Melbourne based e-media company iGEN Media Corporation is set to launch its mobile-to-web classified advertising site txt2ads.com.au. Aimed at the “mobile generation”, typically 18 – 35 year olds, txt2ads.com.au combines the immediacy and simplicity of mobile messaging with the richness and reach of the Internet.
“By bringing these two unique forms of communication together, advertisers are able to get their message quickly online, without actually needing to be online,” Edward Fenech, Managing Director of iGEN Media Corporation said.
Mr Fenech went on to say that he wanted txt2ads to evolve the classified advertising paradigm and to bring something notably different to a generation of consumers that are prevalent users of mobile messaging and the Internet.
“txt2ads leverages the incredibly powerful yet very user friendly communication capabilities of SMS and MMS as an online content originator. While there are a number of providers delivering content to mobile phones, very few if any are using the mobile phone as an originator for online content; we certainly believe we’re the first to do so in the classified advertising sector.”
Mr Fenech said that even though there are a number of online classified directories, most had followed very similar formats and he wanted txt2ads to offer something new to customers.
“We wanted to give customers a new experience; not just in relation to how they place their ads but also in how we present their ads online. Our design approach was a deliberate shift away from the classified directory styles used by other sites and I believe that by adopting this approach it will be a great deal easier for us to continue innovating the service,” Mr Fenech said.
In relation to security, iGEN Media Corporation’s Director of Technology, Mr Steven Long said that txt2ads.com.au used a ‘Closed Loop Authenticated Mobile’ system, along with a number of other measures to protect customers.
“Our system is designed around authenticated mobile numbers and individuals can’t place an ad without first having their mobile number authenticated,” Mr Long said.
“This security process is initiated by the customer directly from their mobile phone and is only successfully completed when we’re able to deliver a security PIN back to their mobile phone.”
Adding to this, Mr Fenech said that given the concerns many consumers had with doing business online, they had introduced a number of measures that protect the privacy of users.
“We have worked very hard to reduce privacy concerns. One example is that advertisers don’t need to publish their contact details in their ads; this is especially beneficial for private advertisers. The system enables them to receive enquiry notifications directly to their mobile phone via SMS,” Mr Fenech said.
“People making the enquiry will of course need to have their mobile number authenticated before they can send enquiries and we also have a number of constraints in place to prevent someone abusing the system.
“It’s also important to note that we don’t directly bill the advertiser; they’re billed for the service by their mobile carrier. This means we don’t collect the same level of personal or credit card information as other online sites. It’s reasonable to say that these measures will give our customers a very secure online environment to do business.”
txt2ads.com.au will be fully available from the 27th October 2008. Visit http://www.txt2ads.com.au/