Look Ahead: Going Mobile First

By: Nu Yang

After developing mobile solutions for companies in healthcare, government and entertainment, KiwiTech now wants to help newspaper publishers with their mobile strategies. With headquarters in New York City and offices in San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New Delhi, India, KiwiTech employs a team of more than 200 developers that have created more than 750 mobile applications generating more than 3 million downloads.

Their services include design and development on a variety of platforms such as iOS, Android, HTML5 and Windows 8. There is also a product management team in place to help gather requirements and document the client’s needs during the project, tracking the progress and updating the client along the way. KiwiTech’s testing on apps also assures clients that apps are ready to go with the best user experience when they are delivered.            

As senior vice president of strategic partnerships, Rick Chandler is aware of the challenges in the industry,  thanks to his involvement with The ROUNDTABLE, an annual media conference of publishers presented by Leap Media Solutions, a partnership between The Day Publishing Co. of New London, Conn. and Leap Media Partners, owners of the Aurora (Colo.) Media Group.            

“As revenue and circulation numbers decline, publishers are searching for mobile solutions that will help develop platforms like the tablet,” Chandler said. “At KiwiTech, we help share our best strategies and practices with them to help monetize apps.”            

Publishers are charged a subscription fee based on their circulation, making it attractive to even smaller papers.            

“These small publishers have a shared conflict,” Chandler said. “They can’t afford some of the software to make videos or collect data.” But with KiwiTech’s products, publishers can use tools such as video editing, publishing database and games to attract readers and generate new revenue streams. Chandler said sales representatives should focus on selling mobile while “(they) provide the service.” 

For publishers, Chandler saw opportunities in e-newsletters and e-books. Various publishing apps developed by KiwiTech include an interactive iReader, newsletter mobile reader and e-book marketing guide. He also saw the growth of second screen technology as readers continue to interact with content on different mobile devices.

Chandler encouraged publishers to get on track with mobile now especially with the number of mobile readers rising and as data analytics become more important.

With KiwiTech as their partner, publishers could have a mobile strategy in place within 90 days, he said.

For more information, visit kiwitech.com.