Phones may have gotten smaller over the last decade, but their impact on how consumers make purchases and manage every aspect of their lives has been steadily expanding.
Americans check their phones 96 times a day, and that number has continued to go up year after year. Consumers use their phones for everything from social media and shopping, to catching up on news, and so much more. If your brand isn’t taking steps to target consumers on their mobile devices, you’re missing out on a major opportunity.
Simply reaching mobile devices is only part of the job, though. Your mobile marketing efforts also need to be targeted and personalized: 63% of marketers and 71% of IT professionals say personalization is one of the best ways to improve the mobile experience, according to Adobe. Here are some of the top mobile trends to help your brand do just that.
Geolocation and in-store modes
Simplifying the buying process shouldn’t be restricted to at-home shopping, which is why more brands are using geolocation and in-store modes to better reach customers and meet their needs. Geolocation allows brands to see where the user is located using the built-in GPS on mobile devices, assuming location sharing permission has been granted. Brands can make the most of this data by providing users with personalized interactions based on where they are. For example, a fitness brand could use the user’s location to track local weather, letting them know when it’ll be nice enough outside to go for a run. Nordstrom uses this function to send its customers near-store notifications as they pass by a store, such as when an item in their shopping bag is available.
A good example of a brand with an in-store mode is The Home Depot. Using the app, shoppers can view the in-store layout (by aisles or department) and check store inventory. They can also search for nearby stores, check open hours, and see which services are available at each location. These features not only help personalize the experience, but they also make the buying process that much easier.
Mobile-specific SEO
Striving for best SEO practices on your site is nothing new, but now you also need to make sure your online offerings are optimized for mobile. It’s important to keep local SEO at the forefront because users want to find things close to where they live, especially via their phone.
Mobile searches for “on sale” plus “near me” — like “furniture on sale near me” — have increased by 250% over the past two years, according to Google. With reduced screen sizes, you’ll also need to limit the length of your titles, meta descriptions, URLs and other text to make everything visible on a mobile device. With this aspect of your brand’s marketing, smaller really is better.
Multi-device cart retrieval
Cart abandonment is a major issue for every brand, to the tune of about 70 percent of shoppers who leave their potential purchases behind. In response, more brands are implementing multi-device cart retrieval tools. There are different options for this type of tool, but some features include sending cart recovery emails, texts, and even Facebook messages.
This means that even if users originally viewed the items on a desktop, they’ll receive notifications on their mobile device as well. You want to make it easy for them to retrieve items they’ve viewed, no matter where they originally started their shopping journey. In addition to notifying them about their cart, you can also include a discount code or some other incentive to motivate purchase completion.
Instant messages
With messaging and social media by far the most common ways people are using their phones, it’s clear people are still looking for ways to connect and stay up to date. That’s why more marketers are sending their audiences messages — whether via SMS, push notifications, or on a messaging app. These messages are quick and instantly readable, and appear on locked home screens (depending on individual settings).
SMS text
Look at your email open rate. Now, compare that to the open rate for SMS text, which is nearly — and nearly 90% of SMS recipients open their messages within the first three seconds. Be sure to personalize your messages and target them toward recipients’ interests and behavior. Some examples include asking for feedback following a purchase, sending deals, and passing insider information. HBO did exactly that with their text-powered service for Game of Thrones, by sending messages to subscribers with a link to a temporary site featuring sneak peeks of upcoming seasons.
Push notifications
Unlike emails, push notifications need to be short — ideally 10 words or less for the best click-through rate. One benefit of push notifications compared to traditional text messages is that they are free for all users to receive. However, users can also opt to turn off these notifications, so make sure what they’re receiving is useful and personalized. H&M shows how to create a click-worthy notification that’s clearly personalized with this example:
Loving your new jacket? Pair it with these cute boots for a complete look! View now.
Messaging apps
You can also use messaging apps to improve your brand’s customer service, share deals, or simply start a conversation with your audience. Considering that some messaging apps like Facebook Messenger have a 90% open rate, it’s clear users are open to what they’re receiving.
Evolve with the times
Mobile devices continue to push the envelope of what’s possible, so it’s up to brands to ensure their marketing strategies best utilize this evolving technology to provide the best personalized experiences for consumers.