Businesses must quickly rethink their concept of mobile.
Mobile is not a device. It’s not a new payment gateway. It’s not another marketing channel. Mobile isn’t just a channel and frankly, it’s evolving beyond a strategy.
Mobile is the new Web that connects and I’d argue sustains other social and communication channels. Mobile devices have morphed beyond a select communication device to THE communication device. In fact, it has become a personal, 24/7 key to the “information highway”, social channels, personal and professional communications.
Paul Gelb, vice president and mobile practice lead at Razorfish calls mobile “a connective tissue that ends up being a thread through many of the stories and strategies that you end up doing”, which is an interesting point of view. It suggests that mobile is the new brand story teller or, at a minimum the disseminator of the brand story.
The mobile ecosystem
The mobile ecosystem is growing exponentially with new devices, responsive web design, mobile apps and even mobile-only social networks that there’s no single mobile strategy any longer. For example, Apps are recommended for developing existing customers and social CRM support whereas mobile-optimized Web sites are pitched for new customer acquisition by relationship marketing firms.
On the device-front, tablets are now the focus of unique content executions that were not possible via smart phones and strategies, most of which are more instant and viral than via PCs. If you doubt the growing importance of the mobile channel on businesses, research from Compuware found that 57% of consumers will not recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. Further proof is demonstrated by the 40% who reported they’d go to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.
Mobile-defined value proposition?
Has mobile become so critical and central to our brand story-telling that the business’ value proposition is being defined by the experience?
Current estimates indicate that 30% of all searches are being conducted via mobile devices; more interesting is the mindset of those customers performing mobile searches. The public has a unique need or desire when one searches for a product, service or content on line; some refer to this as “Mobile Intention”. There’s a built-in intention to take some action when searching via mobile devices. Searching for software, for example via a mobile device carries the intention of purchase or identification of closest retail location unlike the same search on a PC, which is often skewed towards research and recommendations.
Within the retail industry, we’re seeing the rise of “showrooming” where customers are browsing other store’s inventory and pricing while psychically present in the competitor’s store. Mobile technologies and channels are changing the way consumers shop. Amazon took a lead position in this area when it gave shoppers an App that allowed and encouraged multi-store comparisons and even gave a discount for using the app.
At the 2012 MMA Forum in New York City, Jesse Haines, head of marketing at Google Mobile Ads said “Showrooming isn’t going away, and it’s the innovative retailers who are thinking about how to transform their value proposition that win.”
The growing impact of mobile on the business’ brand and value proposition is the topic of this week’s #bizforum debate on Twitter. Join the business community as we debate all sides of this emerging marketing trend by following the #bizforum hashtag between 8 and 9 PM Eastern on Twitter, Tweetchat or your favorite Twitter client.
Sam Fiorella – Sensei
Feed Your Community, Not Your Ego
Feed Your Community, Not Your Ego
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