مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

For a majority of consumers, mobile devices have surpassed both desktop and laptop computers as the principal gateway to the Internet (O’Kane, 2013). Mobile phones and tablets now account for about 44% of all personal computing time, twice the level of 2008 (Duncan, Hazan, & Roche, 2014). According to one source, just over one-half of all searches on Google are now performed on mobile sites (Graham, 2015). A recent Deloitte study found that smartphone devices influenced almost $600 billion of in-store purchases, up from $159 billion in 2012 (Haims, 2015).

According to Shop.org/Forrester Research Inc.’s State of Retailing Online study, 58% of the retailers surveyed placed mobile marketing as their highest priority. The second-highest rated priority was omnichannel efforts, such as buying online and picking up in-store and ship-from-store (Forrester, 2015). The rapid growth of mobile marketing, as well as its impact on traditional shopping behavior, contribute to its overall importance as a promotional medium.

Despite the increased usage of mobile marketing by firms and consumers, there is evidence of poor planning, poor implementation, and the need for firms to adapt to fast-changing dynamics. The following sections document problem areas that mobile marketers need to overcome. A 2013 study of 745 business leaders found that while 56% of these leaders were using mobile marketing in their firms, 43% stated that they have not determined the correct mobile strategy despite their seeing a value in mobile marketing (StrongMail, 2013). A major concern is the need to improve the effectiveness of mobile marketing based on such performance metrics as bounce rates, add-to-cart rates, shopping cart abandonment, completion rates, and average order value for mobile devices versus laptops and desktops.