As I’m concerned in setting up mobile sites I always look out on what is the market doing in several areas.

As I had to be informing someone regarding the mobile jobseeking market in France, I watched three major references going mobile or getting a step on mobile.

I found three major players cases interesting:

- Cadremploi.fr (Adenclassifieds) > has set up a mobile version of its site

- Keljob.fr (Adenclassifieds) > has set up a mobile process to answer to job offers via SMS

- Mobiljob > is deploying is full business model around mobile offering

(feel free to call me if you need furthermore informations)

Nowadays the Cadremploi mobile site kept my attention for a while as I don’t really understand what is this mobile version used for… Not that it is not beautiful to watch (the mobile version is clearly good looking and Iphone optimised which is great).. but ter exception of any commercial buzz… what is the site looking for?

(Thanks to this site where i found the captures)

As the guy of this site says :

Sur cette version vous pourrez effectuer des recherche et ainsi obtenir une liste d’offres correspondant ? cette recherche. Pour chacune des offres de la liste, vous avez un r?sum? du poste puis il vous sera propos? 3 choix :

• lire l’offre compl?te, malheureusement sur le site web non adapt? ? l’iPhone de Cadremploi
• recevoir l’offre par mail
• effectuer une nouvelle recherche

La connexion vers votre espace perso ou pro vous renverra l? aussi malheureusement sur le site non optimis?.

Il semblerait que le site iPhone de Cadremploi soit en version beta. J’esp?re donc que ces petits manques vont ?tre rapidement combl?s

Sorry it’s in French… but it basically says:

mobile site > mobile version of offer search > get the offer by e-mail

mobile site > connect your own space > on the usual website

mobile site > see the mobile offer > see the full offer on the usual web site

This means the people at Cadremploi decided to set up a two mobile pages only version….

- mobile offer search

- mobile homepage

I do clearly understand that this is great fo blog or web or press communication saying “hey guys I now got a mobile version you know”

but afterwards, I’m a bit lost….

If you have to connect to the regular site when watching cadremploi on your Iphone… what’s the use of a mobile version? (I can assure you I tested… and it’s real real tiny to browse the regular on the Iphone screen). If this was a communication try… will it not be displeasing for customers to first reach a fully perfect good looking site when on mobile, then on the next click getting an tiny mini regular version? Because who the hell (except us working in the mobile industry) knows that your are passing from a specific mobile version to a regular one? Won’t the general public reaction be “the mobile version of cadremploi… uh… not that good you know…. this is too tiny to be useful”

If this is a mobile version try… maybe the homepage-adaptation only is a first “study” flea jump just to be able to track who’s coming from Iphone, and who’s coming from the regular web. If so:

* I would love to know the pourcentage of mobile connection compared to regular ones

* I would like to know what’s imagined for Nokia, samsung, Lg… standard XHTML mobile browser compared to the iphone users that are targeted in the URL (iphone.cadremploi.fr)

* I would like to know how the cadremploi marketing product manager has decided to begin with a lighter / lightest mobile version eventhough this is a risky communication / user experience . Maybe there’s something here that I can’t even not imagine and that made them decide “ok let’s go for it”

But maybe I’m totally wrong (If you know guys there someone that could answer my interrogation feel free to give me his contact number)

Nevermind.. the case was not only here to use the Cadremploi business case but more generally, because it’s one more clue on how people at brands and tools react regarding mobile sites and business.

You can mostly divide the world of those people in two parts:

- Part 1: The people that try and get a web = mobile web version of their site (and the Cadremploi, or Fnac.com first steps are a clue). This is more about look and feel and user experience. The development of a mobile version is here considered as a new look and feel on top of their already existing html / rich media website. You connect the mobile version as you are choosing between a flash and html version of their side depending on the capability of the internet browsing tool. Everything has to be kept the same way. Same features, same products, same usage.

- Part 2 = The people that already use the mobile not only as “one more browser to adress with the same site” but also think the mobile is a specific channel in itself. They imagine the mobile as a new way to promote their activities, gain new members, or provide their users with specific usage (Viamichelin, Cetelem, Transilien, V?lib…). This way of reacting implicates marketing product managers do really know what are their customers wanting from their companies and react in that way to find specific mobile usage that fits with their customer needs etc.

But we all know it’s still difficult to convince brands and sites to come on part 1…. and that several studies show us that still plenty of mobile web users are browsing from home (where they could connect to their usual standard web tool)… - is it because there’s nothing different in getting the mobile version… which is then preferredly chosen when sit and watching tv in the sofa or while having a relationship with the toilets? -

So imagining brands already thinking of what could their customer need in part 2 - regarding the mobile used mostly at home: I’d love to see if people connecting Google maps mobile are not walking in the streets-… this is barely to be imagined… and I don’t know if I’m already to advise brands on that usage as I’m sometimes note one of their customers and maybe not knowing what a mobile user could expect from their brand. But this has to be developed to use the mobile as a REAL channel instead of a new browser version.

In the Cadremploi case… I’m a user…what do I need as a customer when connecting on mobile?

- offer checking > discretion is at stake caus’ I don’t want my boss to know i’m ready to live

- Easy browsing experience > as i’m at my desktop or in the bus while watchin

- Easily choosable versions of my CV > As I’ve to answer in a hurry, but still wanting to give me the best chance

- getting alerted when a recruiter asks my CV

- getting alerted when an offer fits with my criterias

- being able to receive a small site / summary of the recruiter’s info… as i’m sometimes lost in streets I don’t know and in a hurry due to late leaving of my actual job… I could find in there: (maps in realtime, metro plan to reach, estimated time to come, alert when i will be late, click to call the recruiter in informing him i’m late, more to be d.)

- etc. (to be defined as I know better the brand position on the market and desires to go further.

Well I do also know that I’m a bit early on mobile usage and that the target “cadres” aren’t ready for these (but you know this was the same with google maps… now everyone downloaded the Iphone version when getting an Iphone) for heavy mobile usage. The same for economy… who will pay for those features. The recruiter? the guy that want a new job? publicity? Maybe a bit of all?

But I’m sure the mobile usage has to be found early in the process. > This to imagine scalable versions that begins maybe with full mobile adaptation then ends with setting up new specific mobile features. Remember that if you’re about to set up a mobile version of your site. What do you guys need in mobile? What does my mobile customers needs?

regards,

and ready to discuss about it