Mobile Archives

Mobile Marketing Predictions for 2015

December 5, 2014

We have seen some amazing breakthroughs and innovations in the mobile space during 2014. Brands have embraced the power of beacons in campaigns, ads have become more relevant, and ApplePay could potentially revolutionize mobile payments. Businesses are beginning to understand how mobile marketing and tactics can increase sales and build a better relationship with their customers. So what can we expect to see in 2015?

Mobile payments

ApplePay could make mobile payments mainstream. Brands and apps, especially those that are retail-focused, can now make the user experience even more seamless. Eighty-six percent of shoppers use their smartphone to compare prices and browse sales. Connecting these with the ability to make a purchase without entering credit card information, or by just using their phone in store, will make an easier and faster shopping experience, in store and online.

More Location Based Marketing

Major retailers like Lord & Taylor and Walgreen’s have rolled out major pilot programs to test the effectiveness of using iBeacons for in-store marketing. In 2015, expect to see more brands using iBeacons, geofencing and push notifications to engage with customers and create innovative campaigns. About half of consumers say they are open to sharing their location and information in order to join a rewards program.

Better Content & UX

With the ability to use location and big data to better understand users and customers, expect to see better content and more intelligent UX. Advertisers, marketers and publishers recognize the effectiveness of delivering more relevant content using these tools, and are using new methods to understand how to connect better. Expect apps, ads and content to become more engaging and relevant.

What trends would you like to see in 2015?

9 Facts That Show Mobile Is Ready for Another Huge Year

November 13, 2014

Mobile is no longer the second screen; it’s the first. Consumers around the world are using their smartphones for everything from making payments to browsing the internet and brands are hopping on board to ensure mobile experiences are exceptional. Location based technologies and big data are helping apps and businesses deliver consumers user experiences that deliver content users want based on their location and preferences.

Mobile has come far in the last year with beacons and mobile payments getting a big boost. But those numbers are expected to grow even more in the next year. Here are nine stats to prove it!

By the end of 2014, 6.9 billion people will have cell phone plans. That’s about 95 percent of the world’s population.

There are 143 million smartphones and 71 million tablets smartphones in the US.

Five percent of smartphone owners aged 18-44 can’t recall the last time they didn’t have their mobile next to them

A survey of UK smartphone users found that they use their phones for 221 tasks consuming three hours and 16 minutes per day.

In Europe, mobile commerce is expected to account for nearly 50 percent of all online sales by 2018, according to Forrester.

In the last year, purchases made using a smartphone or tablet increased 48 percent to $8 billion.

It’s just young people shopping on mobile – 25 percent of mobile shoppers in the US are over the age of 55.

Half of B2B vendors sell through mobile phones and that is expected to rise to 75 percent by the end of 2014.

Mobile advertising has doubled from $4.4 billion in 2012 to $8.5 billion in 2013. By 2017, mobile advertising is expected to hit $31.1 billion.

It’s safe to say 2015 will be another big year for mobile! What are you most excited to see?

Beacon Campaigns Taking Mobile to the Next Level

September 30, 2014

Beacons are taking mobile to a new level. They are helping add location and context to mobile communications and therefore, delivering more relevant information to consumers. What does this mean? More useful information, higher brand awareness and more innovative campaigns. These are some of the coolest beacon campaigns we have seen and worked on.

Hillshire Brands showed everyone how to increase sausage sales. Consumers who had the Epicurious or Key Ring apps received branded notifications from Hillshire when they were in supermarkets that work with the apps. There were also banner ads for the sausages within the app. The results? Purchase intent increased 20 percent and brand awareness increased 36 percent.

The Melbourne Writer’s Festival worked with us to put together a choose-your-own-adventure storytelling app using beacons and it was one of our favorite campaigns to date. Consumers could walk through the city listening to original short stories that referenced places and landmarks, and literally choose different endings based on the direction they walked. Check out the video here.

Lord & Taylor, Hudson Bay, Walgreens & Duane Reade are all testing pilot programs with beacons in store. Lord & Taylor and Hudson Bay stores are sending notifications based on where shoppers are within the store, giving a more personalized flair.

Last, a number of airports have introduced beacons to make traveling more easy. Passengers can receive notifications on the status of their flight, gate changes and look up nearby shops and eateries.

In addition to these innovative uses, we have seen and read about a lot of beacon scavenger hunts at conferences and in-store promotions.

What are some of your favorite beacon campaigns?

What Are The Next Mobile Trends?

August 13, 2014

Has 2014 been the ‘year of mobile’? There has definitely been significant growth in mobile usage, app growth and technologies like beacons and geofences — but don’t expect to see any of these slow down in the next few years. At the beginning of 2014, 9 in 10 Americans owned a mobile phone, 60 percent owned a smartphone and mobile usage surpassed the PC. According to Nielsen, the average U.S. consumer spends 34 hours every month on mobile devices and owns four “smart” devices (smartphone, tablet, HDTV, PC, gaming console). We are connected 24/7.

With the plethora of data being produced and gathered across all these connected devices, businesses are just beginning to process the endless possibilities for creating more relevant content, products and information for mobile users. Smartphones are used for everything from shopping, messaging, booking travel, checking-in and consuming news and content. And whatever is not done on a smartphone is likely done on another connected device. The phase of making things “mobile” is over. The next phase? Understanding the data to create more relevant and personalized experiences.

Credit: Nielsen

1. Location and proximity targeting

With the growing popularity and usage of beacons, location is becoming a huge part of mobile strategies. Companies have been using geofencing for quite a few years to trigger certain actions on mobile. Beacons allow businesses to produce even more targeted content based on indoor locations. Getting ready to check into your flight? You might receive a notification telling you when to get your boarding pass and ID out.

2. Context and personalization

With accounts connected across a number of devices, businesses will be able to use data and technology to produce more personalized and context-aware content. Imagine walking into a retailer and receiving a message that the shirt you were saw online the night before is on sale and available in store. Smart devices and apps will be able to understand individual habits based on your device usage and data. Matched with location capabilities, consumers will be served not just relevant content but information relevant to that exact time.

3. Higher app engagement and more conversions

According to Flurry, smartphone owners are using app 86 percent of the time compared to mobile browsers. Most major retailers, airlines and brands have already released their own apps. Matching those with location-aware and personalized content will produce higher engagement and conversion rates. Providing coupons based on shopping lists, or events in an area based on travel plans will make apps more useful to consumers. For iPhone users, iOS 8 will suggest apps on the lock screen based on location. This will not only help consumers more easily open apps they need but will also increase awareness of apps and potentially increase downloads.

4. NFC takes hold

Near field communication (NFC) continues to grow in the market mostly due to payments. If Apple releases an NFC-compatible iPhone 6 this fall, there will likely be an increase in mobile payments and innovative uses for NFC in marketing campaigns, advertising, business cards, connected products and travel experiences.
What other trends do you expect to take off in the next year?

What is Geofencing?

July 18, 2014

9583733811_ebd75013d9_z Brands are embracing proximity marketing as a way to engage with their audience and customers in unique, targeted, and personal ways. Thanks to mobile adoption and increased technologies, marketers are experimenting with all kinds of location-specific messaging — alerts and messages, coupons, local search, social media interactions and more.

For brands with physical locations to use, geofencing is one of the options for proximity marketing. Geofencing creates a virtual fence around a specific area where companies can enable communications to mobile devices within the perimeter. Geofencing works through an app or a network-based geofence. When deciding which way to go, it really comes down to your budget and long term goals — if you’re looking to increase app engagement and mobile sales, you might want to build or leverage an app. If your budget is smaller or you there are no long term benefits of having an app, just use network capabilities.

One important thing to mention is the difference between geofencing and iBeacons. Geofencing is optimized for larger and outdoor locations, between 50 and 50,000 meters while beacons have a maximum range of 30 meters and are better used indoors. Beacons require special hardware to be installed, Bluetooth must be enabled and work on iPhone 4s or newer, and iOS 7 or newer. Geofencing does not require special hardware or connection to access points (though WiFi will create higher accuracy). Geofencing will work on iOS 5 or newer, and iPhone 4 or newer.

Location based marketing — whether utilized through geofencing or beacons — brings huge opportunities to marketers to increase ROI, build customer loyalty and reduce expenses. Since the messaging is locally-targeted and contextual, you can engage in meaningful ways. If sales are slowing down at a specific time, send a coupon. If you’re having a special event, send a reminder. Encourage your customers to connect on social media. And most importantly, use data to analyze and adjust your marketing campaigns.

Let us know how your brand is using geofencing!

Photo Credit: Doug Zwick

Integrating iBeacons into Your Mobile Strategy

June 27, 2014

Context, not content, is the new king. The opportunities to add customization to marketing strategies are endless with the use of big data, social media and location tools. iBeacons present the perfect opportunity to use these tools to better engage with audiences and customers. Using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), iBeacons send notifications based on proximity to bluetooth-enabled smartphones. For retailers, event marketers and travel brands (amongst many others), implementing a context-heavy iBeacon strategy can result in higher sales, brand awareness and strong customer engagement. These are some of the first considerations to take when integrating iBeacons into a marketing strategy.

To App or Not to App?

In order for iBeacons to work, there has to be the actual beacon hardware, a bluetooth-enabled mobile device and something for the beacon to communicate with. Most brands choose to use their own native app to push iBeacon notifications because they are already built and have additional functionality such as mobile shopping, rewards programs, etc. Building these apps can be extremely time consuming and expensive, though. Perhaps you want to consider creating a pass that works with Passbook instead. This will still allow context-aware notifications based on location but save on time and money. Choosing the best option depends on budget and marketing goals.

2. Proximity and Context

The next step in developing an iBeacon strategy is choosing the proper communications to send. With iBeacons, you can send a variety of notifications based on a smartphone’s proximity to the hardware. For example; a welcome message can appear when walking through the door and a notification about a special sale can appear when the user approaches a specific product. Keep the customer in mind when developing these commuications — what are they interested in learning about? How many times do they want to receive notifications? Remember, context is key. Know your customer and use appropriate language. Don’t overwhelm them with too many notifications!

3. Integration

Once you have decided on an iBeacon strategy that works with your brand, integrate it into your overall marketing plan. Drive app downloads or pass installs on Passbook, and encourage people to the vicinity of the iBeacons, in social media and email communications. Make sure your customers have the ability to share their experience on their own social media channels and through email and text messages. Implement A/B testing and appropriate measurement systems to test and improve your communications.

Check out these best practices for mobile marketing for more tips on optimizing your iBeacon strategy.

Best Practices for Mobile Marketing

June 18, 2014

Mobile advertising is growing five times faster than desktop internet marketing and the reasons are simple. Consumers spend the majority of their time looking at their phones and use their smartphones for everything from communicating to finding the next deal to research and games. No matter your business, mobile marketing is something to consider. If you’re ready to make the leap, these are some best practices to consider when developing your mobile marketing or advertising campaign.

Relevance

Mobile marketing is all about relevance. Define your audience and figure out what they want. For example, Millennials are constantly looking for the best deals and coupons.

Personal

Make your messaging personal — don’t just use a generic message. The power of mobile and big data is that you can identify locations and interests. Use this to your advantage.

Simplify

Mobile screens are small so keep your design simple and intuitive. The easier to launch and navigate your app, Passbook or website, the more likely consumers will use it and return.

Location

Forty percent of searches on mobile are local. With the power of NFC, iBeacons and geofencing, you can use location to send hypercontextual and personalized messages. With iBeacons, you can send two different notifications when a customer walks into a store and when they approach the sale rack.

Social

As if we had to say it — be social! Make it easy for consumers to both follow your brand on social media and share with their networks. Automate fun, personalized messages that will increase engagement with your brand.

What is the best mobile marketing campaign you’ve seen?

3 Beacon Myths Exposed

June 11, 2014

Beacons — ever since Apple deployed them in their stores last fall businesses have been exploring and testing a number of ways to use them. Businesses are jumping on board because of the opportunity to reach consumers where they spend most of their time — on their phones. In fact, almost three quarters of Millennials said they would be interested in using their mobile to connect with brands’ loyalty programs. Beacons present the perfect opportunity.

Photo via VektorDigital

Retailers have started pilot programs, stadiums have them in place for baseball season and some airlines are even using them to make travel easier. While beacons have gained some momentum, they are still new to the market and have some misconceptions. We clarified three of the most popular myths. If you have other questions about beacons, let us know below!

Myth #1: Beacons are exclusive to Apple devices.

More often than not, you’ll hear iBeacon instead of just beacon. Apple trademarked “iBeacon” to indicate their specific technology standard which all Apple devices with iOS 7 or later use. However, Android devices can receive communications from iBeacons, too. All beacons use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to locate devices and push hyper-contextual notifications. The main difference is that Android devices cannot transmit information to iBeacons.

Myth #2: You need an app for beacons to work.

Most businesses using beacons are pushing notifications through their apps — and this will probably be the norm for a while. Walgreens, American Eagle and Macy’s have all deployed beacon programs that communicate in-store with customers who have downloaded their apps. However, Passbook presents another opportunity for marketers and businesses to utilize beacon technology. Instead of downloading an app, consumers would be required to add a store-specific pass or loyalty card to Passbook. The use of Passbook with beacons is definitely a space to watch.

Myth #3: Beacons are tracking you and collecting data.

Privacy has been a concern in the adoption of beacons due to their location-specific technology. However, beacons simply recognize the Bluetooth in mobile devices to trigger specific notifications based on location. Depending on the range between a mobile device and the beacon, different notifications can be sent. The beacons themselves do not track customers, cannot identify who you are and do not collect data.

Have more questions about beacons and how they work? Drop them below!

The iOS 8 Feature Marketers Need to Know About

June 3, 2014

At Tactify, we take the complexity out of complex technologies to help businesses connect with their customers where they spend most of their time — on their phones. One of the technologies that has been booming lately is iBeacons. So of course, we were curious if Apple would announce updates at WWDC.

Turns on, the rumors were wrong. Apple held out on even mentioning iBeacons but within their iOS 8 announcement was a significant update when it comes to location services.

Photo via MacRumors

With the updated software, relevant apps appear on the lock screen based on your location. Walk into an Apple store, Starbucks or Vons and their apps appear in the bottom left of the lock screen. Apps for banks and train stations were also reported to appear. According to MacRumors, the feature works using both the App Store app and Location Services (which have to be turned on). Even if you don’t the app of a nearby establishment, it will appear in the lock screen and bring you to the App Store where you can download it.

Why is this update important? First off, it will be much easier and faster for consumers to launch apps for in-store purchases and coupons. For businesses with apps, it lets customers know that they have an app – and makes them easier to download. Furthermore, it gives businesses even more reasons to use iBeacons by addressing one of the biggest hurdles – the need for consumers to download a separate app. If businesses want to use iBeacons to offer discounts through their app, the process to download the app has been simplified to swipe and download. Plus, with the ability to now use Touch ID with third party apps makes it even simpler.

We’ll be sure to report on additional details to this feature in the upcoming weeks! Follow us on Twitter!

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