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It’s been common knowledge for a while now that mobile commerce is the next big thing in marketing, and the numbers certainly back this up. For the past 5 years, mobile commerce has skyrocketed both in the US and around the globe – 2015 was the year the mobile traffic exceeded desktop traffic, and according to a report by Digi-Capital, 2017 is the year that mobile commerce will become the major source of mobile revenue – totaling about $516 billion overall.

That’s a pretty big pie, don’t you think?

So the question remains: How will you get your own slice of that pie? Are you making the most of your mobile marketing strategy? The first thing to do is to establish your online presence and ensure that you have a responsive, engaging mobile website that makes it easy to interact, inform, and shop. Conversion rates are increasing for both domestic and global mobile marketing channels, with smartphones and tablets exhibiting the most promising growth. Undoubtedly the best way to properly position you and your eCommerce business for success is to invest in the nearly $100 billion mobile marketing industry.

Embrace New Strategies

For eCommerce, there is virtually nothing but opportunity in terms of market availability for mobile consumption. SEO has long been heralded as the way in which to achieve a strong following and strong traffic, but there are new, more direct ways in which you can engage with the consumer outside of simply working on your rankings. With mobile devices specifically this is true, as a considerably smaller amount of eCommerce searches are initiated by search engines on mobile devices, although 90% of smartphone users claim that they use their phones for “pre-purchasing activities,” such as product research, browsing, reading reviews, etc. There are also much more direct and effective marketing options on mobile devices. eCommerce brands can utilize personalization to create more engaging and tailored experiences for their customers or prospective customers – whether it’s through onboarding, retargeting, or promotions.

SMS text is also continuously climbing as a more popular marketing tool for eCommerce merchants. Again, it is one of the most direct forms of marketing, and its open rate (usually between 90 -98%) is unmatched by any other marketing channel. Indeed, consumers are engaging more and more with SMS marketing, with SMS boasting call to action responses 6 - 8 times larger than traditional email marketing. It indicates just how effective SMS marketing can be for eCommerce marketers – whether it’s for attracting consumers to a subscriber list, asking survey questions, or quickly notifying customers of a flash sale.

Indeed, SMS marketing has proven itself to be a robust strategy. Studies have recently shown that there are promising opportunities with SMS outreach. The same study mentioned above from Digi-Capital indicates that the right combination of targeting and frequency of messages leads to increased consumer engagement. SMS marketing has proven itself to be a trusty steed, and should certainly be included into your mobile marketing strategy, as it is one of the more direct channels to reach the consumer.

Mobile Ready is Future Ready

Considering that smartphones are rapidly becoming the most common way to access the internet (80% in some cases), there is much to be said for investing in smartphone-ready marketing strategies. App integration may very well be the future of mobile marketing, and with that comes emerging marketing strategies trying to capitalize on this new effort. For example, an increasing amount of smartphone users are utilizing fitness trackers on their smartphones to stay in shape. This is a lifestyle decision, and lifestyle decisions call for a specific form of targeting, and therefore a specific form of marketing. This kind of integration into lifestyle apps allows marketers to focus more directly on the wants and needs of the consumer. Instead of just putting out more general, less engaging content, marketers can now cut through the noise and tailor the outreach to overlap with the consumer’s interests. This more personal level of integration can lead to impressive CTRs, and even more impressive conversion rates.

Social media obviously still holds all of the benefits that it has over the past several years, and it only continues to grow as a platform not just for social sharing, but for eCommerce and mobile marketing. Instagram’s “Shop Now” and Pinterest’s “Buyable Pins” are one-click features that let you get your hands on the products featured in your social feeds. It’s only a matter of time before developers and marketers find the perfect ratio of browsing buttons and buying buttons to optimize automated mobile marketing – as long as the personal touch remains.

Looking Forward

Technology will continue to drive innovation in mobile marketing. With smart watches and other wearable technologies making their way to the mainstream, mobile marketing will continue to evolve in accordance with consumer behavior. The more consumers continue to adopt mobile technology, the more room there is for mobile marketing to capitalize on the convenience and directness of its outreach. Needless to say, the pie is only growing for mobile marketing and mobile eCommerce. Does your company have a seat at the table?

Guest Author

Tom Wilson is a Senior Content Strategist at Noticed, an all-in-one web development and design agency ready to take on the challenges of the eCommerce marketplace. We design, build, support and market enterprise eCommerce websites for clients big and small using Shopify Plus. Learn more at the Noticed homepage or read our recent articles on our blog!