Blog

Mobile Trends: What’s New and What’s Next in the Most Important Channel Today

November 21st, 2011

Mobile

Every few weeks, I like to take a step back and look at what’s going on with mobile from a macro level. Below are some of the most interesting pieces I’ve come across that offer food for thought as I make my mobile, tablet, and mcommerce predictions for 2012.

Hardware Trends & Statistics

Just when you think everyone you know has iPhone, think again. According to Gartner, Android fueled 52% of worldwide smartphone sales in Q3, effectively doubling its market share from 2010. Take into consideration of course that many consumers were waiting all summer for the iPhone 4S release. I anticipate Apple gaining back some of its market share in the coming year.

Solution Options & Deployment

For many, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of QR code campaigns. So, it’s really great to hear a story of one done right. For the first time in its history, Chili’s supplemented their “Create-A-Pepper” Campaign for St. Jude’s Children Hospital with QR coded materials. Chili’s put the QR code on table tents and coloring sheets throughout their restaurants. When scanned, customers were linked directly to the campaign website where they could easily donate through their smartphones. In total, an astounding 290,000 codes were scanned.

Business Ramifications / ROI

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone monitoring Amazon’s moves that the company has begun an mcommerce strategy around apps. Specifically, Amazon just launched a new mobile app for their site endless.com, which focuses specifically on shoes and accessories. Customers can now browse products through the app and quickly purchase with their existing Amazon account.

User Experience (Software) Trends

Mobile advertising might still be in its infancy, but that hasn’t stopped Google from delivering a resounding  message to Marketers: Get Better at Mobile. Citing Forrester statistics – like the fact that almost a third of the population will be searching on mobile devices by 2015 – Google makes a strong case for making a good impression now. Google’s lead product manager for mobile search ads made an excellent point: users are now judging business based upon their mobile presence. Businesses risk losing consumers if they don’t mobilize now, especially with the holidays around the corner.

Device Announcements & Rumors

More Amazon domination here: the Kindle Fire is playing for keeps. At less than half the price of an iPad ($199 vs. $499), and the ability to consume books, magazines, video, and music, the Kindle Fire is looking to majorly takes sales away from Apple in 2012. It’s already estimated that more than 5 million Kindle Fires could sell by the end of 2011. We’ll just have to wait and see if Amazon can succeed against Apple where HP, Blackberry, Samsung, and Mortorola failed. Hmm.

Competitors & Industry Peers

Turns out luxury does have its perks. Just last week, the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills finished installing nearly 300 iPads in its guest rooms and suites. The surge in guests using the iPads to order room service, make spa appointments, and research local attractions has been huge. The hotel has already seen 51,000 impressions since the iPad the installation. But the iPads are really just icing on the cake to the recent $35 million renovation the hotel underwent in 2010.

Other Notable Entries

• Square mobile payments surge to $11M a day
• Amazon’s Kindle Fire Newsstand debuting with 400 magazines, newspapers
• eBay CEO says company will handle $5B in mobile sales in 2011

General Industry News

ComScore (tweet): Among those who own both a smartphone and a tablet, consumers are more likely to use a tablet for online buying than a smartphone.

Remember, these are only some of the stories out there, so let me know if you have any other questions on mobile, and feel free to check out the webinar I conducted a few months ago on Mobile Trends and Innovations.