In a new survey conducted by BuzzCity, about half (47 percent) of all shoppers plan to shop online for holiday gifts this holiday season. Buzzcity also found from their study was that 59 percent of those who holiday shop online will also shop in the store as well. Retailers should understand that it is the combination of in-store and online shopping experiences that they should cater to for the modern shopper.
BuzzCity found that key concerns of consumers are product variety (33 percent) and for it to be easy to find those products (32 percent), whether consumers are online and in the store. These concerns come above finding discounts either in stores (24 percent) and online (14 percent).
Of particular note was that 20 percent of those surveyed stated that using their mobile device to find information in the store is quicker than asking a clerk or other sales staff. Clearly it is important for businesses to consider that shoppers could be viewing their mobile applications or mobile web site when on the show room floor and provide them with the necessary tools.
“When consumers shop, they can find all the product information they need just by pulling out their smartphone,” states Kimber Johnson, Managing Director, Vanity Point. “Smart retailers are making it easier and easier for shoppers to utilized a integrated shopping approach where they can augment their in the store experience with mobile tools.”
Recently, Rumble released a mobile user engagement study that some key data when it comes to the behaviors of consumer mobile engagement. A key point of their data is that there are big differences in how consumers share mobile content depending on the content and the type of device they use.
Interestingly, Android users were shown to be 2 – 3 times more likely to share articles than iOS users. According to Rumble, “Although building a high-performing Android mobile app can be time intensive and expensive the Android market is continuing to grow and now represents more than half of the U.S. smartphone market”. Therefore, those publishers who want to grow their audience and reach will benefit from having an Android presence.
Additionally, if you thought the most used way users share mobile news articles was via Facebook or Twitter, you would be surprised to learn that according to Rumble, email is the top sharing method (76 percent) versus 12% who use Twitter and another 12% who use Facebook. Clearly it is important that marketers support email sharing in their mobile apps.
It was also shown that iPhone users display 3X more likely to share an article than iPad users. Clearly if your mobile model has sharing as fundamental point, your mobile application development plans should start with an Android application and follow with an iPhone application.
Rumble’s findings also show that push notification is a key engagement tool with rates as high as 70 percent of an app’s user base opening the app with just a single push. Clearly this is an excellent tool for continued engagement with your application.
Based on different studies, it is estimated that between 25 percent and 50 percent of people will read this post on a mobile device. Consumers and business professionals have adapted to mobile apps, devices and web sites at a rapid rate, using ‘all things mobile’ to stay connected, find information or just have fun. In a new study from Syniverse, we see just how important mobile has become for businesses.
One of the key findings is that most businesses aren’t handling mobile developments in-house. According to Synivere’s report, a full 77 percent of those surveyed are turning to outside vendors for their expertise on how to succeed in the mobile market.
Furthermore, it this survey, it is found that 92 percent of the business people surveyed believe mobile is ‘important or very important’ to their business and 84 percent ‘plan to incorporate’ mobile into upcoming marketing plans. Additionally, 88 percent say they have a ‘defined’ mobile strategy for future marketing efforts.
Of those who currently have a strategy, around half state that they are in the process of implementing it. However, only 24 percent say that their strategy has been implemented at this point and only about 10 percent say they are currently developing a mobile strategy
Businesses were quick to understand that mobile apps and web sites allow them to prosper in their local markets. Going local deepens the engagement levels of consumers. Syniverse’s data shows that 73 percent of businesses surveyed have included a location-based strategy, which allows them to use geographic profiling to better interact with shoppers.