Nokia is testing an app called Listings that brings classified services to one’s mobile.
Nokia Listings is a local marketplace on mobile where users can discover and transact with other users using a simple mobile client interface. The client is intended for the average emerging market user on a mid-end (Series 40) phone. So it works via SMS if GPRS is not enabled on the device.
Features of Nokia Listings
The product supports listings for “Jobs”, “Buy and Sell” and “Local Services” categories
- Jobs: As an employer, you can post jobs and review candidates who have applied for the job. As a job seeker you can search for jobs by category, location and salary, and apply.
- Buy and Sell: You can search and post items (mobile phones, bikes, etc) that you are looking to buy or sell. You can contact seller or buyer by calling or by sending an SMS.
- Hyper-Local Services: You can search for service providers like plumbers, architects, lawyers, etc in your locality. As a local service provider, you can list on the marketplace and be found by potential customers.
There are no fees for using the service except SMS and data charges from your operator. The client works on recent Series 40 phones (devices such as: Nokia 2700 Classic, 2730 Classic, 3120 Classic, Nokia 5130 XpressMusic, 5310 XpressMusic, Nokia 5330 Xpressmusic, Nokia X3, Nokia C3, etc) and will work on non-touch S60 phones like E63, E71, E72, etc, but the experience may be sub-optimal on some of these devices.
SMS based apps, killer content delivery mechanism ?
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We earlier covered the launch of WeMeet, a social texting service and mentioned an app that Nokia was working on. It earlier used to be called MoMart and later changed to mBazaar – maybe, Listings seems to be the final avatar.
Also, important to note that Nokia recently launched Mobile Money Service and the app also mentions the word ‘transaction with other users’, so maybe there is an integration?
Essentially, Nokia Listings is an attempt to become an important piece in consumer space. Nokia needs to play a platform/marketplace game and need not be the aggregator of classified ads. Instead, it should simply allow users to create/respond to advertisements, though the obvious challenge is to build a sustainable mass of sellers and build a business model behind it (operator friendly?).
Now that operators too are pushing such classified services and Nokia Listing app is competing with them – expect a bit of back clash.
What’s your take?
Related startup: Roopit – Classified Service over SMS
Related Forum Discussion: Dream Mobile App – Your Wishlist?
