Mobile has gone from the next big thing to businesses finding themselves in a position where if they are not mobile ready they run the risk of rapidly becoming irrelevant to the marketplace. You don’t need to do much more than walk down the sidewalk one day and spend some time dodging the people looking at their mobile phones to realize just how big mobile is right now.
If you want to connect with your customers, mobile is essential in the modern marketplace.
If you want to get the most out of your mobile application development makes sure you look at the latest trends before speaking with an iPhone application developer or Android application developer. Here are 5 mobile trends predominate in 2015:
Data is key
Data not only helps target ads and increase conversions but allows you to deliver personalized content that is relevant to your users to increase engagement. You have no doubt seen how Google and Facebook use data to try and deliver the most relevant ads possible. The same type of logic can be applied to the content on your application.
Mobile applications that do not take advantages of the opportunities presented by using data are essentially throwing darts in the dark and not delivering content to an established target. Content and ads that are delivered based on the interests of a particular user catch the interest of users and improve engagement.
Leverage location
Utilizing location in your mobile program is a must. Adding location data into your program will allow you to add context into your marketing program. Tracking location on a mobile device is simple so there is no reason not to be leveraging location data. Studies have shown mobile messaging and ads are most effective within 5 miles of a businesses location so make sure you take this into account when you start developing your mobile application.
Interactive ads improve engagement
With the mobile market maturing we are seeing interactive ads starting to stand out and increase user engagement and acquisition. There is a sense that interactive ads are fresh and new. Additionally interactive ads can give users a feeling of being in control, engaging the user on a personal level. Compared to static ads, interactive ads are shown to increase a drive in sales, which means this trend is likely to stick around.
Native ads continue to grow
If you haven’t heard the term, native advertising describes a trend where ads emulate the look and feel of the apps or mobile websites where they appear. These ads typically are displayed as blogs, videos and infographics that are designed to entertain and enlighten the viewers without expressly promoting a particular brand. Native ads usually discuss topics related to products or services the company is offering and provide valuable information to users.
Video ads are popular
As the size of phones increases and cell phone service improves we are seeing video ads getting more popular. Video is more engaging than text or image based ads. They let advertisers tell a compelling story to entice customers in a way that other ad formats cannot match. Additionally video is a hot trend in general in the mobile world so video ads fit within a media format that is rapidly increasing in popularity.
While these trends are hot across the industry as a whole, make sure you analyze you brand and apps to see how each of these can fit in and remember that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work with mobile. Find the opportunities in your trends that will for for you and your users.
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Mobile devices have become a gateway to information for most individuals. If you think about it, your mobile phone might be the most personal device you have ever owned.
Your mobile device is how you search for local information, shop for goods and services, interact with social circles, perform work tasks, track your hobbies, entertain yourself and so much more. Mobile devices have become a focal point of our lives and our window to the world.
With mobile devices being integral to modern life, brands should approach mobile with the goal of creating experiences. Before you start your mobile app development and contact an iPhone app developer or Android app developer, make sure you understand the user experience that your customers want.
Mobile first
With mobile devices being many customers window to the world, a mobile first approach can help you build relationships with your customers. Users appreciate brands that are working to give them the tools they want and will be loyal to those that do. Brands that have made mobile a priority have been able to connect with customers in entirely new ways and adapt to them like never before.
Mobile is transforming the shopping experience
Smart phones have changed the shopping experience. Stores gave become showrooms to many rather than a purchasing center. Quality mobile experiences can work with the in-store experience to assist with consumers pathway to purchasing. Savvy brands understand that the shopping experience most likely began before a customer ever walks through the door and may end with an order via mobile app days after a visit to the show room.
Provide a unified experience
The combination of a brands’ in-store experience with that of their mobile apps and web site all contribute the the opinion consumers have of a brand. It is important for brands to maintain a consistent experience for customers that cuts across all platforms. This experience must allow orders at multiple points, customers won’t research your app on their mobile device and then order it later off your web site because you don’t offer commerce off your mobile application.
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Mobile is rapidly becoming the primary device for many activities around the world.
Recently Google reported that more searches are now taking place on mobile devices than on desktops. Clearly this shows a massive shift in the way users are interacting with digital data. Mobile is no longer on the fringes and something businesses need to talk about doing.
Mobile is here and it is now a way of life. From search to email, mobile should be many businesses’ primary consideration when preparing for customer interactions. Fact of the matter is that users interact with data differently via mobile devices and if you are trying to use a shoehorn to squeeze your web site into mobile devices you will most likely have disappointing results.
As the mobile application development market has grown and evolved we have found that it is as much about building for customer behavior as it is building for smaller screens. Before you talk to your iPhone application developer or Android application developer, make sure you take the time to understand your customers.
Over the past few years we are finding that it is the customers themselves that are causing businesses to re-explore the notion of the purchasing process to meet their needs. Savvy businesses are taking the time to understand customer behavior and are adjusting for that behavior.
These days a visit to the showroom floor is just as likely to be for research as making a purchase. You will find the purchase journey often started days ago with a customer reading reviews on their smartphone while commuting to work. Mobile has become integrated with the purchase process.
By understanding customer behavior you can provide the tools your customers are looking for to improve the purchase process and increase likelihood of making sales.
Mobile commerce is growing rapidly as the market matures and it is set to be the next wave of growth within mobile. Remember that within the new shopping paradigm, a customer may not buy a product until days after seeing it on a showroom floor or they may want to buy it while reading reviews on their smartphone. You must present a unified experience that inspires confidence whether a customers is standing in your store or set to buy products from their smart phone.
Smart phones have become deeply integrated with our lives and can augment almost any activity we engage in. Brands that understand this can develop mobile applications to compliment their customers’ lives.
One of the greatest advantages of mobile is its ability to respond to a user’s contextual information. Delivering specials or other relevant information when a user is near one of your physical locations can be useful and desirable for you users, many who are willing to opt in to notifications and data programs to improve the quality of their experience. The opportunities for improving the quality of your messaging are endless if you work toward improving user experiences.
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