Mobile commerce is kind of like some sneaky dictator from an old movie who overthrows a country without the rest of the world knowing it. Seemingly overnight, we now buy things with our phones like it’s something we’ve always done. And speaking for myself, using my phone to shop makes me feel cool. I have literally been near my laptop, but chosen to use my smartphone to buy movie tickets instead because “it’s easier” (although I’m not sure how true that really is) and because it is so fun. A dieting friend of mine recently dumped the Papa John’s Pizza app on his phone because he knew within minutes he could fall off the wagon and into a vat of cheesy, saucy goodness before he knew what happened.
Since nearly everyone with a smartphone has been swept up into the mobile commerce tornado and marketers are moving fast to satisfy the need. We and tons of other marketing blogs have been keeping our eyes on this phenom for quite some time. Diana Adams at Bit Rebels, for example, has been covering the topic for a while (and might I add, doing a bang-up job of it). Also carefully monitoring the trend is Microsoft, which recently cooked up an infographic which tells us how and why mobile commerce works. While fascinating (and confirmation of our suspicion that nothing is real unless there is an infographic to go along with it), the real revolution happening here for marketers can’t be covered with a brightly-colored picture. Social media marketing, digital engagement and mobile marketing have all kind of melted into one giant engagement blob which requires marketers to think of all of the channels when creating a campaign. Taking into consideration whether our clients can get their products sold via smartphone is the next marketing compatibility test.
So, dear readers, let’s start the week with a little conversation. Is mobile commerce a good time or merely just another way to avoid human contact? Do you have a mobile marketing plan? And lastly, tell us your fave ways to spend coins with your smartphone.
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