Launched and supported m-commerce efforts for Axel Springer in Poland.

Organization 

Axel Springer Polska, based in Warsaw, publishes two of  the highest circulating daily newspapers in Poland, Fakt and Dziennik.  Axel Springer Polska is also the country’s second-largest magazine publisher with numerous magazine titles including Newsweek and Forbes.

Problem

Axel Springer Polska wanted a mobile strategy and hoped to begin by building a platform for selling content through premium SMS technologies. It needed a partner to design a unique, intuitive online experience,  integrate with Poland's mobile carriers, and provide the necessary tools to make the online venture easy to maintain.

Solution

Based on Newitech's technical expertise and experience developing an SMS Gateway for Canal+, a French-owned satellite and content provider, Axel Springer decided to work with Newitech to develop and support the venture. PlanetaSMS would be developed by Newitech which would provide a web platform for buying screen savers, games, and pictures for  mobile phones. In addition, the services could also be purchased directly via SMS and marketed in offline media.

The paid content would be purchased by integrating the premium SMS services of all three of Poland's carriers. Newitech also developed an interactive application in Flash, allowing customers to design their own images online and then download the creation to their cell phone. Besides the online store, and underlying SMS gateway, Newitech developed administration systems featuring reporting tools and a content management system.

Results

The Planeta SMS service served Axel Springer for a few years. It served as a robust platform experimenting with the possibilities of mobile-delivered content.

Key Technologies

• PHP
• MySQL
• Macromedia (Adobe) Flash
  
• Premium SMS