With mobile’s meteoric rise over the past few years, many marketers are having trouble reaching and connecting with audiences in a meaningful way through traditional marketing avenues. In a recent report from Mobile Commerce Daily, they detail that consumers classified as “Millennials” are particularly available to communication via mobile marketing and are highly willing to engage with brands via mobile devices and mobile applications.
“Unless brands evolve, they run the risk of becoming less relevant to consumers who are using mobile devices,” Kimber Johnson, the Managing Director of Vanity Point, states. “Marketers who are not engaging consumers where their time and attention is are placing brands at a significant disadvantage.”
Data from NetBase and Edison Research shows that among Millennials it is important “to be the first to know about a new product.” Mobile gives marketers a medium featuring immediacy that other mediums can’t touch. An active mobile-first approach by retailers in their marketing could be a strong tool for reaching Millennials not only now and but also in the future as the Millennials age.
“Nearly one-quarter of Millennials say they are willing to pay a higher price to be the first to have a new product,” said Gretchen Hoffman, vice president of marketing at NetBase.
In the very near future, many of the devices and appliances around homes and offices will be connected via a wireless network and the Internet. Businesses can expect an explosion in the number of intelligent devices and smart applications connected to the Internet. This Internet of Things will create additional information that allows supply chains access to deliver goods and services in exciting new ways they could have only imagined in the past.
Gartner, Inc. recently forecasted a 30X increase in Internet-connected physical devices by 2020 and these devices will significantly alter supply chain information.
The Internet of Things is predicted to reach 26 billion installed units by the year 2020 and its impact may reach further than you think. According to Michael Burkett, managing vice president at Gartner, “Some IoT devices are more mature, such as commercial telematics now used in trucking fleets to improve logistics efficiency, some, such as smart fabrics that use sensors within clothing and industrial fabrics to monitor human health or manufacturing processes, are just emerging.”
As businesses see these capabilities become more common, supply chains will be able to deliver to customers more efficiently. This efficiency will happen when many more smart devices than today are communicating to a network that then creates the appropriate response.
“Smart delivery of goods and services based on the needs communicated through the Internet of Things is the next wave of mobile business and smart applications,” says Kimber Johnson, Managing Director of Vanity Point, “Investment in this area is expected to yield sizable returns.”
Getting your mobile web site to shine isn’t as easy as just shrinking down your old web site to a mobile format. To succeed, mobile web development projects need to created with a focus on the unique characteristics of the mobile medium.
Tip #1 Start with a goal – Too many businesses build a mobile web site without determining what exactly they want the site to do. Do you want your mobile site to generate orders and sales? Drive traffic to a brick and mortar location? Once you have figured out your goal(s) keep your mobile site focus on accomplishing one or maybe two goals. A tight, clear focus produces much better results in the mobile medium than just duplicating your regular website.
Tip #2 Keep your visitors in mind – Your business and mobile web site have a specific audience and this is who you want to speak to when you build your mobile web site.
Tip #3 Build a bridge – Build a bridge between your visitors and your site goal(s). This is a simple tip that is often overlooked and highly effective if followed. If your goal is to drive foot traffic into various brick and mortar locations, utilize your mobile web to build a clear, easy to follow bridge to that goal. Often when consumers are visiting the web via mobile devices they are “on-the-go”, so creating a simple, easy-to-follow path will yield positive results.
Tip #4 Less is more – Don’t try to cram everything from your regular web site onto your mobile web site. Your business will benefit from a clean, uncluttered look that users can easily navigate. Use standard symbols for navigation where appropriate to help clean up the look. Opt for a clean, fresh look rather than design heavy features that aren’t effective in the mobile environment.
Tip #5 Stay current – A dated look can turn visitors away from your mobile web site. Opt for a fresh look and plan on reviewing and updating yearly.