Mobiles: The World's Most Effective Marketing Tool

We’ve all heard about 5G (and even 6G), augmented reality, and how the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to revolutionise the way we live and work over the next decade – we’ve written about all those things ourselves, and there will be a lot more to write about as that technology evolves. 

But what about the other trends in the mobile technology space that are either already in play or on the horizon? Not all mobile evolution comes in with screaming headlines and frenzied queueing outside the Apple store.

Here’s our take on five of the emerging trends that will shape the way we use our mobile devices, and what that means for both consumers and businesses.

AI, PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS, AND MACHINE LEARNING WILL BECOME MORE DOMINANT

Now, before anyone gets too carried away, AI can mean different things to different people, and whilst the ‘A’ can and often does stand for ‘artificial’, it can also stand for ‘augmented’ and ‘analytics’.In its purest definition, artificial intelligence – the ability of a machine to assess data and then make an independent decision on a course of action – doesn’t exist anywhere in the world, yet, and won't for a very long time to come.

However, augmented intelligence and, especially, analytics intelligence that allow machines to apply one or more defined actions based on data parameters set by humans is already with us and is already shaping the commercial landscape, especially around mobile phone and social media algorithms. The acceleration of predictive and learned behaviour by machines will further improve some of the accepted mobile device functionality we already take for granted – for example, voice recognition, GPS and navigation, and language processing.It’s expected that this will particularly improve device security as your mobile phone begins to ‘learn’ to identify behaviours that may represent fraudulent activity or a breach in device security.

Upping the mobile marketing ante

With mobile web browsing now more prevalent than internet usage via a laptop or desktop, expect to see more locally targeted advertising popping up during your online sessions.

Whilst this may prompt dismay among users who are already suspicious of Facebook’s and Google’s use of algorithms to push targeted marketing content, it is an absolute boon for companies seeking to streamline their marketing strategies and access warm leads more efficiently and effectively.This trend is also expected to be integrated into voice searches as marketers and sales teams start to recognise that not only are mobile users more likely to use voice search to find products and services, but that they are also connected to their screen on a near permanent basis.

The rise of progressive web apps (PWAs)

The difference between PWAs and native applications, or apps, is that native apps are designed for use on mobile devices, whilst PWAs have traditionally been designed to be used on the internet and have relied on the faster processing power and wifi connection speeds for seamless functionality.

But the landscape is changing, and beautifully designed PWAs that are able to load and process rapidly even on less stable mobile networks are increasingly finding a home within the mobile environment.This is expected to shift consumer behaviour away from standalone apps downloaded onto a mobile device, and allow greater brand engagement without the need of app-hopping.

Expect to see businesses using social for
e-commerce

As consumer habits and behaviour shift, so smart and savvy marketers will move to mirror their audiences. This trend is already apparent on social platforms like Facebook, where some small retailers – pop-ups and one-man-bands that necessarily need to keep overheads and marketing costs low – are beginning to carve out revenue.

It makes sense, of course – Facebook and other platforms like it already provide audience targeting tools, so why wouldn’t small retailers with limited product lines create a ‘shop’ under the same roof.All of which simply underlines just how important social media platforms will be in driving change in the way we all do business.

Video will be king

YouTube is already the second largest search engine behind Google, and current data suggests that the average online user watches around an hour and a half of video every day.

We’ve probably all seen the rise in pre-roll video on YouTube, but this is nothing compared to what we might expect to see over the next few years as the rise of 5G enables sleeker and more complex video marketing.Video advertising is already a dominant force within social media and the ‘always on’ nature of mobile phone usage and ever-presence of consumers predisposed to engage with video content the moment it hits their feed creates a perfect marketing storm.

Studies show that consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they are presented with a video ad rather than reading text, and we can expect to see lots more interactive content as businesses begin to find new and innovative ways of leveraging video to get their products and services in front of people who are ready to buy.

If you are in need to update your mobile devices to get the best for your business book a meeting with our expert Josh here. Or if you're not quiet at your renewal date yet fill out our renewal reminder for the best deals 4 weeks before your renewal date.