Consumers can access the new mobile site by entering http://www.redcross.org on their mobile browser. It is important for companies to continuously update their mobile offerings to stay up-to-date with tech-savvy users.

“The Red Cross has continually evolved with the times since its founding, and the redesigned redcross.org represents the latest way the organization is harnessing technology to help perform its lifesaving mission,” said Josh Kittner, senior marketing specialist at American Red Cross.

“We believe the new site will help the people we serve get help quickly and easily, and empower people across the country to give help by taking a class, donating blood, volunteering or by making a generous financial contribution,” he said.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.

New Features
The new features of the redesigned site include the use  of geolocation to tailor a user’s site experience and make it more relevant.

For example, a person in a state impacted by a hurricane may have a different site experience than a person in a state affected by wildfires.

Additionally, there is an improved financial donation process and online course scheduling experience, which includes the ability to search for courses by geography or date.

Users can see their transaction history for courses and donations and know the impact that they have made. They can also manage their profile and billing information, including their monthly donations, and manage their course registrations online.

“We have performed outreach via email to our supporters,” Mr. Kittner said. “We anticipate that we should see an increase in traffic as we are moving into the peak of hurricane season.

“Presently we are monitoring the movements of Tropical Storm Isaac,” he said. “We are also responding to wildfires across several states.

“We encourage people that may face emergencies, large or small, to be prepared and redcross.org can help them do so, either through providing valuable information and tools and resources to get assistance, or through the ability to take a class. Redcross.org also provides people that want to help, whether it is through their gift of time, blood or money, with the ability to do so quickly and easily.”

Big leap forward
The launch of the redesigned sites follows the recently released Red Cross First Aid app, as well as a new Hurricane app, which can be found in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

“We have improved mobile optimization of the redesigned redcross.org,” Mr. Kittner said. “We know mobile is critical because the mission of the Red Cross is inherently mobile, many times when an emergency strikes people are outside of their homes, or away from their desktop.

“However, downloading an app is not a substitute for training, but it is another resource to help people when and where they need it,” he said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York