Top mobile technologies to watch out for in 2013
The writing on the wall, er… on your Android powered smart phone is clear, that mobile landscape is crucial to connecting with your consumers. Mobile Commerce drove a 250% increase in 2012 for PayPal mobile payments. And you can’t roll out a strategy half-assed. Full API eCommerce integration, not just a screen scrapped version of your Ecommerce site. As for mobile marketing and while I hate QR Code campaigns, it is crucial to keep experimenting with scannable codes, geo-fenced offers and incentives, Shazam-esq apps and interstitial ads on music and video apps. Creative, Strategy and Media need to keep pushing forward. It ain’t a revolution but rather its a big slow march and we need to be in front.
Great article below from Mobile Marketer. I have paraohrased it but you can find the whole thing here: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/strategy/14631.html#
Augmented reality brings content to life
It is evident that mobile has captured the attention of many top brands, and technologies such as QR codes and augmented reality have helped pave the way. Now, marketers are looking for the next big trend that will drive customer interactions and, ultimately, sales.
Mobile is becoming the go-to medium for many companies and marketers are integrating it into their day-to-day initiatives. In 2013, marketers must make a bigger investment into the space and look at new technologies to help develop deeper relationships with consumers.
Key message
To be most effective, marketers need to deliver a message that resonates with the consumer at a relevant time via the appropriate messaging channel.The extent to which a marketer can execute on this objective dictates their success, per Mr. Ritchie.
Marketers should aggressively seek out flexible messaging systems that facilitate their communications to consumers across multiple channels.
Mobile payments
Last year, many were speculating that 2012 was going to be the year of mobile payments and near-field communication.That proved to not be the case.
However, mobile payments and NFC are seeing a great outlook this year.
Mobile payments will no doubt play a big role this year.
Consumers are becoming more comfortable making purchases using their smartphones and companies such as Starbucks, McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts are making it easy for consumers to order their favorite meals and beverages and pay for it using their mobile phone.
Integrated experiences
According to Wilson Kerr, vice president of business sales at Unbound Commerce, Boston, 2013 will be all about mobile-triggered consumer interactions.“Now that having an integrated mobile commerce site is established as essential, my prediction is that the next big trend will be around tracked mobile-triggered consumer interaction, at the point-of-sale,” Mr. Kerr said.
Existing technology
This year we’re going to see companies take the technology that exists and make more use of it, per Vanessa Horwell, chief visibility officer of ThinkInk PR.“I don’t think we’re going to see an explosion of NFC, but we’re going to see more utilization,” Ms. Horwell said. “Also the key things we’re going to see will revolve around data and analytics.
“We know that consumers are engaged, but how are businesses and marketers going to use that data?” she said. “They have to do something actionable with the data.
“That’s going to be the challenge for any types of marketers. Taking action with all that information. That’s a key thing this year.”
peter hill ~ pixelicious 