Bricks to Clicks - The Mobile Evolution



The early Novatel HandPortable (circa 1990) wireless phone
 was later referred  to as the "Brick" phone

Mobile is forecast as the fastest-growing advertising platform in 2012, with an expected 44% growth over last year's total ad spend. With Presidential and Congressional elections and the Summer Olympics, there'll be an overall increase in advertising spending this year. Marketers are developing mobile optimized screen ads to target an ever increasing population of consumers accessing everything from their phones. Who could have thought our early "brick" wireless phones used simply to speak to one another while away from the office or home, would evolve to be the most useful personal technology gadget of the early 21st Century.

Hot Wheels and Air Jordan Retros

We know that a record number of consumers shopped via their smartphones this Black Friday, but what did they buy? eBay Mobile shopper data revealed some interesting purchase information. The most popular categories may not be too surprising, but the actual top selling items within same might raise an eyebrow or two. In the clothing, shoes and accessories category, mobile shoppers snatched up Nike Air Jordan 3 Retro shoes, Toms Classic shoes and Coach Signature Satchels. The electronics category headliner was of course, iPhone accessories, with Barnes & Noble Nook Color e-readers and PanDigital Novel Multimedia e-readers. Finally, the most intriguing purchases were made in the hobbies and toys category, where mobile shoppers, who probably contributed to the 27 percent of self shopping this year, sprung for the Hot Wheels 1970 Chevrolet Camaro 1:50 Diecast Car, Lost Mini Rocker Crawler RTR radio controlled truck and the Redcat racing rockslide RS10 radio controlled truck. Still think online shopping is mostly a female consumer activity ?

WeReward Encourages "Oinking"

Rainmakers closely study their cost per sale metrics to ensure they're being efficient about the way they're marketing their product. Sales volume is great, but not at the expense of healthy, profitable margins. Now, a  new mobile marketing app is bringing customer engagement down to a cost per action. Izea's WeReward   mobile marketing platform allows customers who check in to a store, post a photo of a product they've just purchased on their social networks to earn points redeemable for cash. WeReward calls those actions "oinking" and those who do a lot more of it, get oinker rewards with points that can quickly add up to additional dollars in their PayPal accounts. It's a platform that's fully customizable for advertisers, because they can create more formal relationships with their most loyal customers by making them brand ambassadors or increasing their rewards levels and discounts. How much would you pay to have an oinker with a Facebook following of more than 10,000 friends post a picture of your newly-launched leather handbag? Or for luring that oinker to check-in at your restaurant, where's he/she's bound to order at least a drink? Pennies on the dollar may have you smiling at the cost per action and subsequent impact on cost per sale. 

Sunkist Wants To Get A Text From You

In an innovative new way to engage customers in your product, rainmakers at Sunkist Growers Inc. have rolled out a pioneering mobile marketing program, making it one of the first produce brands to employ mobile shopper technology. The program uses on-pack and in-store signage to encourage shoppers to text a keyword to a code to receive product use ideas, recipes, nutrition information and storage/handling suggestions, enter sweepstakes, and sign up to receive additional product offers and information via mobile or email updates. The company also plans to begin incorporating the codes in its traditional advertising efforts. Use of mobile shopper marketing technology is expanding rapidly among food/beverage brand marketers.

Keeping The Impulse Alive

Retailers revelled in the advent of e-commerce because an overwhelming percentage of retail transactions are based on impulse. Consumers build justifications for "having to have" a product and when they're in that mood, having easy access to making a purchase closes the deal. So having a computer and Internet access makes satisfying impulses just a few mouse clicks away. Fantastic, right ? Not so fast, what about all that time consumers spend away from their home or office computers ? Now, there's Geo-Social networks and they're all about keeping the impulse alive and well no matter where you are. Mobile applications like @Yelp and @Foursquare on PDAs encourage consumers to check-in, provide tips and win special badges for being out and about. And while that makes some consumers happy, the real force behind these applications is that they allow advertisers to know exactly where you are because they're location based. So, if you're at the store around the corner from that great Italian restaurant, the food establishment can send you an attractive electronic offer to incentivize you to dine there, since you're so close. Geo-social networks are on the rise, because knowing where your potential customers are can provide a huge marketing advantage. After all, retail is all about impulse buying!