Only a few years ago, mobile devices were seen simply as a way to communicate on the go. The concept of smartphones either did not exist or were in R&D blueprints and marketers were content with reaching masses of consumers rather than engaging in 1:1 personalized conversation. Fast forward to today, and we are at the precipice of the mobile revolution. Mobile has transformed from an accessory to a necessity in the eyes of consumers, with 75% of the world having at least one phone. Beyond the rapid consumer adoption and usage of mobile phones, is the opportunity they offer for brands to connect more meaningfully and personally with consumers. Consider it your direct line and immediate connection with audience. Because there is no communications channel tool that offers the same advantage today.

Mobile is clearly the future of media, but marketers have some catching up to do with where their customers are and to truly optimize marketing, with mobile at the heart of their strategy. Most brands spend less than one percent of their marketing budget on mobile. We’ve all heard the argument that the one percent spend level is too low, given the fact that most consumers devote about 10% of their media attention to their mobile devices1.

A study conducted by Marketing Evolution (August 2012) takes this hypothesis one step further and, through an algebraic formula of measuring reach and frequency with the installed base of smartphones and other ROI data, found that marketers would have better results if they optimized their marketing mix by allocating an average of seven percent of their media spend to mobile2. This is the first empirical data that guides marketers on why they should rebalance their budgets with mobile to achieve higher ROIs.

Future of the Mobile Device Market (including emerging trends and technology)

  • The future will probably play out to a maximum of four major mobile operating system players.
  • Although there has been massive growth in mobile applications, the next growth trend will be towards app services. Users will get access to proprietary content or be provided a service for a monthly subscription fee beyond the application Such examples include multiplayer online mobile gaming, stock services, information alerts, magazine publications and music streaming.
  • With mobile applications being developed so rapidly, more and more search companies are coming up with “app search” software capabilities. • According to a recent report by Forrester Research, mobile access to business applications will drive the next big wave of user adoption.
  • New development technologies such as HTML 5 will be introduced into mobile phone browsers.
  • Tablets represent the next evolution in the advancement of mobile computing and will play a major role in publishing, video and art creativity.
  • Mobile-cloud hybrid computing will emerge. It will be neither all cloud-based nor all mobile-based, but a combination of the two. Google’s Gmail and Google Voice for iPhone are just two of the well-known mobile cloud apps.
  • Mobile cloud computing will change how work is done and the speed at which tasks are completed, especially for those in sales and marketing.
  • In time, consumers will become less worried about the security of mobile commerce as payment systems become more enhanced. We will see more consumers embrace this method of payment in the same way they have with regular website commerce.
  • Near field communications (NFC) (e-wallet) mobile phones are becoming the new “credit card”. NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity standard that uses magnetic fields to enable communication between devices when they’re touched together, or brought within a few centimetres of each other. Uses of NFC include contactless card transactions such as ‘Google Wallet’, ‘MastercardPayPass’ or ‘American Express serve’. It can also be used for reading RFID tags (radio frequency identification) for interactive marketing campaigns and P2P (person to person) data Jupiter Research suggests that this market will grow two- to-three times over the next five years.
  • Augmented Reality (AR) blurs the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear and feel. AR provides a 3D effect by layering images or videos on top of real world objects seen either on the computer screen or Both video games and cell phones are driving the development and progression of augmented reality and within the next few years, it will become a lot more prominent in our everyday lives. AR will remain a mobile technology but will develop to the point where you no longer have to actually hold a device.