Friday, November 30, 2012

The mobile, social link

Many of our clients recently launched new versions of its mobile bar code application for Android and iOS users to make it easier for users to discover the best QR codes and products via Facebook.
To promote the app and mobile bar code scans, they are running a "Like It to Win" holiday giveaway, giving mobile users who download the app, scan a mobile bar code and indicate their favorite scans a chance to win an Amazon gift card.

Over 15,000 “Likes” have been recorded so far. The most liked brands are Best Buy, Kohl’s, Heinz and Samsung.

“This data is showing that people of course like content that provides holiday shopping deals, but they are also giving their approval on a Heinz Corporate Giving effort” Mr. Wehrs said.
“This again proves the potential for QR codes to go far beyond just leading a consumer to a product’s Web site,” he said.

“Interestingly, all of the most liked items are from content that is made for mobile, and none that were PC formatted. This shows again that people appreciate getting content on their mobile device that is relevant and easy to use.”

What mobile strategy do you have?  Get started TODAY so you'll have more "Likes" tomorrow!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Mobile is fastest growing segment of social advertising

Facebook
Facebook mobile use will drive social ad revenues
Mobile social ad revenues will grow at a faster pace than desktop social ad revenues to reach $1.47 billion by 2016, according to a new report from BIA/Kelsey.
The fall update to BIA/Kelsey’s U.S. Local Media Forecast reveals that, although mobile social advertising is expected to grow quickly, it will still struggle to capture full revenue share because of several limitations. This is the first time BIA/Kelsey has broken out mobile numbers within its social advertising forecast.
“Right now, mobile social ad revenue is a fraction of desktop spend and it remains a fraction of desktop spend for the life of this forecast,” said Jed Williams, program director for social local media at BIA/Kelsey, Chantilly, VA. “But if you look at the overall growth of mobile social advertising, it has the most explosive or volatile growth of all of the various components of social advertising.
“If you think about where consumers are from a platform perspective, they are on mobile increasingly,” he said. “And, if you think about what they are doing on mobile, increasingly a large share of that is social networking.
“So if you tie those together, wherever you fit in the business marketplace, you have to think about the nexus of those two ideas. You have to reach consumers on mobile devices and you have to reach them in effective ways where they are utilizing those mobile devices.”

CONTACT US TO GET MOBILE TYOMORROW:  www.beachbumsmarketing.com


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Increase Holiday Shopping With a Mobile Website



Rather than spending your time or limited budget on even just Android and iOS apps, putting those same resources behind a single mobile website will be a much better investment when you are entering the mobile marketplace. . Since Android and iOS apps are built using different programming languages, it’s not as simple as just submitting the same app to both app stores. A mobile website also gives you the flexibility that it will display on ANY mobile device, so if your visitors have Blackberrys or Windows Mobile phones, your website will be just a usable to them as it would be to a visitor using an Android or an iPhone.
The most important thing to do when planning a mobile website is seriously thinking through how your visitors would use the site and which information is most important to your visitors. Easy mapping/direction features? Yes Quick ways to email or call your office? Yes. Physical brochure order form? Probably not.

Get started NOW!  Our price for the next 72 hours is $495 and your mobile website is live within a week.

Contact us at www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Your customers will thank you!



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

What can a mobile sales tool do for you?


Uncover new revenue opportunities through a custom mobile sales tool. For years we have been breaking down walls between businesses and consumers through our mobile sales strategy, design, and technology. Mobile ApplicationsMobile WebsitesMobile CouponsMobile Landing PagesQR codesText Message CampaignsWebsite DesignSocial Media Integration We do it all for you, saving you time and money.  Our prices are 70% below competitors, giving you the same great quality and service.  Mobile marketplaces have allowed business sales to increase 67% nationwide. What can one do for you?

If you are ready to take the next step, CLICK HERE to request more information


www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Savvy shoppers use mobile on Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday

 Cyber Monday is a big thing for retailers.

A recent study from PriceGrabber found that most Cyber Monday consumers will shop from home. Thus, the mobile presence increases.

PriceGrabber recently ran a survey that revealed that when consumers who plan to shop on Cyber Monday were asked to specify from where they plan to shop, 83 percent indicated home, 11 percent said work and 6 percent said they will shop on the go from a mobile device.

The company believes that consumers’ mobile shopping plans continue to increase this holiday season, up from the four percent of customers that planned to shop from a mobile device on Cyber Monday last year.

“When it comes to mobile, consumers are going to be shopping more with their mobile devices than last year,” said James Brown, director of merchant accounts at PriceGrabber.

“Consumers are using smartphones to comparison shop,” he said. “One thing that we found through smartphone usage and mobile usage is that shoppers are more savvy.

“Most savvy shoppers are going to start the shopping process earlier and the idea of waiting. If they see things they want they will find those deals.”

Get ready for the holiday shopping season today!

Contact us, your full service mobile strategy partner:  www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Mobile Marketing Trends That Are Changing Ecommerce

Today is Black Friday.  It was interesting that one merchant 'hid' their Black Friday sales and only notified potential buyers that had downloaded their mobile app.  Does your business have a mobile app? 

You may wonder, "how do you know that?"  Well...the person I was with did not have the mobile app for this business and when I got the notificaiton of the "huge sale" they did not get this message.  So, I wonder...how many potential customers may you be using when you don't offer a mobile app for your website?

With a saturation of smartphones on the market more and more businesses are using a mobile marketing strategy for new innovative ways to reach customers. Smartphones have the high-end advanced functions required for mobile marketing. Smartphones can run third-party applications including merchant applications and GPS location applications. Combining smart new applications like QR Codes, mobile coupons with location-based applications are allowing the consumer to research, retrieve texts from businesses and receive local discount offers.

One of the popular mobile marketing trends is the use of QR Codes. QR Codes are an instantly recognizable code which when scanned with a smart mobile takes the user to a website which can provide videos, coupons, promotions and reviews on a particular product or merchant. Many smart mobiles like the Apple iPhone, Google's Android and the RIM BlackBerry, have the capacity to download a QR Code application which allows accessibility to the information stored in the QR Code.  Beach Bums Marketing will get you set up with a QR Code quickly. 

Through the use of loyalty programs, merchants can send interested users mobile coupons, texts of last-minute deals, promotions and weekly ads. In a recent mobile marketing strategy merchants keep many deals under wraps until after loyalty customers have been texted the information first.

Location based services on smart mobiles allow users to receive local discount offers along with local merchant information close to the area of the user. Smartphones have GPS navigation units and also feature many GPS location applications. This was the last piece of the puzzle required for location marketing as the user shares this information.

More mobile users than ever before are texting and sharing photos through smartphone applications. First only used by business executives now smartphones have reached a younger audience which are introducing an older generation to the benefits of smartphone use. Smartphones have opened new venues for consumers. They are also reviewing and buying products, checking out coupons and group deals through their mobiles by using an enhanced shopping experience and taking advantage of mobile marketing trends. Worldwide more than half of all mobile users are smart mobile users and in the US approximately forty-three percent of all mobile users have a smartphone. There is a growing dependence on the smartphone due to its capability to perform office tasks, check email, mobile banking, make purchases, along with countless online web services and third-party applications. Along with the increased use of smartphones mobile marketing trends are continuing to be developed for smartphone users.

Contact us NOW for a free mobile strategy consultation.....stop losing potential customers to your business!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

81pc of smartphone owners have accessed a retail mobile site

 


Whether it is for researching or directly shopping, consumers are interacting with retailers in multiple ways on their mobile devices, according to a new study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

In a recent study on Mobile Shoppers: Growing Adoption Shifts Shopping Landscape looked at the impact that mobile sites, apps, coupons and offers will have on consumer shopping this holiday season. The study also breaks down which cities in the United States are savviest when it comes to mobile shopping.

Consumers will use their mobile devices to shop more this holiday season.  You may ask yourself:   Is my website mobile ready?  Will they be able to view our products on their phone?

They are going to use their mobile device for everything from researching, to buying, comparison shopping and buying spur of the moment.

In our stressful lives, consumers have found that phones can be a useful tool during the holiday season.

Get mobile ready today - contact us for a free strategy session!


www.beachbumsmarketing.com
 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Are you ready for mobile shoppers?

In a recent Mobile Insights biannual study that surveyed 20,000 consumers across fifteen top United States markets in June 2012 it was discovered that approximately 68 percent of U.S. consumers own a mobile device, which is classified as a smartphone, tablet or ereader. This is an increase from 57.2 percent in 2011.

Interesting Facts:
  • Smartphone owners are equally split between males and females, per the research.
  • More than half of smartphone owners have used their devices inside a store in the past three months. Thirty percent of tablet owners have done the same.
  • Forty-seven percent of mobile owners have a QR code reader downloaded onto their device.
  • The report also points to a study from comScore in July, which found that 81 percent of smartphone owners used their mobile devices to access a retailer’s mobile site or app. These users also tend to skew younger in age than desktop users and point to mobile becoming a primary medium for consumers to shop from.

With the holiday season upon us, it's important to have a mobile strategy in place for your clients.

Are you mobile ready?  Contact us today for a free strategy session!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Are you ready for couch commerce?

This holiday season, PayPal predicts that couch commerce will explode even further.

The term was coined by eBay and PayPal, and last year, both companies predicted that Thanksgiving Day 2011 would be a day when consumers went from their dinner table to their couch to start their holiday day shopping on Thanksgiving Day on their mobile devices.

Both companies saw a 511 percent increase in global mobile payment activity than on Thanksgiving Day 2010.

“Retail has fundamentally changed,” said Anuj Nayar, director of communications for PayPal, San Jose, CA. “We expect to see some of the phenomenon, massive spike in shopping on Thanksgiving Day and couch commerce to explode.

“We also expect to see a percentage of shopping from mobile devices to rise.”

According to Mr. Nayar, although many marketers tend to differentiate mobile and online shopping, the two are similar in many ways. Mobile shopping, however, is done on a smaller device.
“From our point-of-view, mobile is popular,” Mr. Nayar said. “People shop on their smartphones during the day and their tablets at night.

According to the executive, PayPal sees shopping from their mobile devices during the hours of noon to 1p.m. and users turning to their tablets from 6-7 p.m.

“The way that people shop from their devices is different,” Mr. Nayar said. “It just varies at each device.

The shopping paradigm is changing and mobile is changing that,” he said. “I think the key point that we’re seeing as a company, is that consumers are using technology in new ways to find the best deals and they’re fundamentally changing what retail means and how people shop.

“The mobile device, more than anything else, has bridged the lines between online and in-store commerce. It’s changing the ways that consumers shop. Retailers have to react to catch up to what consumers are doing.”

“Consumers are exercising their mobile shopping skills, with more than two-fifths – 41 percent – pre-shopping online versus only 27 percent in 2011,” he said. “”Consumers have increased their use of smartphones inside stores and are leveraging their devices to the frustration of retailers.”

Contact us TODAY so that you are ready for the couch consumer!  It's never too late to get your website mobile friendly!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Are you ready for mobile shoppers?

Mobile shopping

 
For many marketers, mobile is an important medium to use to help them interact with the connected shopper.

According to Vibes’ Mobile Consumer Report, 54 percent of connected shoppers have compared prices in-store. In addition, 51 percent have looked up a product review, showing there is not much of a gap between comparison shopping and gathering more information about a purchase – leaving a huge opportunity for retailers.

Vibes believes that connected shoppers use their mobile devices a great deal while shopping in-store.
Of the additional in-store activities the connected shopper conducts, 45 percent have scanned a QR or bar code for more information, 33 percent have researched a product on the store’s Web site and 28 percent have used a company’s app in the store.

Additionally, 76 percent of connected shoppers use coupons at least half of the time while shopping; more than half have used mobile coupons, proving that relevant and timely offers continue to play an important role in consumer purchasing habits.

Smarter shoppers
According to the PeriscopeIQ Retail Intelligence Survey, consumers are becoming savvy shoppers, with more 41 percent pre-shopping online versus only 27 percent doing so last year.
Thirty-three percent check prices at other stores or at Web sites.

Similarly, 36 percent are using their phones to take pictures of merchandise, presumably for feedback from friends or family, or for comparison shopping.

Additionally, fewer than five percent of respondents claim to use mobile wallets like Google Wallet or Passbook.

“Despite the commotion about shopping on Black Friday, only a little more than a third – 38 percent – will be shopping this season”, said Mohamed Latib, chief operating officer of PeriscopeIQ. “A significant 60 percent won’t bother battling crowds the day after Thanksgiving.”

Get your business mobile ready today!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

College Kids Use Mobile During Thanksgiving



Mobile is also effecting college kids.

Did you know that two in five students – 38 percent – say they will do holiday shopping on Thanksgiving?

Moreover, 22 percent of students are more likely to decline a Thanksgiving meal invitation if they know they would not be able to use their mobile devices while there.

The Digitas study also revealed that 76 percent of those who shop by mobile device and computer say that it is easier to shop via computer.

Only eight percent of consumers surveyed said their shopping experience was easier via mobile and 16 percent said there is no difference between the two.  The reason?  Mobile businesses do not have their website mobile friendly....is yours? 

The big news for retailers is that the battle for shoppers is definitely getting beyond just getting them in the store or onto the ecommerce site.  It’s also about getting on people’s smartphones and tablets.

Mobile makes life shoppable – so retailers and brands need to focus on being a part of those moments when people are shopping on their mobile devices.  Honestly, the most surprising finding was that there were actually people who would decline an invitation to Thanksgiving if they couldn’t use their smartphones.

I thought that if there is one institution that could withstand our increasing need to always be connected, it would be Thanksgiving. But it just indicates how much mobile is changing behaviors, attitudes and culture.

According to many, mobile is going to play a very substantial role in the holiday shopping this season.

It’s going to play three key roles.  As a way for people to research and compare features and prices, as a way for people to transact and as a way for brands and retailers to proactively reach out with offers and information.

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

What you you using to drive Black Friday Sales?

There is no doubt that mobile has made its dent in the retail space and marketers are not only increasingly using the medium this holiday season to drive in-store traffic, but educating consumers to turn to their mobile devices first to make purchases.  So what have you done in your business to attract the mobile client?

Did you know that every holiday season, brands and retailers come up with new ways to increase sales. Over the past few years, many have integrated mobile into their strategies and have found success.  Our findings reinforce that mobile is not just another channel.

We live in a technology-driven cultural phenomenon that is changing how people are connecting to brands and commerce.  With more consumers shopping on their devices, brands are being provided with more mobile moments to address and create impact – even during a time of turkey, football, and family.

As mobile becomes the primary way for more and more people to connect to digital – including commerce – we’ll find that every day is mobile, not just Thursday or Monday.

Mobile only
Did you know that the retail market is embracing and igniting “Mobile Thursday” by early store hours or online sales?  Don't get left behind by not having a mobile strategy!

Take eBay for example. The company is ramping up its mobile efforts by heavily promoting mobile-only deals, which begin at 5:23 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

According to a recent study by Digitas, 28 percent of smartphone or tablet-owning adults plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day for the holidays with their mobile devices. This will be nearly double the percentage from 2011.

Furthermore, 29 percent of smartphone or tablet owners say that they have or plan to use their mobile device to assist with upcoming Thanksgiving holiday preparations. That number rises to 40 percent when focused on adults aged 18-34.

So NOW is the time to get your business mobile ready!  It's not too late.  Yes, many will be shopping this coming Black Friday yet we are all looking for the best deal. 

Contact us TODAY to get started:  www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Friday, November 16, 2012

IS YOUR WEBSITE COMPATIBLE WITH MOBILE PHONE BROWSERS...


That's the million dollar question!

Can your customers easily get to product information, services, contact information, or locations?

 

Does your site fit to the mobile browser window or do you have to scroll around to navigate on your phone?

 

Just because you have a website doesn't mean that your website is suitable for a mobile phone. For example, iPhone and iPad are not compatible with flash players therefore those users cannot access your site.

 

Mobile Websites solve that problem for you... we take your website and redesign it to fit all smartphones so mobile users can easily access and navigate through your website. The most successful companies in the world have mobile websites and mobile apps so why don't you?

 

If you are not mobile right now, you are likely missing over 30% of your highest demographic customers... don't let that be you!


You need to start somewhere, Mobile Websites are the perfect and most affordable way to get started!
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 


 

 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Is Your Website Mobile Ready?



Driving on the freeway today I see signs everywhere asking me to download the latest mobile app such as "download The Toll Roads mobile app today." 

On the radio I'm asked to download the Vons app for additional savings while shopping at their market....mobile apps are getting popular.

With most people using their smartphone over the personal computers to search on where to go for shopping or a meal out with family and/or friends, they will use the phone to find that special place.

Is your business website mobile ready?  Will they click on your site and browse or will they click away?

The choice is yours.....get mobile today with Beach Bums Marketing.  Your full service social media partner.

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Dunkin’ Donuts gives mobile payments app a jolt with targeted offers

 



The deals section of the Dunkin' Donuts app
Dunkin’ Donuts is strengthening its position in the mobile space by updating its commerce-enabled application with location-based offers that reward consumers for paying through their handsets.
Since launching its app earlier this year, Dunkin’ Donuts has been aggressively marketing it with multiple campaigns. The Dunkin’ Donuts app is available for iPhone and Android devices.
“Dunkin’ Donuts guests are always on the go, and increasingly reliant on mobile devices,” said Scott Hudler, vice president of global consumer engagement for Dunkin’ Brands, Canton, MA.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Get Ready to be Mobile!


Thirty-four percent of all online shoppers make purchases on their mobile devices. 

And by the year 2015, Juniper Research expects that the m-commerce market will surge to account for $670 billion in world-wide retail sales.

No matter how you feel about m-commerce, these projections are hard to ignore. So if you're looking to maximize your profit margins and get the most out of your e-commerce experience, then having a mobile extension of your online store is a modern necessity.

Now that the world has gone mobile, maybe its time you should too!



Thursday, November 8, 2012

3 Critical Mobile Marketing Insights


1. Mobile will bury the PC.

When some, like me, say that PCs will die, it doesn't mean disappear. There are things you can do only on a machine with enough power and screen real estate. However, that number is going to quickly get smaller than the number of mobile devices.

According to Meeker, by the end of 2013, there will be about 160 Android devices, 80 million iOS devices, and 100 million Windows devices shipping per quarter. That's 2.4 times as many "mobile operating system" products than the old Windows standard. Meeker also thinks that by the end of the second quarter in 2013, the installed base of tablets and smartphones will be larger than the installed PC base.
Have you been ignoring mobile? Then you're already behind the times and had best get a move on.

2. You cannot ignore tablets.
One of the impressive statistics from Meeker's review in May was the speed at which people were adopting iPads--three times the rate of iPhones. That number has increased, as iPad adoption is now five times as high as iPhones, and that doesn't include the new iPad Mini.

That said, this is a bigger phenomenon than even the hyper focus on Apple would suggest. According to market research firm IDC, Apple's third quarter tablet market share was 50%. Instead of seeing that as a diminution of the iMachine company, see it as an expansion of the overall market.

In other words, you can no longer afford to ignore the tablet as a medium, whether you create apps, deliver online services of any sort to customers, or market electronically.

3. "i" isn't enough.
A common mobile strategy you can see in the market is the focus on all things Apple. Walk into any electronics store and you will see racks, if not aisles, devoted to iThings. A big reason is the ability to address a large group of users with a small set of designs. The same is true for app design, where skipping Android avoids the variability you can find in the platform.

The desire for economy is understood. However, reality should kick in. Android smartphone adoption is growing six times faster than that of the iPhone. There are caveats you can apply from other data. For example, it will include many less expensive units and all sorts of global markets. But to assume you can ignore Android is to say you can safely avoid the biggest part of the potential market.

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Which mobile channel will reign this holiday season?


Toys R Us creates equivalent of holiday registry fLarge retailers first to embrace mobile marketing
This holiday season marketers are going to be using different mobile channels such as QR codes, mobile advertising, SMS and applications to drive in-store traffic, engagement and sales. However, which one will lead the pack?

Mobile has changed over the years. Retailers such as Target and Starbucks are using mobile to interact with consumers on a deeper level.

"If the recent CMO Council survey is to be believed, you can ask whether marketers are looking at the holiday season differently this year,” said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer at HipCricket, New York.

“Only 16 percent had a mobile strategy,” he said. “Contrast that with mobile users who are way ahead when it comes to mobile and the holidays – 56 percent of mobile shoppers will showroom and 27 percent will buy via their devices, according to Accenture.

"This creates excellent opportunities for mobile-savvy marketers to differentiate and satisfy the needs of the mobile subscriber and sell more stuff.”

‘Tis the seasonAccording to Mr. Hasen, many marketers who will win will provide consumers with mobile choices rather than dictate that interaction happens through one medium or another.

"Marketers should think of inclusive mobile strategies rather than ones that exclude users who have neither the technology nor the interest in interacting in just one way dictated by a brand."

“My wife has adapted her buying experience to include mobile, but the next time she scans a QR code will be the first time,” Mr. Hasen said. “However, if you give her an optimized mobile site, convince her the experience is secure and provide a winning price and convenience, the deal is done.”
Mobile presents marketers with key opportunities to reach consumers like they could never before.
According to the National Retail Federation, online holiday sales are predicted to grow by 12 percent this year and retailers are promoting new tactics to drive sales on mobile devices.

“Because of this, I predict that we will see QR codes utilized by major brands to help facilitate mobile and online sales,” said Laura Marriott, CEO of NeoMedia, Denver.

“Brands will also leverage bar codes to drive customer loyalty through, for example, driving consumers to mobile rebate pages or product comparison pages at the point-of-sale,” he said.

Emerging technologiesIndustry experts agree that brands and retailers will incorporate more mobile initiatives this year.
There will be an increase in some of the basics – such as the establishment of mobile sites, SMS and QR codes – and also an increase in mobile commerce, including NFC, mobile payments and couponing.

“Deloitte predicts that shoppers' smartphone activity, including research, coupon use and purchases, could account for $36 billion in holiday sales this year,” Ms. Marriott said. “As always, online shopping will prove to be the most-utilized forum for holiday shoppers, but we will see much more of the traffic to online sites come from mobile devices,” she said. “Because consumers have a powerful device at their fingertips, marketers need to ensure that their sites are optimized for mobile device access which will ultimately lead to sales.

“This is especially important, seeing that a new report from Gartner found in 2011, 79 percent of major advertisers had not launched a mobile friendly site.”

Ms. Marriott believes that mobile commerce and couponing will continue to be prominent within the industry.

Nowadays, consumers are always looking to save money – especially during the upcoming holiday seasons.

Therefore, coupons will be big. However, mobile coupons will be even more impactful.
Consumers are constantly on-the-go, therefore giving them an option to save coupons to their mobile devices to be redeemed at the point-of-sale will be essential.

“Coupons will offer consumers the opportunity to make an immediate purchase on their device, and this trend will continue to increase as the use of coupons via mobile devices have already risen 10 percent from last year, according to Deloitte,” Ms. Marriott said.

“Additionally, as showrooming remains a critical issue for retailers, we’ll start to see more retailers/brands utilizing mobile to their advantage,” she said.
“For example, they may choose to include a QR code on their packaging/in-store signage to drive consumers to a landing page which compares the product to similar products from other brands, both in price and features.”
According to Vivian Rosenthal, founder/CEO of GoldRun, New York, mobile apps have become the go-to channel for brands for the holidays because they allow brands to connect with consumers while they're on the go, in-store and at home.
"QR codes are being replaced by GPS-based experiences, which don't require the user to scan anything," Ms. Rosenthal said. "And while SMS is in widespread use, it doesn't create a personal or visual connection with the consumer the way a mobile app experience can, if done well.
"Bringing consumers into a dialogue with the brand is critical," she said.
This holiday season, mobile marketing is going to explode and be the biggest way that brands reach consumers in the coming years.
 
"We are anticipating photo sharing on mobile as the go to solution for brands because it creates both a personal connection with the brand and also has the viral effect that the retailers are looking for," Ms. Rosenthal said.

Testing on mobile
The biggest opportunity for retailers and brands this holiday season is to connect and engage with customers via their connected smartphones.
While QR codes, SMS, and the promise of NFC are likely exciting to marketing departments, they are really just vehicles for driving traffic.

"The question every retailer and brand should be asking is 'what experience are we providing to mobile consumers and how can we best drive conversions?' said Wilson Kerr, vice president of business development and sales at Unbound Commerce, Boston.

"Any marketer that is not working in lockstep with their ecommerce team to ensure an optimal mobile commerce experience delivery is simply not paying attention," he said. "An integrated, dedicated mobile commerce site is the obvious first and most-important step to unlocking the door to mobile traffic and subsequent conversions as sales revenue.

"All else is secondary, as there’s no use driving mobile traffic to a site not ready to receive it."
According to Mr. Kerr, real world trigger points such as NFC ad QR codes are hot, but an often overlooked key to mobile commerce success is a rapid seamless checkout process.

"Mobile integration with ecommerce registration allows mobile users to access pre-stored shipping and billing information so this data is autofilled on a mobile device, at checkout," Mr. Kerr said.

Key trends
Although there are many emerging mobile technologies out there, QR codes are becoming a hot commodity.

"QR codes will reign this holiday season,QR codes is the new generation of modern technology innovation," said Isabella Lin, content director at Appitalism, New York.

"Consumers expect immediate service and immediately understanding and knowledge of the product in this holiday season, this only QR can be done," she said. "For the interest of consumers, QR codes can provide all - service projects, the commitment of the transaction in the form of additional benefits, coupons, video lottery, social media interaction.

"Additionally, QR codes also helps ads break through the clutter."
In the past marketers were facing dizzying array of options to help capture the audience's attention and drive sales.

Mobile technology has rapidly gained momentum.

"Mobile and the upcoming holiday season follow with QR code potential is immeasurable, the next generation of bar code, will be held - so much more information and an Internet connection, will not even be necessary," Ms. Lin said.

"The content will be simple and efficiently embedded in the code," she said. "You will see QR code in all areas of the market everywhere."
Proliferation of devices

Over the past few months, there has been a proliferation of new devices including Apple's new iPad mini, iPhone 5 an the new Windows 8 tablet.

Tablets are becoming bigger and bigger each and every day.

"The tablet will rein this holiday season," said Bruce Bennett, CEO of Mad Mobile. "We will witness the first large scale test of the shopping season couch surfer/buyer.

"A recent study shows that 73 percent of consumers prefer to shop on mobile-optimized sites rather than just 27 percent of people who prefer to shop on a mobile app," he said. "So when it comes to shopping this holiday season, mobile-optimized sites will be the primary medium where consumers are engaging with brands.

"It is important to note that mobile shopping does not necessarily mean mobile purchasing. You have two types of mobile shoppers – those using their smartphone to search for information such as store location and hours, price comparison and product reviews, and those who are actually looking to make a purchase on their mobile device. It is equally important to have a mobile-optimized site for both types of shoppers."

Marketers will try to balance their omni-channel efforts. Mr. Bennett believes that spending will increase.

"Microsoft will be a huge player in the rise in spending around their launch of Windows 8," Mr. Bennett said. "Mobile and social ad spend will be a large part of the $1B plus spend for this holiday season rollout.

"Windows 8 is a massive step in the direction of touch management for laptops and tablets," he said. "Mobile marketing was a key contributor to the 2011 holiday shopping season and it will be much bigger in 2012 as more and more consumers are using their mobile devices for shopping.

"Large spend on tablets of all vendors, sizes and price ranges. The widespread rollout of 4G LTE will make true mobile web browsing a reality for mobile phones. Showrooming in its many forms will affect the majority of mobile shoppers. This will be the basis for a mobile-ffirst strategy for holiday seasons to come."

www.beachbumsmarketing.com