Just as businesses were getting used to digital marketing with websites and emails, the rapid mobile revolution has created a whole new channel for marketers to wrap their heads around.
Mobile platforms demand a different marketing approach.
While organisations may have crafted a website that perfectly serves their target market and a supporting email marketing strategy to go with it, consumers’ newfound love of the mobile platform demands a different approach.
Any B2C email marketing strategy needs to account for a number of key differences between desktop and mobile devices. With consumers constantly on the go, businesses stand to gain a lot by embracing this newfound mobility.
Retailers face increased customer demands
In many cases, it’s consumers who have power over organisations, as there are many factors that can either entice their interest or drive them away. Because of this, organisations cannot simply wait for consumers to come to them.
Instead, developing trends, such as the rising use of mobile devices, are forcing businesses to get to potential consumers first on the channels that appeal to them most. While many marketers may be aware of this, a recent report from Accenture revealed that a significant proportion of retailers are failing to meet consumers’ high expectations.
In particular, more and more online shoppers are making purchases from their mobile devices, so businesses with e-commerce platforms that don’t operate well on mobile risk alienating potential customers. According to Accenture, 40 per cent of consumers now regularly shop from their mobile devices, so marketing emails that promote online stores need to be prepared for an influx of mobile users.
Senior Managing Director in Accenture’s Products practice Patricia Walker said there’s a significant degree of challenge for businesses that want to meet these expectations head on.
“Retailers must make every effort to improve their mobile commerce capabilities and keep up with consumers expectations,” she explained.
“To be an adaptive retailer, the experience needs to be seamless experience for consumers who expect mobile devices to ease the shopping experience, both online and in-store.”
The handwritten shopping list could be on its way out.
Preparing for a revolution
For marketers that are still on the fence about preparing email content and online stores for mobile devices, a recent set of stats from Cisco could be worth a read. The firm found that organisations can’t afford to simply sit and let these opportunities pass them by, despite the fact that consumer demands can make these efforts risky.
Mobile internet use will dramatically increase in the coming years.
According to Cisco, the amount of internet traffic associated with mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones will continue to rise, with the organisation expecting current figures to grow eight times higher by 2020.
Also by 2020, Cisco believes there will be also 12 billion mobile connections spread across tablets, smartphones and wearable devices. This growing enthusiasm for mobile internet use means businesses will have a range of different content to offer consumers. Cisco revealed that over the next five years, three-quarters of all mobile data use will involve video content, so marketers can embed the content they think will be most effective and know there is a high chance people will watch it.
Experiment with new channels
The line between which social media platforms are for enterprise use and which are consumer-exclusive has blurred, with businesses taking to a diverse range of different sites and apps to communicate with consumers in a unique way.
According to Kite Communications, photo-sharing app Instagram, which can integrate with Facebook, will offer new ways for businesses to engage with their audience. The firm cites National Geographic as an example, as its journalists frequently support pieces with Instagram photos and videos which offer a unique counterpoint.
Making sense of all these channels and platforms can be difficult for businesses. For advice on how mailing lists can support your marketing campaign, contact the team at Lead Lists.
