In an ever-evolving market which is increasingly ruled by mobile technology, those who can adapt to sudden changes by analyzing trends and forecasts, and being the first to innovate accordingly, are bound to win.
This is especially true when it comes to communicating with the public: eMarketer has forecasted that, by 2020, mobile purchases will account for 71% of the whole digital market (and 32% of all media), with an annual growth index of 9.2%.
In this days and age, brands who don’t want to miss out on consumers on the move should ask themselves: what should we do to make the most of this opportunity?
The answer? Firstly, they should focus their advertising campaigns on the most used media. In other words, mobile shopping.
Advertising on smartphones requires a dedicated and complex approach. You need to be good at creating ad hoc content. Plus, you must come up with new ways to put forward your message. This may include using virtual and augmented reality, live video and engaging users through interactive material.
AOL, for instance, has recently been hired by a famous soft drinks producer to offer users videos that include an embedded branch location finder and social sharing tools to let users share their experiences.
Obviously, adapting to the mobile landscape requires investment in technology which must be planned and budgeted for. Multiple pieces of research prove the value of mobile technology.
In Italy, there are currently 28.5 million active mobile users (48% of the country’s total population) who spend between two and four hours online every day. Among them, 48% have purchased something online via smartphone over the last month (Read more in We Are Social’s Digital in 2016 report). According to Italy’s eCommerce B2c research group (certified by the University of Milan’s School of Management and Netcomm) in 2015 mobile shopping reached a turnover of €3.3 billion, an increase of 63% on the previous year.
These figures are not surprising, especially if we look at them with reference to the findings of Ericsson’s Mobility Report 2016.According to the report, smartphones have recently outnumbered mobile phones.
Indeed, globally speaking, SIM cards associated with mobile phones with internet access account for 55% of all mobile devices. That’s 7.4 billion contracts and 5.1 billion users. According to market intelligence provider IDC, by 2020, “phablets”, or smartphones measuring 5.4 inches and above, will account for one third of market share (they currently account for one fifth). And while LTE technology is still rolling out, people are already predicting 5G will be here within five years.
Summing up, then, we can say that the mobile revolution (which has already started) will dramatically affect the advertising world, causing radical transformations. And those who can’t adapt will be out of the game in just a few years.
What do you think of mobile advertising today? What sort of improvements would you recommend and how would you like them to be offered to you? I would like to get your comments. Tweet me @agostinellialdo.
If you liked this post, you should read my blog on how VR and AR are completely changing retail.
