Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Aislebuyer, a startup focused on providing mobile checkout solution for retailers, recently spoke at the Mobile Marketing Strategy Summit in San Francisco. The event showcased some of the emerging trends in mobile marketing as well as what the future may hold for the relatively new industry. Paradise was joined by others that have made a name for themselves through either the Internet or mobile marketing techniques.
Paradise points out that mobile platforms are unique and present businesses with an opportunity to stay in constant contact with consumers. Simply put, people never put their phones down, so much so that an increasing number of people are turning to online shopping to take care of all their needs. Because of this, Paradise says that businesses must begin to transition to more mobile friendly avenues of shopping while providing a much more engaging experience than that available on a PC.
Julie Ask of Forrester Research, an independent technology and market research company, believes that mobile marketing will change the way businesses operate. She shares this belief with many of her contemporaries who have witnessed the power of barcode technologies such as QR codes and an array of marketing tactics.
Ask asserts that one of the primary reasons people respond to mobile marketing campaigns is because they are convenient. The immediacy at which information is distributed through QR codes means that consumers no longer have to wait around to make an informed purchase. Ask believes that people are moving away from the PC now that smart phones and other mobile devices have advanced to the point of allowing them to do so.
The beauty of mobile marketing lies the simplicity of execution. The more complex the strategy is, the more likely it is to fail. Consumers, according to Ask, don’t want to be bogged down with flashy gimmicks tailored to catch their eye. They want what they want, and if a company cannot meet those needs, consumers will find someone who can.
Overall, the Mobile Marketing Summit paints an exciting future ahead for the industry. Those taking advantage of the boom in smart phone use are likely to benefit the most in the next few years.
