While property and casualty insurers are not always known forbeing on the cutting-edge when it comes to technology, a number ofcarriers have already taken the plunge into the rapidly developingmobile device arena, offering new applications for claims and otherpolicyholder support functions, while making their Web pagesmobile-friendly.

Given that the market for mobile phones with Web capabilities isexploding, the number of insurers making use of this emergingtechnology should gain momentum, industry observersbelieve.

Gartner, for example, a leading tech research firm, ispredicting that by 2013, the number of mobile phones on the planetwith Web access will overtake the number of personal computershooking up to the Internet.

Some of the biggest guns in the p&c insurance business havealready seen the writing on the wall, and have rolled outmobile-friendly Web sites and apps for their customers.

Nationwide, for example, has introduced a claims-related app forthe iPhone (http://bit.ly/c1Hg46) that enablescustomers to make quick work of reporting an accident.

Specifically, the company's mobile app allows customers to takea picture of accident damage, use an interactive form to exchangeinformation with the other driver involved at the scene, and recordthe exact location of the accident.

Meanwhile, another mobile app offered by Nationwide–calledCartopia (http://bit.ly/azXu39)–serves as a handycar-shopping tool that allows users to double-check a vehicle's VINnumber, find out how the vehicle ranks in terms of safety, andenables the user to calculate the total cost of ownership.

Moreover, similar mobile phone apps are available from GEICO(http://bit.ly/4bmEiJ), AmericanNational Property and Casualty (http://bit.ly/craEEc) for classic carenthusiasts, and 1st Guard Insurance (http://bit.ly/cVALFT) for truckers.

Given that the emergence of these apps is likely to be just thetip of the iceberg for insurers looking to make use of mobiletechnology, along with the most recent findings from Gartner,adding mobile-friendly apps and/or a mobile-accessible version of acompany Web page is something most insurers are likely to considerthis year and next, analysts predict.

Indeed, similar findings in studies from Gartner and othersreinforce the wisdom that designing a special Web site, or seriesof special Web sites, for mobile Web device users is a now, ratherthan later, proposition.

Hung LeHong, a co-author on the Gartner study, for example, ispredicting that by 2014, the market penetration of mobile phonesworldwide will be at 90 percent.

Plus, a “2009 Retail Holiday Season Shopper Study” (available athttp://bit.ly/civefg) releasedby Motorola in January found that 51 percent of 4,534 shopperssurveyed during the 2009 holiday season said they used their mobilephones in various ways to close a sale.

Those uses included comparison shopping, as well as accessingonline reviews, online product information and coupons.

Not surprisingly, the figures for Generation Y shoppers from theHoliday Season study were even more dramatic.

A full 64 percent of shoppers from Generation Y (also known asthe Millennial Generation, encompassing those born in the 1970s andbeyond) used their mobile phones to help conclude a sale during the2009 holiday season, and 21 percent of those same shoppers used amobile phone to compare Web prices with in-store prices.

Chiming in on the mobile Web's projected rise this year isThomas Husson, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, whopredicted in his “2010 Mobile Trends” report, released in January,that “companies of all shapes and sizes as well as governments andlocal authorities will start integrating mobile into their overallapproach, rather than simply launching a few mobileinitiatives.”

He added that “organizations will thus dedicate more staff andresources to mobile,” while “many brands will also realize thatthey need budgets to promote their apps, and more importantly, thatthey need to plan their next steps–be it upgrading their service,porting the app to a different environment, such as Android,”etc.

Mr. Husson is also projecting that increasing numbers of salespeople are experimenting with geo-targeting–the practice ofauto-sending promotional texts, coupons and other advertisements tothe mobile phones of potential customers walking near or right bytheir storefronts. He said the technology will become “a keycomponent of mobile social experiences and mobile marketingcampaigns.”

Granted, retooling your property and casualty insurance Websites to accommodate users of a number of mobile computing deviceswill be a chore, but Mr. Husson believes the effort could pay offhandsomely for sellers of all products and services in thelong-term.

“Beyond direct revenues, mobile can play a key role insatisfying your most loyal customers,” he said.

Given the cacophony of voices all heralding the inevitable riseof the mobile Web, here are some resources that insurers andindependent agencies can use to pull together their own mobile Website strategy:

o Detect Mobile Browsers Software:

Employing this type of software is probably one of the mostefficient ways to ensure a mobile user is served a Web site fullyoptimized for their device.

Essentially, these programs can detect whether a visitor isusing an Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, Google Android phone or similardevice to access your Web site, and then directs the visitor to amobile version of your Web site that is specifically designed foreach technology.

One inexpensive software package in this space is Detect MobileBrowsers (http://detectmobilebrowsers.mobi/#usage)which sells for $50. The package senses and redirects Web sitevisitors to mobile versions of your Web site that have been fullyoptimized for the iPhone, Android, Opera Mini, BlackBerry, Pal orWindows Mobile.

o Desktop-to-Mobile-Web Migration Software:

Apps maker Covario (http://www.covario.com/) has justreleased a package that helps automate the process of transformingan everyday Web site into a site optimized for mobile devices.

“With Covario's Mobile Content Optimizer, pages can be quicklydeveloped using existing desktop content, configured for display onvarious mobile devices, and done in a highly scalable wayleveraging Covario's Software as a Service delivery methodology,”according to Brian Klais, Covario's vice president of productmanagement.

“Our goal is to reduce the time it takes an advertiser to have acomplete mobile Web presence to less than 30 days,” he added.

Covario's MCO software works by using a proprietary template tomigrate content from an existing Web site to a site designed formobile users.

“Covario uses this template manager to serve 'optimized formobile' pages to the mobile phone or device in real time for verylarge Web sites, without the need to redesign the pages or set upseparate templates for mobile internally,” Mr. Klais explained.

o mobiForge Mobile Web DevelopmentCommunity:

With 26,000-plus members, mobiForge is a great place to visit ifyou're looking to quickly get up-to-speed on the state of mobileWeb development. Stop one for the beginner here is mobiForge's“Starting” section, which offers a cornucopia of educationalmaterial, books and training guides.

Other sections of the mobiForge site are devoted to designing,developing and testing mobile Web sites. A “Running” section, forexample, offers ideas on how to monetize a site once it has beenmobilized.

In addition, there are some “Forums” to discuss the technology,and a handy directory featuring mobile Web development agencies,recommended mobile Web development tools and the like.

o Mobile Web Books:

For an in-depth look at developing Web sites for those withmobile devices, check out “Mobile Web Design”(http://www.mobilewebbook.com) by Cameron Moll.

The guide offers 100-plus pages of practical advice, tips andexamples related to mobile Web development, as well as more than 40example-screens developed for various mobile devices.

Another reference-in-development is Brian Fling's “Mobile Designand Development.” Mr. Fling said his forthcoming mobile developmentguide will offer the principles and techniques of mobile Web sitesand mobile apps for all devices.

“We'll discuss what makes mobile, specifically the mobile Web,one of the most unique and powerful mediums we've ever seen,” saidMr. Fling. “I'll cover the essential principles for designing greatexperiences for the mobile medium, including how to take advantageof the mobile context, physical location, touch, acceleromertersand other means of input to create intuitive interfaces thatwork.”

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and businessconsultant based in New York City. He may be reached at [email protected].