We’ve heard the statistics that more than 78% of purchases are conducted online. 2014 data showed online visits made on smartphones at 10.6 billion versus 5.8 billion on a PC. We’ve been warned that Google is now only delivering mobile friendly sites to those searching on mobile devices. Today there is an emerging trend that reveals how consumers are becoming completely smartphone dependent.

People aren’t just shopping on mobile devices ~ they are doing away with home broadband and desktops all together.

The latest research from Pew Internet shows that consumers are using smartphones as the only way they access the internet. They estimate that 19% of Americans rely partially or entirely on mobile devices to browse information or to access online services. Just as many Americans have traded landlines for mobile phones, they are trading high speed internet at home for 3G on their wireless devices. With all of the competition among cellular carriers, browsing the internet on a cellular device has become relatively inexpensive. In fact, nearly 1 in 10 consumers is now smartphone-dependent.

Pew’s Statistics:
• 10% of Americans own a smartphone but do not have broadband at home.
• 15% own a smartphone but say that they have a limited number of options for going online other than using their cellphone.
• 7% of Americans own a smartphone but have neither traditional broadband service at home nor easily available alternatives for going online other than their cellphone.

We may remember the statistics of the 1990s on internet usage. In the last decade, the mobile revolution had a lot to do with the decline of Microsoft and Dell as people gave up desktops and laptops for tablets. What we most remember however, is how quickly these trends take off. To watch the growth of internet users in real time click here.

If you haven’t already converted your website to mobile friendly, you will be quickly buried in the land of the non-existent. If you haven’t begun to position your advertising for mobile devices, you are missing a huge segment of the market. The smartphone dependent trend is driven by younger adults. 15% are between the ages of 18-29 and have no other access to the internet. Additionally lower incomes levels and competitive broadband and mobile packages offered by cellular carriers are also driving this trend.

QR Codes have become quite popular, and when added to print marketing, allow consumers to scan and explore your message. In fact, there are numerous ways to interact with and engage the smartphone consumer with in store displays, print advertising, product packaging and any other places in which your customers are interacting with your products and services.

Smartphone users chat, check social media, email, study and even use their phones while shopping. This is an emerging group of target customers who have given up their desktop computers and conduct their social life on mobiles devices. 79% of consumers are using their mobile phones while shopping:

• 32% search for better prices
• 27% search for reviews
• 26% scan a barcode
• 23% use coupons or look for coupons
• 11% pay for a purchase at the register

Are you ready for the Rise of the Smartphone Dependent Consumer?

Call us today to discuss how we can position your website, products and services in a way that keeps you on top of emerging trends.

 

Last week as I was perusing a financial website, a banner ad for
Fidelity Investments popped up. It didn’t talk about mutual funds,
stocks or returns. It said,

                                “Give your future self a raise.”

In a sea of the so-so banner ads that I’m exposed to every day, this one
spoke to me.

They found a way to get into my noggin and make the delayed
gratification of saving sound much more enticing. It made me grin
to see this little ad reframe the mindset of resistant savers. It was
more than just a friendly invitation. It was a friendly challenge,
too.

Though banner ads take up little space on the screen, this one was
a powerful reminder that with a thoughtful concept, they can be
huge. In fact, from a copy standpoint, they are very similar to
billboards where the rule of thumb calls for no more than 5-7
words. There’s not a lot of room to say much. But what you say
should be spot on, if you want it clicked on.

By Amelia Ostroff, copywriter based in Seal Beach, CA.

The above graph shows the number of users conducting online searches on both desktop and mobile devices. As of 2014 the number of people searching the internet on mobile devices surpassed desktop users. This means that if your site has not been converted for mobile devices, your internet rankings may suffer.

Google offers a tool that allows you to type in your website address to see if it is mobile friendly: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

As of April 21st, 2015 Google began boosting the rankings of mobile-friendly pages — pages that are legible and usable on mobile devices — in mobile search results worldwide. This also means that pages only designed for laptops and desktops may see a significant decrease in rankings in mobile search results.

Users searching on desktops and laptops will still find non mobile friendly sites ranking the same. But statistics in the above image show that mobile searching has surpassed desktop searches and continues to rise. Making your website mobile friendly means (1) that it is responsive (shrinks and expands depending on device used) (2) phone numbers automatically open dialing function (3) addresses open a map feature and (4) navigation scales to the three bar ‘hamburger’ image when a site is viewed on a mobile device.

The transition to a mobile friendly website doesn’t involve any effort on your part, but it should be on the top of your list for summer 2015. Contact me today if you would like help with this conversion.

Kari Brown

Whether you are a new or established business, these 10 tips can help you elevate your brand, extend your market reach and increase your revenue stream in a way that will lead to higher productivity and profitability.

1. Differentiate: You can’t effectively market your business if you haven’t considered what differentiates you from the competition. What makes your product or service different from your competitors?

2. Core Competency: This not only describes your entry into your market segment, it also reveals your unique value proposition as well as expressing your contribution that is difficult for your competitors to imitate. How are your goods and services stamped with your unique style of delivery?

3. Passion: Sharing your message online through social media or via your website is only the tip of the iceberg in sharing your passion. Pick up the phone or share your passion with those you meet. You never know if you are meeting a potential customer. Whether you are a realtor excited to discuss new listings, a tech company educating customers about changes in SEO, or a painting contractor looking to expand their network, remember that people can only know what you do if you talk about it. Are you engaging potential customers in your passion and vision?

4. Innovate: The easiest customers to convert are existing customers. Consider what added products and services might benefit existing customers. Identify new revenue streams for existing products, or new products for existing channels of distribution. What goods or services have you delivered to one customer that another might be interested in? In examining your channels of distribution, what new product would satisfy this niche?

5. Niche: Taking a shotgun approach to marketing will never be as effective as identifying a few core market segments to pursue. Combine your unique value proposition with those most likely to recognize its value. What is your niche market and how can you focus your efforts in a clear direction?

6. Why Change? Why You? Package your message like a story that centers on the benefit of change for your client. Create your buying vision around a compelling reason for change. Why are you the natural choice in delivering the solution?

7. Discovery: There is a measurable difference in how a prospect responds when you share your message through discovery rather than selling. Deliver your message by asking questions rather than over selling. Allow your clients to arrive at their buying decision through discovery. How are you packaging your message and does it inspire more questions rather than making closed statements?

8. Agreement: You need to understand your client’s needs and position your message in a way that serves them. A prospective client may feel defensive only when they feel you are selling and not listening. Incorporate a way to gain their agreement rather than argue your point. When you are interacting with your customers are you also learning from them?

9. Call to Action: When you are passionate about your message, whether engaged in a phone discussion or in print advertising, you always need a call to action. In any sales message it is important to ask for the order or at the least, an opportunity to send a bid or proposal. If you are seeking an appointment, offer two dates and times and ask: which would work better for them? No sales technique is complete without a closing question or a call to action. When examining your print advertising or sales message are you including time sensitive specials or compelling reasons to act now?

10. Systems: An organized and methodical daily sales routine will be considerably more effective than a sporadic and haphazard approach. A contact management platform along with an organized follow up strategy is paramount to your success. When examining your sales routines, are you setting consistent and organized methods of follow up?

Kari Brown