Text messages are gaining in popularity at an uncontrollable pace and are accountable for an important part of the cell phone industry. Having established a footprint as a major trend in consumer cell phone usage, SMS text messaging has statistically increased monthly cell phone bills. While you are in class and you want to ask your friend if she brought the tickets for tonight's big concert, “texting” is definitely the best way of doing it. However, what do you do when she responds that she has lost them? This problem would never occur with bCODE mobile ticketing technology.
An Australian company took advantage of the SMS text messaging growth to create a technology where SMS text messages would be used to replace things such as vouchers, airline tickets, membership cards, etc. bCODE is compatible with 99% of devices already existing such as the RIM Blackberry and even the Apple iPod. It does not require you to register or subscribe since it comes as an SMS and will not cost you more than a regular text message. The concept is safe, simple and convenient for both consumers and organizations. When you purchase a concert ticket for example, instead of having it delivered to you, the administration of the event simply sends you a SMS text message with the bCODE scripted in it. When the day of the concert arrives, you don’t have to worry about bringing the ticket nor waiting in line because that link will give you direct access. All you need to do is pass your phone through a Media Hub, which is the scanning device that will read the bCODE scripted in your SMS text message, and the bCODE will either serve as the ticket itself or will automatically print one for you.
Porter’s Forces Analysis
Threat of Substitutes
Until now, the only substitute to the bCODE mobile ticketing technology would be the physical way of ticketing. The elderly and some others are scared of technological change and will probably continue using the normal distribution channels. They will rather want to have tickets mailed because they rely more on human interventions than on technology. However, young adults and all the generations under will definitely take advantage of bCODE. With the technology growing; people are becoming more and more at ease and dependent of it. Very often, people will take whatever option that will make them save time, and technology such as bCODE is both quicker and simpler. Other than getting physical tickets, until now there exists nothing really that could substitute the bCODE mobile ticketing.
Rivalry
The market for the bCODE can only get bigger and bigger. It is still not well-known, but there are numerous advantages of using it and with the technology taking over a lot of things; it is only a matter of time before it obtains a big share of the market. bCODE forecasts that its technology will soon be adopted by many industries and since it is the first one in the market, unless big names come in with a similar technology, bCODE brand name will be associated with the technology, making it harder for new comers to compete. Moreover, since it is a market where little competition exists, they will all probably divide up big shares of the market. Thus, the rivalry for the bCODE mobile ticketing technology is categorized as low. There are other similar types of scanning devices that exist, for example, in stores, the machine used to scan your clothes is in a way the same concept as bCODE technology, however, none of them are as available to customers as bCODE is.
Works Cited
- bCODE. (2007). bCODE™ is the future of Mobile Ticketing, Coupon, Loyalty and Payments.http://www.bcode.com/default.htm
- Gizmowatch. (2007). bCODE to test Mobile Ticketing Technology in Melbourne. Retrieved 10 March, 2006. http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/bcode-to-test-mobile-ticketing-technology-in-melbourne/
- Startegic Management. (2007). Porter’s Five Forces – A Model For Industry Analysis. http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml
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