The chief digital officer of Seven West Media, Clive Dickens, reckons “screen time is exploding” and our first and last words of each day are actually to our phone and not our loved ones.
“The smartphone is the first technology product bought by most people on earth,” Dickens said.
“Consider the amount of time we spend looking at our screens in the morning. What’s the likelihood that people looked at their phone before saying good morning to their partner today?” he asked.
“What about at the other end of the day. After you’ve said goodnight to your partner, who takes a cheeky last minute look at their phone? ‘Good night darling, good night phone.’
“With the mobile, there is an amazing opportunity to connect with more video and audio. And the information we’re getting from that consumption is increasing everyday.
“Think about all of the different data points we have on our phone. The Internet of things isn’t just the stuff you look up on Kickstarter, it’s the things you’re looking at all the time.”
Think your health on Fitbits, finances with things like Apple Pay, digital ’tiles’ attached to belongings so you can find them if they get lost – that sort of data.
“There’s an opportunity to use the data that’s all around us to personalise, to inspire,” Dickens added.
Australia has one of the worst cart abandonment rates in the world, at 76 per cent, and as a result, this leaves an “opportunity to work around inspiration to reduce cart abandonment”, Dickens said.
“We need to inspire and inform, inspire and transact – it’s an inspiration sandwich.
“I believe voice technology in the home is going to transform the interface experience, from banking, to shopping and travel,” Dickens added, citing the Amazon Echo, a tech device activated by voice, far more advanced than old Siri and “coming into American homes thick and fast”.
“This creates an opportunity for the question, ‘Where should I travel?’”
Dickens demonstrated by asking Siri where he should travel, to which she directed him to the nearest travel agent. Makes sense, but when Dickens told Siri that’s the wrong answer, she replied, ‘I’m sorry I don’t understand.’
“Exactly,” Dickens stated.
“We’ll get to the stage where technology will tell me my daughter is liking photos of Paris on Instagram, and my wife is looking at fashion shows from Paris online. It will tell me my points system status and the best flight prices, and say, ‘I’ve looked at your calendar and you’re free on these dates, why don’t you take your family on a holiday to Paris?’
