It’s common knowledge that the digital world has turned mobile. What was once a dream of the future has become reality and there are now more mobile phones in the world than people[1]. It’s obvious that a business should focus some of their energy into this mobile world, but how important really is it?

It’s obvious that mobile has become an integral part of marketing, but do people realise how important it is? Here are some statistics from this round up of 2015 marketing stats: 45% of email opening is on mobile; 80% of internet users own a smartphone; apps account for 89% of mobile media time, websites only account for 11%; over half of smartphone users grab their phone as soon as they wake up. These show how much of an integral part of our lives mobile devices have become.

It’s always a good idea for a business to invest both in mobile websites and in mobile applications; whilst a relatively small amount of time is spent on the mobile web, the median number of apps downloaded by American adult smartphone users is 0[3]; apps are used for their purpose and must be useful to a person, making their life better, to encourage downloads.

Mobile marketing has come to mean more than adverts on a phone; other tech such as smart watches and virtual reality are fast becoming prevalent, it’s interesting to hypothesise as to how businesses will adapt to this ever changing market. Will your smartwatch buzz with a personalised offer for every shop you walk past? There are already many concepts widely used today which wouldn’t have been expected in the past, such as geofencing, tracking and true personalisation, all of which can be utilised by a business to improve their marketing. There are also many benefits to the customer, such as the privacy, personalisation and security which are readily available on mobile. Good mobile marketing and good mobile websites benefit the business and the customer equally.

Advertising on mobile is rapidly expanding into an area with huge marketing potential. Studies have found that 87% of smartphone users notice adverts, this provides a huge reach for a business. If an advert catches the eye of a user and they decide to search the internet for more information, half of the battle is won. 53% of smartphone searchers go on to purchase the item they’re searching for[4].

In the 2015 Thanksgiving season in America, in-store sales fell by $1bn from 2014, whilst ecommerce adverts increased by over 800% with very high click-through rates. This interesting webinar offers some surprising statistics and a strong discussion from successful businesspeople.

Academics have recommended tips for a mobile site such as: user experience is fundamental, ensure content is easy to navigate; redirect to a site designed for the user’s handset to optimise their experience; use personalisation whenever possible; optimise checkouts when purchasing to minimise dropout; test and monitor every available variable[6].

A recently published study found that there was a gap in satisfaction between desktop and mobile retail. Between 2010 and 2012 this gap was found to have diminished from 5% less satisfaction on mobile to only 2%[7]. It can only be presumed that in the years since then, mobile satisfaction has risen further as businesses appreciate the importance of this, and as techniques are improved upon for mobile.

A great way to improve satisfaction is to offer consistency cross-platform. By utilising the data provided by a customer, a business should create a profile for each user to ensure they communicate with them consistently whether online, on mobile web, in-store or by email. This also make the customer feel more highly valued and likely to remain loyal.

With regard to design of a service, Chae, et al.[8] found evidence suggesting that information quality had significant impact on user satisfaction, which, in turn was shown to be related to customer loyalty. Whilst, Magura[9] found that the aesthetic of the service is given little regard by customers. This shows that a critical element of design for mobile should likely put functionality ahead of beauty. However, Cyr, et al.[10] found that aesthetic value had a significant impact; it seems more research must be done in this area to draw firm conclusions, however it seems likely that function should come before attractiveness.

It seems the best tip for successful use of the mobile platform is to make the content as easy to navigate as possible. A good interface and the removal of excess steps will encourage customers to browse more and make it easier for them to make purchases. With the prevalence of mobile apps, a customer won’t stick around to wait for a slow, clunky, app; they’ll give up and go somewhere else instead.

If a business dedicates sufficient resources to mobile it can be highly lucrative. Smartphone use is predicted to continue to balloon and thus businesses need to try and stay ahead of the curve, perfecting their mobile marketing and interactions before it’s too late. This article is one of many detailing tips and ideas for mobile marketing which are worth reading. This year mobile marketing is expected to pass $100bn, more than 50% of all digital spending. Make sure your money is spent wisely.

 

References:

[8] Chae, M., Kim, J., Kim, H., & Ryu, H. (2002). Information quality for mobile internet services: A theoretical model with empirical validation. Electronic Markets, 12(1), 38–46.

[6] Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F., Mayer, R., & Johnston, K. (2009). Internet marketing: strategy, implementation and practice. Prentice Hall.

[10] Cyr, D., Head,M., & Ivanov, A. (2006). Design aesthetics leading to m-loyalty in mobile commerce. Information & Management, 43, 950–963.

[3], [5] http://venturebeat.com/2016/03/01/top-5-tips-to-rock-your-2016-mobile-marketing-strategy-webinar/.

[1] http://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2014/10/06/NY30877.

[11] http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/mobile-marketing-tips-2016-01464617#JMu73COrkfHuZvHh.97.

[7] http://www.foresee.com/research-white-papers/mobile-sat-index-2012-form-foresee.shtml.

[2] https://freely.net/marketing-statistics/.

[9] Magura, B. (2003). What hooks m-commerce customers? MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(3), 9–16.

[4] The Mobile Movement Study, Google/Ipsos OTX MediaCT, Apr 2011.