Research in Motion may be seeing its worst years lately, but one shining success that rode on its eroding popularity is a relatively unknown company, Poynt, the developer of the hit location-based search engine software which now runs on several smartphones.
Poynt boosting success with help of the blackberry
Poynt got its break when RIM made it one of its “super apps”, a label that attempted to differentiate its smartphone apps against those of its competitors, notably Android and iPhone. The application has also enabled RIM to promote stronger ties with mobile telecoms firms and handset retailers by preloaded the app to its phones.
But if Blackberry is now suffering profit shortfalls and declining market shares, Poynt will not be along for the downhill drive. It is now on the roll after getting more than 12 million users with new users between 20,000 and 30,000 registering each day not just from Blackberry handsets, but also from Nokia, iPhones, Androids and Windows phones. In short, it has not placed all its eggs in just one basket, so to speak.
While most preloaded apps in smartphones have been derided by many users as mere “bloatware,” Point’s search software does not account among them and has gathered a large following to make it one of the practical and popular pre-loaded apps for smartphones. With its ability to run on any mobile OS coupled with its practical marketing uses, it is no wonder that it’s breeze marketing the app to handset makers and getting deals with various retail businesses.
Margaret Clover-Campbell, Poynt’s senior VP for marketing says, “You can expect to see some additional deals in the first quarter. You’re starting to see brands and advertising agencies starting to come aboard. We’re seeing an upswing in revenue there.”
In just one summer’s month, Poynt saw half of its 700,000 new users registering from preload deals with carriers, Glover-Campbell said. Today, Poynt has deals from gas stations to restaurants. It gets a revenue share every time someone purchases a movie ticket or makes a dining reservation to any commercial establishments listed on its phone apps. It looks at located-based advertising as its next business growth driver.
