While property and casualty insurers are not always known for being on the cutting-edge when it comes to technology, a number of carriers have already taken the plunge into the rapidly developing mobile device arena, offering new applications for claims and other policyholder support functions, while making their Web pages mobile-friendly.

Given that the market for mobile phones with Web capabilities is exploding, the number of insurers making use of this emerging technology should gain momentum, industry observers believe.

Gartner, for example, a leading tech research firm, is predicting that by 2013, the number of mobile phones on the planet with Web access will overtake the number of personal computers hooking up to the Internet.

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

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

Specifically, the company's mobile app allows customers to take a picture of accident damage, use an interactive form to exchange information with the other driver involved at the scene, and record the exact location of the accident.

Meanwhile, another mobile app offered by Nationwide–called Cartopia (http://bit.ly/azXu39)–serves as a handy car-shopping tool that allows users to double-check a vehicle's VIN number, find out how the vehicle ranks in terms of safety, and enables the user to calculate the total cost of ownership.

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

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

Indeed, similar findings in studies from Gartner and others reinforce the wisdom that designing a special Web site, or series of special Web sites, for mobile Web device users is a now, rather than later, proposition.

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

Plus, a “2009 Retail Holiday Season Shopper Study” (available at http://bit.ly/civefg) released by Motorola in January found that 51 percent of 4,534 shoppers surveyed during the 2009 holiday season said they used their mobile phones in various ways to close a sale.

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

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

A full 64 percent of shoppers from Generation Y (also known as the Millennial Generation, encompassing those born in the 1970s and beyond) used their mobile phones to help conclude a sale during the 2009 holiday season, and 21 percent of those same shoppers used a mobile phone to compare Web prices with in-store prices.

Chiming in on the mobile Web's projected rise this year is Thomas Husson, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, who predicted in his “2010 Mobile Trends” report, released in January, that “companies of all shapes and sizes as well as governments and local authorities will start integrating mobile into their overall approach, rather than simply launching a few mobile initiatives.”

He added that “organizations will thus dedicate more staff and resources to mobile,” while “many brands will also realize that they need budgets to promote their apps, and more importantly, that they 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 sales people are experimenting with geo-targeting–the practice of auto-sending promotional texts, coupons and other advertisements to the mobile phones of potential customers walking near or right by their storefronts. He said the technology will become “a key component of mobile social experiences and mobile marketing campaigns.”

Granted, retooling your property and casualty insurance Web sites to accommodate users of a number of mobile computing devices will be a chore, but Mr. Husson believes the effort could pay off handsomely for sellers of all products and services in the long-term.

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

Given the cacophony of voices all heralding the inevitable rise of the mobile Web, here are some resources that insurers and independent agencies can use to pull together their own mobile Web site strategy:

o Detect Mobile Browsers Software:

Employing this type of software is probably one of the most efficient ways to ensure a mobile user is served a Web site fully optimized for their device.

Essentially, these programs can detect whether a visitor is using an Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, Google Android phone or similar device to access your Web site, and then directs the visitor to a mobile version of your Web site that is specifically designed for each technology.

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

o Desktop-to-Mobile-Web Migration Software:

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

“With Covario's Mobile Content Optimizer, pages can be quickly developed using existing desktop content, configured for display on various mobile devices, and done in a highly scalable way leveraging Covario's Software as a Service delivery methodology,” according to Brian Klais, Covario's vice president of product management.

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

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

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

o mobiForge Mobile Web Development Community:

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

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

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 with mobile devices, check out “Mobile Web Design” (http://www.mobilewebbook.com) by Cameron Moll.

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

Another reference-in-development is Brian Fling's “Mobile Design and Development.” Mr. Fling said his forthcoming mobile development guide will offer the principles and techniques of mobile Web sites and 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,” said Mr. Fling. “I'll cover the essential principles for designing great experiences for the mobile medium, including how to take advantage of the mobile context, physical location, touch, acceleromerters and other means of input to create intuitive interfaces that work.”

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in New York City. He may be reached at joe@joedysart.com.

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