Mobile Marketing Olivia Lyon Matt Brown

What mobile marketing is and techniques associated with it Mobile marketing is the interactive multichannel promotion of products or services for mobile phones and devices, smartphones and networks. Mobile marketing channels are diverse and include technology, trade shows or billboards. It was descried by Berney as ‘’Connecting and engaging with customers with and through mobile’’ (Berney, 2014) Techniques associated with mobile marketing include Apps, iAds, Near Field Communication and QR codes. In recent years marketers had found it difficult to master Mobile marketing, until 2013, Mobile marketing ad spend grew 100%. (Mobile marketing watch, 2013)

Explanation of the techniques associated with Mobile Apps Mobile apps are one of the most popular ways to access different kind of content including books, games and takeaways. Some argue that the web is dead and that mobile apps are taking over. A chart released by mobile analytics company Flurry on their Twitter in April 2014 showed that 86% of users spend their time on iOS and Android devices in Apps. The chart also analysed that only 14% of users spend their time on a browser where as a year ago, 80% of time was spent in apps, and 20% was in the mobile browser.

Justification It is said that a billion people are set to own a smartphone by 2015 (Push technology, 2014) and this indicates that apps are going to continue to dominate the market. The app market is already flourishing but is set to continue to do so with new hardware technologies opening up what is possible to achieve on a mobile device. The most popular games currently are those that can be played on apps e.g Candy crush and Angry birds. “Fundamentally, consumers want something that can reduce the time to undertake something, improve their productivity or entertain them when they are bored. It’s up to developers to assess what is missing on the app market and create a new idea into a reality’’. (Push technology, 2014)

Critique Even though apps seem to be the ‘new web’ there are flaws in this new technology. According to Deloitte, almost a third of UK-based smartphone users no longer download new apps in a typical month nor do they spend money on apps. (E- consultancy, 2014) So, some people might ask have we moved on from Apps already? In 2013 there was roughly half the number of first time buyers compared to , this could be because of the ‘honeymoon’ period where people played with their new smartphone or tablet but this only lasts for around 4 months. Over time, the 'wow' factor of the platform itself declines, and the novelty of discovering and downloading new apps wears off. (E- consultancy, 2013) Once consumers have got use to their device they tend to stick with a preferred set of apps and don’t tend to download new ones.

Domino’s With apps dominating the mobile industry, it is crucial that companies have an application version of their website to be able to meet consumers demands and needs. Dominos are a prime example of a company that has used the ‘App’ to their advantage, driving customer loyalty by focusing on providing faster and easier ways for consumers to order pizza via mobile. With 35 percent of its $2 billion in global digital sales coming from mobile and more than 6 million downloads of its mobile application. (Mobile commerce daily, 2013) Domino’s now allows customers to track their order with the ‘pizza tracker’ and also lets customers to create their own pizza’s, this makes customers feel like they are involved in the process and keeps them engaged because it is a fun, unique way of ordering pizza.

Appraisal If a company develops an app that consumers find easy to use and enjoy is more than likely that they will continue to use that app because apps nowadays are easier to use than the web. The average U.S. smartphone user now spends 88 percent of his or her time when using a mobile phone within an app and just 12 percent using the web browser. (ComScore, 2014) Domino’s sales figures reflect this because 35% of their $2 billion sales come from mobile. Here at GBL marketing we believe that our clients should invest in Apps because statics show that more consumers are using apps than the web. With the number of people said to be a billion that own a smartphone it is in a company’s interest to have an app version of the website to keep up with consumers demands and competition. Even though there is criticisms about the app, we think that the advantages of apps out way the disadvantages but the key to keeping the consumer engaged in the app is all about creating a unique, easy to use application.

Near field communication This is an exciting new technology and at GBL marketing we are pleased to inform our clients of this new upcoming technology. Near field communication (NFC), is a form of contactless communication between devices like smartphones or tablets. Contact communication allows a user to wave the smartphone over a NFC compatible device to send information without needing to touch the devices together or go through multiple steps setting up a connection. (about near field communication, no date) For example, consumers can pay for products up to £15 in 50,000 stores across the UK making it convenient and easy for them. NFC is tamper- proof and protected by a unique digital signature making it secure. Some experts are ready to say near field communication is dead, some question why though when 500 million NFC devices expected by Although near field communication is costly, it is versatile and can be adapted to many types of businesses and overall it improves efficiency and productivity. Near field communication technology seems to be the future, making it faster and convenient for consumers to pay for goods without the hassle of having to carry around many different bank cards. Although is it costly and has its security issues it is an advanced unique technology that some businesses are already using. Word count: 966