The b-to-b app opportunity: real-time data

March 13, 2012 — While b-to-b media lags consumer media in the adoption of dedicated content apps for tablets, the early opportunity for b-to-b may lie more in functional smartphone apps that keep users connected to their marketplace 24/7 with instant access. According to Ten24web.com,most companies still suffer from disparate data systems where data remains in silos and databases aren’t integrated. With the rapid adoption of mobile integration to these systems, departments will be better aligned and work closer together.

ABM members Farm Journal Media, Farm Progress Companies and Hanley Wood each have developed apps offering market access and a steady stream of real-time data.

In January, Farm Journal Media launched text messaging app Commodity Update according to, commodityupdate.com. It provides multiple alerts each day on commodities prices from the Chicago Board of Trade.       

Commodity Update subscriptions cost $100 per year per user, but a large portion of those subscriptions are paid for by sponsors as a benefit to customers and prospects, according to btobonline. The end user can choose among nine alerts per day, and each will include the name of the sponsor. Sponsors are also able to send a small number of additional text messages about their own products and programs.

Farm Progress Companies currently offers the Farm Progress Growing Degree Days (GDD) app for smartphones using Apple's iOS, Google's Android and Research In Motion's BlackBerry operating systems. It launched on January 7, 2011. It has had 16,000 downloads to date. GDDs are a measure of heat accumulation used in agriculture. Farmers use the index to plan when to apply fertilizers and pesticides, as well as to predict the optimum date for harvesting a crop.

Hanley Wood last year launched its Remodeling Cost vs. Value iPhone/iPad app. The app allows a remodeler or consumer to compare the average cost for 35 different remodeling projects within 80 different geographic markets (from Albany, N.Y., to Worcester, Mass.), according to btobonline.com. It also gives the average increase in home value the homeowner can expect to recoup at resale.

By Risa Dixon