If 2012 was the Year of Mobile, 2013 will be the Year of Mobile Done Better…
But before we look at 2013, let’s travel back a decade. Remember the days when a cell phone was a somewhat foreign device you kept tucked away in a safe place, only to see the light of day in emergency not-near-a-payphone type situations? Foggy but vaguely familiar, right? Well mobile has come a long, long way since then my friends, and as mobile evolves, so too does the way in which we use it.
Like most consumers these days, I sleep, shower, work and play with my mobile device. Whether I’m using it for email, to update my status or to watch last week’s episode of Modern Family that I missed because I was too busy playing my new NBA App while simultaneously listening to my iTunes, it’s all mobile, all day, every day. And it’s because of this strong consumer bond with mobile devices that the mobile space continues to experience higher click-through rates, conversion rates and shopping cart or average transaction values. For the first time in a decade, mobile users are closer to the “zero moment of truth” than the average PC e-commerce buyer.
So it’s needless to say that the consumer appetite for all things mobile is growing at a wild rate. But while advertisers are aware of this, there’s still a large disconnect between mobile and the budget allocation actually given to it, especially within the Canadian market.
A recent report by Flurry estimated that a record-breaking 17.4 million iOS and Android devices were activated on Christmas Day, along with an equally astounding 328 million application downloads. With 28% of all web traffic in North America coming from mobile, 2013 is presenting us with a significant opportunity to convert market confidence in mobile into revenue and strong ROI.
I encourage you to dive into your own analytics and take a look at the percentage of traffic that is coming to you from mobile. Remember to take into account the high quality and increased intent these users bring while shopping, researching or browsing your website.
If mobile is not leading or included in your current digital strategy, I strongly recommend that at the very least, you cover your branded mobile presence. The sad truth is: if you’re not there, users will find someone who is.
It takes time to adjust to any new market, but here are some quick tips to help you accelerate the process:
1. Respond with Responsive Design
Responsive design provides a viewing experience that is functional across several devices. If you incorporate responsive design, you eliminate the need to update and manage a main and mobile site, as you now have a site that works for both. Responsive design gives you the agility to present content in an easily digestible way, regardless of the screen size.
2. Shorten the Path
Engaged mobile users have divided attention spans and in most cases, are looking to get what they want as quickly as they can. Shortening the click path and providing convenient destination environments ensure that users get what they want when they want it.
3. Build and Maintain Trust
Be proactive in informing users how you will treat their personal information. This can be as simple as having a few sentences in clear language about how you intend to use it accompanied with a link to your privacy policy.
4. Lend a Hand with Auto Complete
Help your visitors out by taking advantage of auto complete word prediction software. This will enable users to easily complete searches, reducing the time it takes to type on a mobile device.
5. Personalize Thank-you Pages
Take advantage of dynamic content insertion and add personalization to your thank-you pages. We are taught early that “thank you” is a very important phrase, and this applies to mobile as well. For 2013, challenge yourself to thank your mobile visitors.
Why not make 2013 the year you resolve to do mobile, and to do it better? You’ll be tapping into an ever-growing market, capturing and converting more traffic than you ever have before. That sounds like one heck of a resolution to me!
Looking to optimize towards mobile? Contact us today!
Brogan Wilson, Digital Strategic Planner
