Are your retail advertising partners not sure whether your mobile property is the right place for them to advertise? Do you keep hearing questions from them about whether people actual make purchases through their mobile phones? Here are some useful articles to help answer their questions. People are indeed doing product research and purchasing items on their mobile phones. We know from our earlier post that retailers are beginning to gain interest in mobile advertising, but these articles and statistics should help push them across the chasm. I hope this help and please let us know if there is anything we can do to help attract these advertisers for you.
1.) From an interview with Tracy Benson in March 3rd Mobile Marketer
Best Buy claims that its mobile traffic is increasing and actual conversion via mobile devices is strengthening. While 3 percent of Best Buy’s online traffic is coming from mobile, the conversion rate is 25 percent higher on mobile than on its wired Web site.
Many customers are using its mobile platforms for research, around 30 percent, with 18 percent checking inventory using their handset. Twenty-eight percent of consumers visiting the mobile platform are using it to make a purchase, and in-store pickup is a key value proposition.
Tracy Benson, senior director of interactive marketing and emerging media at Best Buy, Minneapolis, MN. “We’re one of the largest sellers of smartphones, so we have the benefit of seeing who’s buying the phone, which helps us understand how they’re using it and the adoption rates.
2.) From the Mickey Khan post on ETail West found in March 1st Mobile Marketer
Senior executives from REI, Wet Seal, Yesmail, Netbiscuits and moderator Marci Troutman of Siteminis suggested that retailers focus on five factors when designing a mobile site or application: a great search function, such as the one seen on Amazon’s mobile destinations; easy navigation that is drop-down, simple and intuitive; imagery that allows consumers to zoom in and out – a picture speaks a thousand words; a store location function that drives local traffic; and low-friction transacting capability – get the customer registered with contact and credit card details on the wired Web and then use the same email and password on mobile.
3.) Mobile Shopping in US Will Grow to $2.4 Billion this year. Found in February 17th Mobile Marketer
In the United States, mobile shopping rose from $396 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009, and ABI Research projects 100 percent growth this year to reach $2.4 billion in 2010.
4.) Smartphone Users Making Purchases Over The Phones. Found in January 4th Online Media Daily
Nearly four in 10 (37%) smartphone owners have bought something not mobile-related over their devices in the last six months, according to the third-quarter smartphone intelligence report from Web analytics firm Compete.
