Mobile marketing is one of the fasting growing areas in the marketing world. Approximately 99% of Americans own a cell phone, with roughly 64% of those devices being a smartphone (Pew Research). Additionally, around 20% of Americans own a tablet (Pew Research). And users aren’t just utilizing their devices to make calls and surf the web, as smartphones and tablets are allowing consumers to get their news, follow political campaigns and elections, and most importantly for marketers, shop and make purchases.
Importance of Mobile
At the end of 2012, about 11% of retail spending was done via a mobile device (Smart Insights). By the end of 2013, that figure had more than doubled, as mobile spending accounted for 25% of all retail purchases (Smart Insights). But the importance of mobile for retailers is even more significant because even when customers don’t buy something directly from their mobile device, they’re interacting with company websites and apps.
This, in turn, helps shape their image and perception of that particular brand, and more than 75% of mobile interactions lead directly to an in-store purchase (Smart Insights). With figures like this, it’s evident that brands should utilize smartphones and tablets to not only drive sales but also interact with the consumer and help foster strong brand identities.
Smart-Phones and Tablets
Smart-phones and tablets are becoming an increasingly larger part of American life, especially for the younger generations. Currently, roughly 23% of our free time is being spent on a mobile device. Because of the wide array of media channels available today (i.e. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc.) in addition to storage devices like TiVo and DVR, Americans can squeeze 12 hours of media into a 9 hour day (Pew Research).
Many mobile users are able to utilize these streaming services directly from their smart-phones and tablets, making mobile marketing even more important. Furthermore, of those mobile users who are watching TV at home, around 86% of them are surfing the web while watching TV (Arbitron, Omniture, and Comscore). Therefore, brands and advertisers have a unique opportunity to simultaneously target their audience through TV and mobile.
Where Research Comes in
Generally, there are many ways to research/track mobile usage in order to gather market research. As an example, there is creative testing on mobile phones. In other words, researchers can run surveys for phone users and ask them to rate what they like about the advertisement. In addition, surveys and focus groups about mobile usage can give advertisers a feel for how consumers use their mobile devices.
Above all, mobile marketing is key to the advertising world today. Since the proliferation of mobile users shows no signs of slowing down, it essential that marketers and advertisers take advantage of the unique opportunities that mobile marketing provides.
Sources
1- www.pewresearch.com
2- www.smartinsights.com
3- Arbitron, Omniture, and Comscore
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