Abstract

BREDICAN, John  and  VIGAR-ELLIS, Debbie. Smartphone Applications - Idea sourcing and app development: Implications for firms. S. Afr. j. econ. manag. sci. [online]. 2014, vol.17, n.3, pp.232-248. ISSN 2222-3436.

The smartphone has become the uniquely personal computing device choice for consumers. Applications (apps) for smartphones are set to reach revenues of £25 billion according to Gartner. This presents great opportunities for marketing as apps can provide great benefits for consumers and firms. However it is Information Systems (IS) departments that have traditionally been tasked with the acquisition and/or development of such information technologies within organisations. With such strong implications for marketing, this exploratory research has focused on the sources of app ideas within firms, locations for app development and perceptions of app development success. Results indicate that while most ideas for apps currently come from IS and marketing departments within the organisation, and development of apps is also done mainly within the organisation, these development strategies are not necessarily the most effective. Managerial implications' regarding the role of IS, Marketing and the customer in app development, are discussed.

Keywords : smartphones; apps; IS departments; app usage; app development; customer.

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