Why the mobile Web – and not apps – is the best channel for sales

By Michael Darnaud

A recent ZMags survey, “Meet the connected consumer,” shows that 87 percent of connected consumers prefer to use Web sites and browser-based mobile sites for browsing and shopping, whereas only 4 percent prefer smartphone and tablet applications.

ZMags even concludes that “retailers need to think about the purpose of these apps and determine the role of the app in the customer lifecycle.”

An earlier study, commissioned by Adobe in October 2010 and titled “In-the-Know about On-the-Go: Adobe Captures What Mobile Users Want,” already indicated that 67 percent of shoppers “strongly prefer using mobile Web sites over mobile apps for all shopping-related activities,” so the trend has dramatically accelerated in the past 15 months.

 

Losing appetite
The reality is that consumers have a hard time keeping track of multiple apps – not to mention having to update them periodically – and would much rather keep more space for music and photos on their smartphones.

Yahoo may well have been showing others the way by announcing last month that it was retiring a number of apps due to poor usage.

In other studies released right after last year’s shopping season, more than 40 percent of mobile buyers reported being unhappy with their shopping experience and consumers still routinely abandon their online shopping carts up to 70 percent of the time.

What can the industry do to demonstrate that it is actually listening to its users?

The first wave of mobile commerce development has favored massive investment in apps for different platforms and different purposes – special promotions, comparison shopping and loyalty programs.

As in any new product introduction, now is the time to evaluate customer feedback via real life behavior to make changes accordingly and also to look at the bottom line.

The connected-consumer study shows that it makes sense to separate the wheat from the chaff and streamline the number of apps, so that a portion of development resources can be re-assigned to improving site design for the mobile Web in favor of the customer’s experience.

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Does your Restaurant have a Mobile Website?

If you do not have a mobile friendly website you are losing customers. Call us, we can help. We have mobile programs that start at $25.00 a month. 877-743-0539

Why Your Business Needs a Mobile Website Right Now

1 day ago by Todd Wasserman

First, the good news: If you have a website, then you have a site that can be accessed by any mobile device with a browser. Now, the bad: Chances are, that site looks pretty crappy on said mobile device.

If you’re worried about this, you’re not alone. Just as companies realized, circa 1996, that they needed to create a website to remain relevant to consumers, history is repeating itself in mobile. By 2013, more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online, according to Gartner. In mid-2011, we also reached the point at which consumers were spending more time on their mobile devices than on their PCs.

In such an environment, a site designed to be viewed on a desktop PC comes across as woefully lacking. Say you’re accessing such a site from the Safari browser on your iPhone. The first thing you’re likely to notice is that it takes a relatively long time to load. The second thing is that the type on the page is pretty small. It might take a lot of zooming and pinching to navigate the site as well. If you have Flash on your site, it’s not going to come across at all on an iPhone.

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SMS Text Message Marketing DOES NOT Work! Or does it?

SMS Text Message Marketing Does Not Work!

 

That’s what they tell me. When I ask why it doesn’t work, I have been told a number of different reasons. A few of them are “no one signs up for my program” or “people are opting out of my program” or “I sent a message out to my email list and did not get very many subscribers”.

The result is the attitude that sms text message marketing does not work. Well, what I found out is that is does not work unless you have a plan. Our company is a mobile marketing agency. Not only do we provide sms text message marketing programs, we help you with a plan. If you do not work the plan you will be one of those who say that text message marketing does not work. The nice thing about Pinpoint is that we do not charge you for the planning. The reality for us is that if your program is not successful, we are not successful.

Most SMS Text Message Marketing companies set up your account and tell you to call them if you need anything. Or they tell you that everything you need to know is on their website. “All you have to do is watch the videos.” This is a path for failure. Their price is usually pretty good, but if your program does not work, you paid too much. We are a little different, we assign you an account manager and that account manger is responsible for your success. Your account manager will put a “marketing plan” together with you; if you will follow that plan your program WILL BE successful.

As a matter of fact, I will guarantee it! If you follow the plan and it is not successful we will refund all of your money after 120 days. SMS text message marketing works! I can send you dozens of case studies showing that it works. Most of the top retailers in the country are using SMS. You say, well they have big marketing budgets. You are right, but our program is designed around small business and the small business budget!

Here our deal. For single location businesses we have a program that starts at $25.00 a month. It includes 400 outbound messages per month. And just as important, it includes a mobile website for your business. You say that 400 messages per month doesn’t sound like much. As your program grows we grow your package. The next package is 1600 messages for $65.00/month including the mobile website and after that we go to an unlimited outbound text program that is $150.00 a month. If you have more than one location we have programs designed for you as well. All of our programs come with our 120 day guarantee.

 

If you would like to talk to us about a customized program for your business, please call us at 877-743-0539 or you can email us at info@pinpointadagency.com

SMS Text Message Marketing does not Work! Or Does It?

SMS Text Message Marketing Does Not Work!

 

That’s what they tell me. When I ask why it doesn’t work, I have been told a number of different reasons. A few of them are “no one signs up for my program” or “people are opting out of my program” or “I sent a message out to my email list and did not get very many subscribers”.

The result is the attitude that sms text message marketing does not work. Well, what I found out is that is does not work unless you have a plan. Our company is a mobile marketing agency. Not only do we provide sms text message marketing programs, we help you with a plan. If you do not work the plan you will be one of those who say that text message marketing does not work. The nice thing about Pinpoint is that we do not charge you for the planning. The reality for us is that if your program is not successful, we are not successful.

Most SMS Text Message Marketing companies set up your account and tell you to call them if you need anything. Or they tell you that everything you need to know is on their website. “All you have to do is watch the videos.” This is a path for failure. Their price is usually pretty good, but if your program does not work, you paid too much. We are a little different, we assign you an account manager and that account manger is responsible for your success. Your account manager will put a “marketing plan” together with you; if you will follow that plan your program WILL BE successful.

As a matter of fact, I will guarantee it! If you follow the plan and it is not successful we will refund all of your money after 120 days. SMS text message marketing works! I can send you dozens of case studies showing that it works. Most of the top retailers in the country are using SMS. You say, well they have big marketing budgets. You are right, but our program is designed around small business and the small business budget!

Here our deal. For single location businesses we have a program that starts at $25.00 a month. It includes 400 outbound messages per month. And just as important, it includes a mobile website for your business. You say that 400 messages per month doesn’t sound like much. As your program grows we grow your package. The next package is 1600 messages for $65.00/month including the mobile website and after that we go to an unlimited outbound text program that is $150.00 a month. If you have more than one location we have programs designed for you as well. All of our programs come with our 120 day guarantee.

 

If you would like to talk to us about a customized program for your business, please call us at 877-743-0539 or you can email us at info@pinpointadagency.com

 

Ten mobile commerce best-practice tips for the holidays

By Mickey Alam Khan

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June 22, 2011

 

Companies are increasingly seeing the potential of mobile and how the medium can help build relationships between the brand and the consumer, especially during the holiday season.

While many companies are still formulating their mobile strategy, it is key to incorporate either a mobile site, application or SMS into a multichanel holiday initiative. Consumers expectations are already high and they expect to turn to their favorite retailers or brands this holiday season in any medium — store, catalog, phone, online or on mobile. Here are some practical tips for holiday mobile commerce:

1. Have a transaction–enabled mobile store. Half-measures will not work. In a year’s time, when one out of two subscribers nationwide will have Web-enabled smartphones, they will expect the same experience on mobile as they do on traditional sites and in-store. Come holiday season, expect consumers to shop on mobile with the same expectations of shopping experience as generated online.

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QR code scanning increases by 4,549pc: study

Mobile bar code scanning has increased by 4,549 percent in the first quarter of 2011 on a year-over-year basis, according to a Mobio Identity Systems study.

With the increase in smartphone purchases for both iPhone and Android devices, which have a pre-installed QR reader, there is growing awareness among consumers of QR codes compared to a year ago.

“The iPhone 4 and Android have helped build a mass market of people who are able to scan QR bar codes,” said Mark Binns, chief marketing officer at Mobio, Vancouver, Canada.

Brands such as Calvin Klein and Conde Nast have also helped drive awareness of QR codes by placing them in their TV, print, Web and out-of-home advertising.

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Mobile ads driving purchase intent among smartphone users: Google

Mobile ads drive purchase intent

A study by Google Inc. found that mobile ads drive smartphone users to take actions such as visiting a Web site or making a purchase.

Google’s “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users” study found that 71 percent of smartphone users search after being exposed to ads online and offline. A whopping 82 percent notice mobile ads and 74 percent make a purchase as a result of using their phone during the shopping process. 

“The findings of the study have strong implications for businesses and mobile advertisers,” said Dai Pham, a member of the mobile ads marketing team at Google, Mountain View, CA. “Make sure you can be found via mobile search as consumers regularly use their phones to find and act on information. 

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Text Message Marketing Program including a Mobile Website starting at $20.00/month

Do you have a message that you want to get out to your existing customers? How about to potential new customers? We have a unique text messaging platform that includes your own mobile website, coupon program, appointment reminders and much more. Our program starts out at $20.00 per month and grows with your business. 93% of all text messages are opened and most of them are opened within the first hour. This is not spam, these are potential customers that want to know more about your company. Unlike traditional text messaging programs, we include a mobile website with all of our packages. The mobile website gives you the opportunity to share your message in a much more detailed manner and it is a WAP mobile website so it loads fast!. Customers have access to your information 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Text message marketing is proving to have the best ROI of any advertising medium available. What is the redemption rate of your current marketing programs? If it is like most programs it is in the 1-2% range. Text message marketing programs are seeing redemption rates anywhere from 15%-20%. Don’t you owe it to yourself to give it a try? And we do mean a try! There is no long term commitment. Sign up month to month, and once you see the benefits you can convert to a longer term. Text message marketing works for just about any business that deals with the public. Restaurants, nightclubs, real estate, retail stores, car dealerships and medical offices are just a few. For more information about our program please visit http://www.pinpointadagency.com/text-message-marketing.html 

Forget about apps until Mobile Website is complete.

SAN FRANCISCO – An OpenTable executive who spoke at ad:tech said that 10 percent of the company’s online reservations are booked via mobile and stressed the importance of having a mobile-optimized Web site.

During the “Mobile Marketing: Big Changes Brought on by Little Apps” panel, the OpenTable executive discussed how mobile creates incremental booking opportunities. The session was moderated by Tina Unterlaender, account director at AKQA Mobile, San Francisco.

“Mobile is driving real restaurant businesses,” said Scott Jampol, senior director of consumer marketing at OpenTable, San Fransisco.

“Before mobile, you used to walk to a movie theater and you looked to the left and saw a Chinese restaurant and you look to the right and it’s a diner and you decide where you can eat,” he said. “Today you open up a mobile app, secure a reservation and look at the device’s map functionality and walk there.

 

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