I did not grow up with big box stores but boy do I really enjoy a good Target (or shall I say Targét given the fancy designer collaborations they do from time to time)! And, because I do shop at Target, I’ve become very familiar with their iOS app (if you know me, I’m an Apple person so can only speak to this version).
The Target app is probably one of the best apps I’ve seen in the retail space hands down. It does a phenomenal job of blending the digital and physical shopping experiences in a seamless way. The UX of the app captures an understanding that Target’s customers will take their phone everywhere, including into their local store, and in that context it becomes a companion to guide you through the store. Alternatively, it’s just as simple to sit on your couch and have stuff delivered straight to your door either from your local store in minutes or via a warehouse in days. Continue reading “Review: Targeting a Digital / Physical Retail Experience”
Now that we have a house, I feel like I can finally utilize all the core competencies I’ve been building watching approximately a bajillion hours of HGTV. Of course, on TV every contractor is lithe, attractive and looking out for your best interest. In reality, it’s more like you are lucky if they aren’t weird and/or shafting you.
Hearing about so many horror stories, I was really happy to discover apps that can help with sourcing and vetting vendors. One of those is Houzz, but their mobile app leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, I believe some features are buried and perhaps it’s because the organization is not ready to invest in their success. Continue reading “Houzz: Mobile isn’t always Better”
I don’t think I’ve written here explicitly about Zipcar but, if I did, you’d think it was a paid advertisement. I can’t say enough good things about them and I’m a huge advocate for car sharing (though, if someone invented teleporting, I’d have to switch my stance…). I get regular email communications from them and fairly recently, they sent over a discount code for a hotel booking through an iPhone app called “Hotel Tonight.”
Perhaps I’m atypical or maybe this is how I fit into the millennial sterotype, but I don’t always book hotels. On at least a couple of occasions, I’ve gone with the AirBnB-type rental in lieu of a hotel and have been very happy. Additionally, when I do book hotels, I don’t have a ton of brand affinity. Generally, I try to stay at nicer hotels but tend to find better deals at boutique hotels so I don’t necessarily have Hilton points or anything like that I’m trying to rack up.
That said, Anthony and I were planning for a very abbreviated trip to Boston for my birthday and we were in the market for a hotel room. I had briefly looked at the AirBnB market and the pickings were pretty slim. On a whim, I decided to download the Hotel Tonight app. I think what immediately impressed me about this app is how streamlined it was to use. Many apps push you to create an account before you even start using the app. I typically dislike this approach because it’s really a cheap way to gain users — you can say you have 1 million users but if most of them signed up once and then didn’t continue to use your app later, what value was it to have those folks signed up?
I wanted to use my promo code so, prior to booking, I went to the tab that looks like one for profile information and loaded in all my pertinent information, including the promo code. Once the code is loaded into your account, it will be applied to your reservation at checkout. You don’t have to do anything extra to apply it which is nice.
Additionally, another point to note is that you don’t have a “hamburger” menu here that hides a whole bunch of options you couldn’t figure out how to fit into your app. The options presented make it clear what Hotel Tonight is trying to do: get you to book with their hotel partners AND refer friends to Hotel Tonight to drive their download/membership/engagement numbers higher. Also, the error conditions — when you dont have wireless or cell signal, for example — are really well done.
One of the really neat things about this app is that you can track hotel prices for a given location over a certain period of time in which you want to book and Hotel Tonight will notify you if the prices have gone down. This was actually very helpful to me as I thought I had missed out on a deal but the next day received a notication that the prices were lower and, sure enough, the original hotel I wanted to book was available again.
The absolute best part of this app, however, is the integration with Apple Pay. Paying for your hotel is incredibly easy. After hitting the “Book Now” button on a listing, there is nothing left for you to enter. Because I’ve already entered all my information, the only thing left to do is pay. From the confirmation screen, I can see the dates I’m signing up for and the full price I’ll be charged. Simply authenticating with my thumbprint is the last step and confirms that I am authorized to make this purchase.
In what has lately been a very busy time for me, I’ve found that apps that make my life easier have truly been vital. Hotel Tonight will definitely fall into that category and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again in the future. Competitors such as Expedia, for example, often do too much or try too hard to sell add ons/gimmicks rather than focusing on the right customer experience to make the act of booking travel less of an ordeal.