Something that started as a nice-to-have channel has now overtaken other traditional channels of consumer interaction and purchase. Customers are searching for vendor information, checking user reviews, making purchases on the go with the help of mobile devices. The latest mobile usage statistic by WebDam shows that 1.4 billion people own and use smartphones globally; that is 1 in 7 people worldwide! According to a projection by ComScore, monthly data consumption by an individual using a smartphone will increase from 150MB in 2011 to 2.6GB in 2016. Mobile devices have changed the way customers think and purchase and this is evident more than ever in the year 2014.
What does this mean for marketers?
Email Campaigns
A study by Radicati showed that 46% of email users accessed their email via a mobile device, and this number is expected to increase to around 80% by 2018. Marketers must ensure that email campaigns are not just focused on engaging desktop users but also target an increasingly mobile audience.
Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Websites
There was a time when marketers were scrambling to create mobile websites to cater to the mobile audience but 2014 saw a change in scenario. 85% of users preferred native mobile apps to mobile websites with iOS apps generating about 4 times the revenue compared to Android apps. If you want higher engagement and ultimately higher revenues, mobile apps are the preferred mode of engagement with your target audience
SMS Campaigns
SMS coupons were redeemed 8 times more than emailed offers in 2014. Leveraging a mobile to connect with your customers is no longer a matter of choice. Email might not be redundant, but with changing times, consumers have found a new way to take purchase decisions.
These were some interesting statistics forecasted by Heidi Cohen for 2014 related to consumers’ usage of SMS, which can be used to drive SMS campaigns:
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24% of respondents will text companies to compliment them. This positive feedback can be leveraged to expand sales and drive loyalty and advocacy
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58% of respondents will text companies to request information
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54% of respondents will text companies to enter a competition
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32% of respondents will text companies to complain
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16% of respondents believe that there is no good reason to text a company
Mobile marketing took a new turn in 2014. Mobile search has now excelled over desktop search. Today, customers use their mobiles to find you rather than any other device. With mobile devices permeating almost every aspect of our lives, marketers must consider the different consumption patterns of consumers on these devices. In addition, certain technicalities like marketing budgets, ROI calculations, etc., need to be taken care of.
