Brafton has reported that holiday shoppers increasingly turned to their smartphones to find information about nearby businesses in 2010, and the Mobile Marketing Association expects mobile devices will continue to be important tools for purchase decisions in 2011. The firm recently released its top 10 predictions for mobile marketing next year.
To start, the MMA believes the mobile marketing channel will gain more credibility in the new decade. It expects permission-based mobile marketing options will become mainstream, and this will lead to a rise in real-time brand-to-consumer interactions.
Marketers may not want to miss opportunities to engage consumers via the channel, as the MMA also expects mobile micropayments will enhance m-commerce. Brafton has reported that mobile consumers are expected to spend as much as $119 billion in 2015, but the firm suspects on-the-go purchases will gain ground by the end of next year.
Brands that want to prepare competitive mobile campaigns should consider another MMA prediction – mobile blogging will boom next year with the rise of new tablets replacing computers. The firm suggests this will be good for word-of-web referrals as consumers can jot down their thoughts on the go, but it may also signify that marketers need to be more serious about their content strategies.
Custom content accessible to mobile consumers throughout the day may help brands make a positive impression. As Brafton recently reported, Foresee says the quality and freshness of content is key to website visitors' satisfaction, and a Harris study shows consumers are also more likely to search for timely information via mobile devices. As such, brands might invest in frequently updated, industry-relevant custom content for their sites (mobile and otherwise).
