Now is the Time: Go Mobile or Go Home

If you were at a retail store over the holiday weekend, you probably saw at least one person comparison shopping on a mobile device. In fact, this Thanksgiving/Black Friday was a huge moment for mobile. Online retail sales shot up 39.3% on Thanksgiving day compared to last year’s numbers, and 24.3% on Black Friday over 2010’s results. Those are some mighty increases. These results signal what many marketers have known for some time: Mobile has arrived.

Mobile devices have become an essential way for customers to interact with businesses. And their usage continues to grow, advance and expand (as illustrated by the holiday numbers). It’s time for all businesses to take notice and make a concentrated effort to integrate mobile into your marketing efforts. Here are a couple ways to get started:

Make your website/blog/store mobile friendly

Check out your website on a mobile device. How does it look? How does it read? How can you make it better? It’s time to take mobile users into account. If you still have a copy-heavy site (which you really shouldn’t), consider cutting your content down to make it easier to read on mobile. The reason: copy looks even longer and more laborious on a tiny screen. In the case of a blog, you definitely want to make your content as simple to read as possible on mobile devices. If you use WordPress, there are several plug-ins that can do this for you.

Depending on the purpose of your site (general info, online store, services), you may need to create a completely different version for mobile devices. This isn’t necessary for basic company sites. But if you offer any sort of store or service, it’s a must. Mobile is a different way of absorbing information, make it as easy as possible for users to navigate your website. Give customers the immediacy the mobile format demands and reap the rewards.

Give customers a valuable mobile application

To go beyond simply optimizing your website, you can develop a mobile application to make it even quicker and easier for customers to access your business. How your app will function depends on your business or service. It can be a store where customers can find and purchase products; a service where customers can take certain actions (such as banking); a resource where customers can access information; or even just a fun and interesting tool for consumers.

If the purpose of a mobile application for your business is not immediately apparent, use your imagination. For example:

• Salons, or a hair care product company might create an app that shows people what they would look like with different hairstyles. Maybe it has some common hair care tips like how to keep your coloring look natural, longer.
• Financial Advisers might provide an interface that allows users to input their expense, tax information, budgets, etc.
• Local Pharmacies could allow their customers to reorder their prescriptions from the app. Maybe they give the user a calendar and alert the customer when their prescription is running low, or remind them when they should take their medication during the day.

Think about what your customers will find useful. Then relate that to your product or service. Give it to them in a simple, mobile format. The beauty of an engaging application is it resides on your customer’s mobile device. Your careful consideration of their needs will act as a constant reminder how they benefit from your company, every time they use their phone.

MONSTERS Unlimited will help you conceive and develop an app to put your brand in the hands of thousands, even millions, of users. Check out our Mobile Development Services