Mobile app and mobile web development have stormed to the forefront of most companies’ marketing mixes over the past half decade and are continuing to attract a lion’s share of the attention in the tech press. Its with good reason too as companies like Fandango are reporting that as of this summer, as much as 30% of its movie ticket sales were through smartphones and tablets. We also see tech giants like eBay and Expedia estimating that half their sales will be via mobile apps and mobile web developments within two years.
Each year we are seeing customers shopping more and more with their smartphones. Key areas of commerce that we are seeing customers engaged in via mobile applications or mobile web developments include: buying items directly, checking emails for discounts and coupons and for
research and comparison shopping. We are starting to see larger retailers such as Walmart pushing towards allowing consumers to make payments via smartphone while in-store for the ultimate in convenience.
If your web presence isn’t easily accessible to mobile users you ignoring a substantial group of powerful consumers. Mobile friendly websites are no longer an indulgence. Key to powerful mobile web development is keeping an eye on the environment and developing specifically for it. Skip flash and overly ornate designs in favor of designs that favor speed and simplicity.
Retailers are always looking for ways to improve the shopping experience for shoppers once they are through the doors. One powerful way is by leveraging online shopping style features in the store. Many retailers are now offering customers options such checking out via tablet or they carry tablet based systems to check inventory for customers.
There are many advantages to tablet based systems. Tablets cost much less than the PC based terminals and are easier to update software on. They also have fewer issues with viruses, are easier to train cashiers on, are more secure, and are battery powered. Tablet based systems also help remove barriers between the customers and the store employees and can speed up checkout, making it a more personal experience.
Tablets clearly offer retailers a great way to increase engagement with customers and improve shopping experiences. As e-commerce is becoming more and more of a staple of our culture, brick and mortar businesses must look for ways to improve the shopping experience to compete. Mobile based applications help retailers give customers a better experience with shorter lines or no waiting once they are through physical store doors.
Clever use of mobile based applications within the retail environment can give brick and mortar retailers a tremendous advantage over competition that does not follow suit.
In a recent report from Juniper Research, they are predicting that revenue from mobile searches will explode to $15 billion by 2017, which is nearly 3 times the expected revenues for 2012. Not surprisingly, mobile search enjoys some of the highest click-through-rates and cost-per-click rates in mobile advertising.
The future is clearly all about mobile. Mobile searches currently account for about 10% of Internet traffic (up from just 1% in 2009) and mobile monetization is accelerating rapidly. An exciting 71% of the growth coming via mobile applications.
It is rapidly becoming very clear that any advertiser that is looking to get great ROI on their advertising budget should focus on mobile and the mobile Internet.
What is fueling this rapid growth? It’s easy to see, that it is simply a numbers game. As of January, 2012, 100,000,000+ Americans owned smartphones and tablet use is going through the roof. eMarketer predicts about 70 million Americans will own a tablet by the end of 2012. By 2015, more than half of American Internet users will use tablets to go online.
If you are a business owner or marketing manager, you need to start thinking about how mobile applications fit into your marketing mix. Are you going to advertising on them, have them built for your brand, or both?
You will not be wasting your advertising budget. Mobile apps will soon be everywhere and they will be propelling the future of the Internet.