 2012. Web. 28 Mar 2013.
Jan Lauren Boyles, ,Lee Raine. “Mobile Phone Problems.” http://www.pewinternet.org. N.p., 02 Aug 2012. Web. 28 Mar 2013
“Acquity Group Mobile Audit Reports 210% Increase in Retailers’ Deployment of Mobile Sites Over Past Year .” http://www.acquitygroup.com. N.p., 10 Oct 2011. Web. 28 Mar 2013.
Olenski, Steve. “Mobile Marketing Too Large For Brands To Ignore.” http://www.forbes.com. N.p., 20 Sep 2012. Web. 28 Mar 2013.
From small retail chains to international banks,
companies are making mobile a centerpiece of their
marketing strategies. This goes beyond a mobile
optimized website; sizable organizations in the B2C
sector are expected to have a mobile app, and
companies spend a considerable amount of time and
money developing and launching mobile apps.
At least one in four retailers has a mobile app,
and companies are expected to allocate a
total of $8.2 billion dollars to mobile by 2016 .
However, there is not always a clear relationship
between branded mobile apps, marketing goals
and the bottom line. As with any new marketing
tactic, many companies have an unclear vision of
how mcommerce and mobile marketing serves the
consumer and company in the long-term. But based
on consumers’ digital behavior, marketers are taking
a risk by not making use of branded apps for their
companies or clients.
Nine Strategies for Increasing
the ROI of Branded Apps

2. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 2
Though the nature of these strategies vary, one
principle underlies them: give the consumers
a choice of where, when and how to shop, buy
and engage with your brand. The success of any
mobile marketing campaign must start first with an
understanding of consumer behavior, specific to a
company’s unique customer base. Their needs drive
concise marketing goals. Finally, the type of mobile
strategies chosen must relate directly to those goals.
This is why many companies are not seeing the ROI
of their branded mobile apps in the first place; they
have not tied the app to a particular marketing goal.
Simply having a presence in the mobile space will
not produce results. One or several of the strategies
below can help a company meet its mobile marketing
goals, employing their apps to achieve those goals.
Produce more sales by enabling
in-the-moment transactions
Drive customer loyalty by enabling
in-the-moment rewards
Reduce acquisition costs by providing
personalized incentives through apps
Reduce costs of owning the app by enabling
advanced engagement, transactions and
rewards, even without custom development
Provide metrics from initial engagement
through purchase and rewards detailing a
customer’s entire lifecycle
Complement social media campaigns by
moving fans from third-party social
networks into branded experiences only
available within mobile apps
In 2012, the Pew Internet and American Life
project surveyed experts on Internet trends
and found most believed mobile transactions
would replace cash and credit cards in about
a decade.
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There are mcommerce and mobile marketing
strategies that can increase a company’s return on
investment, while providing valuable insights into
consumers’ mobile behavior. With these strategies,
mobile apps can:
This white paper will detail nine proven, alternative
mobile engagement and purchase strategies that
can help companies extend the reach of their mobile
apps. It will also outline how mobile payment options,
rewards programs and other mobile marketing and
commerce tools can be added through third-party,
cloud-based tools to reduce overhead.
Increasing the ROI
of Branded Apps
Mobile transactions
Aaron Smith, Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, . “Main Findings: The Future of Money.” http://www.pewinternet.org. N.p., 17 Apr 2012. Web. 28 Mar 2013.

3. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 3
Mobile transactions are not yet that ubiquitous, but
consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable
with the idea of using their phones to make
purchases.
A branded mobile app can facilitate mobile payments
to make customers buying experiences easier by
avoiding long lines, automatic reloading of prepaid
cards, and fewer keytags and store cards. This
provides convenient, in-the-moment engagement for
customers. Mobile payments can be implemented
cost effectively, even reducing the cost of transaction
processing. The best mobile transaction systems
allow people to place orders across a range of
devices and via SMS or near field communication
(NFC) technology. With this cross-platform strategy,
companies can track and analyze customer data in
real time.
“active” posters and select their meals from the
poster. The active poster then submits their order,
texts a confirmation number for order pickup and
notifies the kitchen staff.
The program also offers rewards to students for
participating. Coupons, prizes and meal deals
encourage them to continue using the dining halls
and the other on-campus shops.
The transactions and rewards depend on a
combination of mcommerce tools. The posters are
powered by GoMo Tap & Go, and rewards are
facilitated by the GoMo Campaign.
To facilitate both mobile and social transactions,
companies can give app users the option of pre-
loading money into their app for making purchases.
That way, users have a mobile wallet stored in the
cloud. Ideally, customers can prepay with a variety
of options, including credit, debit, payroll or ACH
transactions.
Prepaid systems can be either open or closed loop
systems. Common closed loop prepaid systems are
branded gift cards and can only be used within that
brand’s app or subsidiaries, as is common with large,
multi-brand clothing retailers. An open loop prepaid
system, also known as a companion card, is usually
issued through a Visa or an American Express
card-affiliated brand. This open loop system allows
the consumer to redeem the card anywhere.
Using NFC technology, students
at a large Pennsylvania
university are now able to
pre-order food from their dining
hall using mobile transactions.
This helps the school alleviate some of the long lines
that occur around peak times, and frees students
from having to wait in those lines.
Students who register for the program can participate
one of two ways: with NFC enabled smartphones, or a
sticker with an embedded NFC chip, which they can
attach to the back of non-NFC enable phones. To
order, they simply swipe their phone over special
Mobile Transactions: College Dining
Prepaid accounts

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For example, many companies tie coupon codes,
sweepstakes entries and other outbound marketing
rewards to social media actions. This includes
following a brand on Twitter, liking a Facebook Page,
sharing a YouTube video or checking into a store
event through Four Square. Customers receive
in-the-moment rewards, whether they are engaging
from home, work or at a company’s branch or store.
Rewards and loyalty integration with a mobile app
frees customers from carrying keytags and
punchcards by handling all reward point
management. However, it also creates a
self-managed loyalty framework, which puts the
customer in control. That sense of control
encourages them to share content from their favorite
brands and opt-in to marketing messages.
Incentives for app users to adopt a prepaid mobile
wallet vary depending on brand implementation, but
they may include reduced wait time, avoiding bank
fees or access to special products or services. For
companies, prepaid customer accounts reduce the
cost of transactions and may help increase order
volume.
Companies can pair open prepaid cards (also known
as a companion cards) with apps. These reloadable
cards function like a Visa debit card and consumers
can use the card anywhere credit or debit cards are
accepted. By combining the card with a rewards and
incentives app the issuing company is helping the
consumer to track their rewards and manage their
balance. For the company, this both increases the
consumer’s card balance and consumer spending
within the card’s app environment. For the consumer
they are receiving a reward system that is easily
managed and readily available.
With the rise of mobile and social transactions,
marketers are moving towards a new rewards
paradigm. Historically, consumers were rewarded
only for transactions, tracked using tools like plastic
loyalty cards. As consumers spend more time
online—particularly on their phones—it is now just
as simple to reward them for actions, not just
transactions. Furthermore, consumers expect brands
to demonstrate loyalty to them as valued customers.
Using both a cross-platform
rewards program and a
companion card, EZ Referral has
streamlined the process of
rewarding sales referrals. The EZ
Referral Network allows salespeople at car
dealerships to reward their friends, family and
customers for referring new business. Participants
receive a login and password, which they can use
from a web browser or from the mobile app. Using
traditional and mobile marketing collateral,
participates can introduce potential referrals to the
EZ Referral systems and send contact information
for referrals to a salesperson. If that turns into a
sale, an EZ Referral administrator will authorize a
Rewards and Companion Cards: EZ Referral
Rewards programs

5. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 5
payment to the person who referred the new
business to the salesperson. They receive their
rewards on a companion card.
For customers, the advantage is clear: cash rewards
for simply telling someone about a positive car buying
experience. However, it also streamlines the referral
process for salespeople and gives them a powerful
tool for promoting themselves and the dealership.
At the same time, the dealership can track referral
activity and easily send referral payments online.
In its first three months of operation, at a single
dealership EZ Referral signed 17 sales people
and 606 referral agents, generating 174 leads
and 31 sales.
a family’s purchasing power. It also helps form brand
loyalty in younger consumers.
This is implemented at some universities as a means
of allowing parents to have some control over their
student’s spending. Students are given a card that
works at university facilities and is paired with a
mobile app, which parents and students can reload
via a mobile app. For the school, this means money
gets spent on campus. For parents, this means less
money inadvertently spent on beer. And for students,
this means the freedom to spend their allowance
beyond the dining hall.
Mobile allows people to share information more
easily and faster than ever before. This can be
dangerous when passwords, account numbers and
PINs are the bits of information shared. Family
commerce tools make sharing accounts more secure
while retaining simplicity, which is a boon for
families who share purchasing and decision-making
responsibilities.
This means including the capability for an individual
to give a family member access to an app for limited
uses. The primary account holder remains in control,
and can also receive reporting of activities.
Companies can allow this in conjunction with a
branded mobile app, allowing them to retain more of
Though coupon codes have become just as common
as paper or print-out coupons, they do not always
integrate well with retail point of sale (POS) systems.
Sales staff may not know how to handle the codes,
and marketing departments are not able to track the
codes for valuable data.
To make the most of couponing, marketers can
include in-app tools that will produce unique coupon
codes tied to codes in the POS. This tracks consumer
behavior from app to POS and redemption, enhancing
customer profiling and segmentation. Other potential
features include automated emails informing the
marketing team when coupon threshold is reached or
the ability to limit coupons to one per device.
Family commerce
POS Redeemable
couponing & tracking

6. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 6
Mobile has made contests and sweepstakes more
diverse tools for marketers looking to instill customer
loyalty and reach new audiences. However, because
of implementation risks, like laws that vary from state
to state and seamless scaling, this is a cumbersome
functionality to include in a branded mobile app.
Third-party tools are a valuable option.
Just as they do for Facebook contests, marketers can
work with an outside company to create and manage
multiple, simultaneous sweepstakes programs across
app users with various prize levels. Such a program
would choose winners and automate sweepstakes,
which is a boon for organizations without adequate
manpower to administrate large contests.
Sports teams run sweepstakes for fans attending
games. For example, throughout a game, billboards
display an SMS mobile number paired with a
keyword. The fans text the keyword to the mobile
number for a chance to win team gear and other
prizes. Sports franchises have found this increases
their advertising and revenue opportunities by
encouraging people to simultaneously opt-in to
promotions and other marketing messages from
sponsors.
provide content and promotions based on the time of
day. Targeted, in-the-moment marketing is one of the
biggest promises of mobile, but is sorely
underutilized.
When implemented properly, in-the-moment content
and promotions can address a business’s daily and
hourly shifts and variables. It allows a brand to
automatically vary content and offers based on time
of day with targeted, timed promotions. This catches
consumers at critical decision making moments,
providing the inspiration for a purchase.
A large food services vendor utilizes time of day
content and promotions to help drive traffic to
corporate cafeterias before and during peak meal
times. Diners opt-in to promotions through SMS
keyword, QR code or on the web. Timed messages,
released through SMS and/or email, offer healthy
eating tips, discounts, instant win sweepstakes and
frequent visitor reward reminders. This time-of-day
style of promotions can change that day’s buying
decisions for anyone on the messaging list.
Consumers carry their phones with them at all times,
which means there is an opportunity for marketers to
According to a Pew survey,
Although this may be discouraging to marketers, it
highlights an opportunity for using a branded mobile
Sweepstakes
Time of day content
& promotions
Outbound personal
messaging
68% of cell owners were subjected to
unwanted sales or marketing calls, and 69%
received unwanted spam text messages.

7. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 7
app. Marketers can best reach consumers with
messaging they receive how, where and when they
want it.
Preference-based messaging provides a means for app
users to opt-in to automatic outbound messaging. The
app then only pushes messages based on categories of
interest to the app user. An effective notification and
messaging strategy includes in-app messages and
messages that come to the user without loading or
accessing the app. Some outbound personal messaging
schemes provide flexibility to choose between SMS and
email; the most effective add multimedia content to
messages to increase conversion and responsiveness
This also saves money, while offering seemingly
premium features. A quality mobile marketing solution
will conserve marketers’ budgets by requiring less
testing and enabling quicker deployment, both of
which reduce the cost of going to market.
Furthermore, promotions and coupons can be
delivered at a low cost, since they will not have to be
developed from scratch.
The best mobile marketing tools also function as an
unexpected risk management tool. They help mitigate
several risks associate with app development:
Time to market risk. Launch in less time, since
the infrastructure is already built.
Operations risk. For mobile transactions and
rewards programs, there is often a lot of
necessary defensive coding. By using a proven
tool, developers can avoid this extra work without
worrying about concomitant risks.
Financial risk. Marketers can avoid investing
too much of their budget into a single venture.
Business risk. It is not always clear that a
custom app will fully scale; with ready-made
solutions, the scalability has already been
determined.
Central to all of this is the mitigation of
development risk, which is particularly important
for marketers without access to an in-house app
developer. New software development needs a
lot of work, quality assurance and field testing.
By using a trusted mobile marketing tool or set of
tools, you avoid the brunt of this risk.
Many marketers already recognize the value of offering
consumers a more powerful mobile experience. Limited
resources, time and development capabilities hold them
back. A cloud-based mobile marketing suite may offer
the right combination of affordability, features, ease of
use and risk mitigation.
A feature-rich cloud software tool enables a marketing
team to do more with less. For example, instead of
coding an entire reward system with a set of business
rules, the marketing and app team can use a ready-made
reward management infrastructure. This allows them to
focus on improving the app user interface as it relates to
the rewards program.
Developing New Features
for Branded Apps
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Aaron Smith, Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, . “Main Findings: The Future of Money.” http://www.pewinternet.org. N.p., 17 Apr 2012. Web. 28 Mar 2013.

8. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 8
Marketers have been quick to see the promise in
mobile apps, but have not fully leveraged this tool to
deliver a real ROI. In conjunction with mcommerce
tools and a new loyalty paradigm, mobile apps can
create more fully engaged customers and show real
results for companies.
App-managed mobile transactions, companion cards,
family commerce and more reduce transaction costs
and produce more sales by making it easier and safer
for consumers to make purchases on their mobile
devices. Rewards tied to consumer behaviors and
actions, as well as time-of-day promotions and social
sweepstakes, promote brand loyalty and reduce the
costs of owning the app, while providing metrics that
track consumer from app to POS.
Working with cloud-based mobile marketing solutions
can further drive down acquisition and operation
costs. These provide tools that can enhance the
effectiveness and ROI of an app, such as integrated
mobile wallets and companion cards. Working with a
proven tool also reduces risks related to development,
testing and deployment of mobile apps.
The question is no longer whether or not mobile will
have an impact on marketing and sales, but how.
Companies that fully integrate branded mobile apps
with mobile transactions and rewards programs
stand a chance of leading the mcommerce pack.
Gold Mobile marketing and commerce tools are
designed to enhance mobile app ROI through
advanced customer engagement and in-the-moment
transactions and rewards; thereby enabling an app
to become a complete “card-less” loyalty system at
a small fraction of the cost to launch and maintain
compared to traditional card-based loyalty systems.
GoMo tools are delivered to our clients via a secure
cloud-based administrative control panel and
reporting system; enabling the delivery of in-the-
moment commerce and lifestyle engagement in
many industries including food service, retail and
brands, financial services, and healthcare. Clients
enhance their app by simply using either “off-
the-shelf” configurable functions or use API/SDK
for more advanced custom app implementations.
Functions and Modules include:
The Bottom Line
GoMo Rewards Wallet, a mobile transaction
and rewards tool that enables customers to easily
order and pay; supports prepaid/gift, credit, debit,
and ACH. For those customers who do not have
your app it serves as a companion system and
enables transactions and rewards via SMS,
mobile web or standard web.
GoMo Tap & Go, a self-service interactive
kiosk that provides consumers with a device
agnostic NFC system for easy enrollment and time
saving incentives, rewards, and purchasing.
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The GoMo Platform

9. 77 Brant Ave, Suite 210, Clark, NJ 07066 | Phone: 848.467.4560 | Fax: 848.480.0405 | Gold-Mobile.com 9
To find out how GoMo tools can serve your
company, request a demo of our engagement
and loyalty platform.
GoMo Campaign, an engagement and
incentive/promotion management platform that
allows administrators to create compelling
in-the-moment lifestyle campaigns that build and
engage your customers.
GoMo Chat, a two-way enterprise scalable
SMS messaging system connecting consumers
and brands for in-the-moment text conversations;
enables desktop/call centers to engage with
customers/patients “in-the-moment” of decision
making and action; has a HIPAA secure version
for healthcare.GoMo CMS, a high-powered, yet intuitive
mobile web content management system that
allows even the least technical administrator to
deploy and manage mobile websites; significantly
reduces cost of creation and ownership. Enables
creation of hundreds/thousands of location based
user experiences.
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Contact Jason A. Howie at seeademo@gold-mobile.com.