The Asian market offers mobile developers over 1 billion mobile customers, yet to date most mobile content stores have been focused on Europe and the US. CellCity's ambition is to open the Asian market up, but also to take the sale of mobile content truly into the digital marketing age.

CellCity came into existence as a rebranding of StandFirst, a company that formed in 1994. StandFirst initially provided a broad range of marketing technologies in Singapore and Asia, but as the company grew it focused on the mobile space. In November 2005 it embarked on a new strategy to set up what Chief Executive Officer Dannie Francis describes as "a virtual store in a mobile City" and took the new name to reflect this.

As a developer of personal productivity and small business apps in its own right - for J2ME, Windows Mobile and the S60 platforms - and a provider of mobile marketing services Dannie believes CellCity is well positioned to create an "Apple meets WalMart" digital offering; The Mobile Megastore.

In Dannie's view most traditional mobile content channels fall down in three significant ways. They limit the content the sell, they do not market to their customers well and they largely ignore the Asian market. In addition, where those channels are provided by operators they are too expensive and too focused on their own subscribers. "We wanted a store that was more," says Dannie. "Something exciting and dynamic that provides a more fulfilling shopping experience. The kind of experience anyone would demand when they walk into a department store."

"At CellCity we already have over 2 million digital content items to choose from," says Dannie. "This covers everything from full track music - supplied through our relationship with players such Sony BMG, Universal, and Orchard Publishing - through ring tones, wallpaper and themes to a range of mobile applications. Because we have this breadth of content, we are able to capture customers across the entire range of mobile content Then we will use our marketing expertise to make them aware of our other offerings. So someone who comes to the Mobile Megastore for full track music could eventually become a customer for other content and applications."

CellCity has forged relationships with Bango, eNETS, and PayPal to support a variety of billing options for the customer. In addition, Bango offers content developers additional marketing services. "As well as the usual cross-selling within the portal Bango enables us to offer developers the opportunity to txt market directly to those customer's whose purchasing profile fits their application," says Dannie. Given the sensitivities to direct marketing CellCity will use an opt-in program, with customers being given what Dannie describes as "significant incentives" to opt-in. "For example, our CashClub members get $100 CashClub dollars for registering as a member that they can later use against redeeming items or trade value with other members. We want our customers to have fun," says Dannie.

In addition to cross selling content, Dannie believes CashClub will provide the best customer loyalty program of any mobile content reseller. "I don't see that any of the existing channels for mobile content and applications run particularly good customer loyalty programs," says Dannie. "Take Handango, they simply offer a points scheme. In contrast CashClub ties into other loyalty programs from the likes of airlines and hotel groups. This way CellCity customers will get a wider range of incentives for purchasing from us and more freedom over how they use the value of the dollars they have in their CashClub accounts."

Underpinning this approach, the CellCity has created its own back end, the Imercion engine, that Dannie believes makes most well known software portals look "second rate". The Imercion engine is able to download content in the correct format to a customer's mobile regardless of manufacturer, model, carrier, or country, without the need for the customer to provide information (except for payment details) or requiring the use of an on-device client. "This is a huge advantage because it means the operator isn't so important in the value chain," says Dannie.

In addition to an on-line offering, the CellCity has a retail strategy that will allow traditional high street software stores and phone retailers to offer content from The Mobile Megastore by over the counter sales. Retailers will have access to CellCity's back end and have the ability to push purchased software or content out to the customer's phone.

The service is also available as a white label product. CellCity is actively working to provide its service to a number of smaller Asia mobile carriers and franchisees on a country by country basis.

In the past the CellCity has sourced its content from US and European-based aggregators. As part of a relaunch of The Mobile Megastore on 4 July, CellCity is looking to recruit developers directly. "With Asia offering 1 billion mobile customers there is a huge potential for Native Symbian applications in the region. We want to get as many Symbian application developers on-board as possible to help stock our store, especially those developers offering personal productivity applications, eBooks, education, small business solutions and sports, entertainment or streaming services," says Dannie. "As a global sales channel we offer local Asia developers not only access to every country in Asia (in addition to their own), but to a global market as well. For US and European-based developers, we offer a fast track entry to Asia that their current partners certainly do not offer. In return for their listing, we offer a diverse and aggressive retail strategy and the best marketing opportunities in the region."

While Asia offers a huge potential CellCity also has its eyes on a global strategy and expects to roll its offering out in the US and Europe over the next 18 months.

The Mobile Megastore is currently accepting developer registrations ahead of the 4 July launch. Details on CellCity's terms and conditions can be found on their Web site: www.thecellcity.com