Hoover's Inc. and its D&B parent company launched a new mobile product line at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The mobile products support the company's goal of providing customers with anytime, anywhere access to Hoover's. Hoover's Mobile and Hoover's MobileSP allow users to access important customer, prospect and partner information, identify new prospects, size up competitors and prepare for meetings.

"Hoover's Mobile and Hoover's MobileSP are natural extensions of Hoover's strategy to become an integral part of our customers' daily lives and to provide them with pervasive access to the most complete, accurate and relevant information they need to get business done," said Misha Rangel, strategic projects manager for Hoover's, Austin, TX.

"We continue to focus on driving the business through innovative new products, tools and functionality such as mobile capabilities that provide real value to our customers," she said.

Hoover's MobileSP users get one-click access to call executives, GPS-enabled location searches, advanced search and list-building, and custom call queue and "Save to Contacts" capabilities.

Existing customers have been testing Hoover's Mobile as a beta product, admiring the ability to quickly find the information necessary to identify and evaluate potential sales leads and markets while traveling, the company claims.

Hoover's Mobile and Hoover's MobileSP are designed for SMB entrepreneurs who oftentimes wear multiple hats, sales professionals who spend a majority of their time on the road and who have a significant need for Hoover's information and large enterprises with significant sales forces that find value in Hoover's desktop application.

Hoover's also released findings from its annual Mobile Survey, based on an October 2008 questionnaire to its 3 million monthly site visitors and customers.

"Our close communications with customers revealed the ongoing need for tools that fit into their day-to-day work schedules and workflows," Ms. Rangel said.

"As economic pressures continue, they want increasing value for their money and there is an increasing trend toward greater efficiency in terms of the tools and processes for data gathering and updating information," she said.

The survey results showcase a clear need for easier integration of mobile business tools.

In addition to uncovering that 85 percent of customers would access Hoover's information via mobile devices, the Hoover's Mobile Survey discovered that 75 percent of customers have mobile devices they use primarily for business.

Hoover's Mobile will have opportunities for advertisers, including ad space in the product as well as sponsorship opportunities for video content, beginning in the second quarter of 2009.

Hoover's has plans to incorporate additional content into the mobile products, such as company news and First Research industry content.

"In general, you will likely see more partnerships between providers of content, providers of enterprise software and integrators," Ms. Rangel said. "Such partnerships can broaden distribution and provide more complete solutions to customers with more complex needs.

"Hoover's will continue to forge strategic alliances in this area, where it makes good business sense," she said. "Additionally, our product team is working to provide the Hoover's MobileSP platform for iPhone users and for Symbian phones later this year."