A Reflection On Mobile In 2013 And Where The Industry Is Headed In 2014

Mobile has gained some major horsepower in the automotive industry in 2013, and with technology continually expanding at rapid rates, 2014 is sure to be one for the books.

Research On Mobile Greatly Influences Purchases

The digitalization of information has  skyrocketed the amount of research consumers are conducting and the adoption of mobile has majorly influenced the dynamic journey customers are taking on their automotive path to purchase. Customers are searching on their phones then taking action, and dealers are noticing. Interacting and touching customers through various media and in different stages of the buying process has forced dealers to adapt their reach to target a much more widespread audience.

Mobile search is driving conversions and  triggering consumer actions. These actions are completely adapting the consumers experience. “The average consumer is now hitting 24 research touchpoints on their automotive journey.” -Google

More Research, More Sales : 2013 Holiday Shopping Reveals Huge Mobile Growth Trends

The largest shopping weekend of the year revealed some eye catching insights on the adoption of mobile on the consumer shopping process. The shopping experience is moving mobile with 17% of TOTAL online sales coming from a mobile device. “The mobile device has become the shopping companion of choice for consumers, driving record mobile sales with 55 percent growth over last year.” -Jay Henderson, Strategy Director, IBM Smarter Commerce Smartphones  browse, tablets buy; the increased adoption of tablets in society has made them the shopping device of many, and with 11.7% of total Cyber Monday sales coming from tablets they are becoming more and more widespread. The digital consumer is turning to their device to meet even more of their needs. Mobile devices give shoppers the advantage of time as well as complete control over their shopping experience.“We continue to see a dramatic movement of the new digitally savvy consumer” -Jay Henderson, Strategy Director, IBM Smarter Commerce

Push Notifications Become Prominent

With the recently updated TPCA regulations effecting how text marketing and messaging is regulated, marketers and retailers are turning to push notifications to target mobile devices.

Push notifications produce similar results of text marketing without any of the regulations, and companies are taking notice. Retailers sent an average of 77% more push notifications over the 5 day holiday period compared to averages in September and October. We are seeing push notification  engagement rates of over 95.4% and growing, this very simple and cost effective method is gaining lots of traction so look for much more adoption in 2014.

The Mobile Time Zone

Consumers are spending more and more time with their mobile devices. The average person now invests more that 15 hours per week on mobile research alone with over 7.3 hours per week on the mobile web and 8 hours on mobile apps. – Google Think Insights The amount of time being spent on mobile is also influencing the consumer purchasing cycle and environment, with 93% of people who used mobile to research in 2013 going on to make a purchase. The huge quantity of market share that is being captured by mobile is driving companies to advertise. Mobile advertising alone, represents a $20 billion dollar opportunity in the U.S. in 2014. -ADTRUTH Expect companies to capitalize on the mobile platform, aggressively advertising to win as many customers as possible.

Redefining “Integrated”

The adaptation of tablets across the market has caused multi-screening to become mandatory. The average consumer uses 3 different screen combinations a day with 90% of them moving between devices to complete a task. This allows showrooming and webrooming to come into play and what they represent is very REAL.

With 84% of smartphone shoppers using their device to help them shop in-store, the mobile device has become the consumers new assistant, research intern and finance manager and they are using these resources to their advantage.

2014 Insights / Predictions

1. The amount of location based data will drastically influence marketing. Precise consumer location is a metric companies have been striving to utilize for years and the amount of in-depth data marketers now have access to is extraordinary. The shear number of devices and apps that utilize location will allow people to be personally marketed with such accuracy that businesses will be able to target like never before.
2. Our shopping process will begin interacting with us in new ways and businesses will deploy new strategies to utilize the in-depth information. In-store triggers will influence our shopping experiences and new methods to combat showrooming will evolve to keep customers interacting with the business in which they reside.
3. Mobile will continue to deliver NOW. Immediacy is now a necessity, expecting results in a few seconds is the new norm and mobile devices will continue to be the solution. Expect more wearable technology to integrate with our lives and create more personalized experiences, large amounts of analytical data will learn our ways and customize our experience to match. Technological innovations will continue to connect with our lives and mobile will continue to merge into the industry. Automotive marketing in 2014 will continue to drive new paths and mobile adaptation will continue to spread throughout society. The industry has changed a lot this year and we can’t wait to see what 2014 holds!

How did mobile affect you in 2013? What do you see taking charge in 2014?

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http://www.automotiontv.com/2013-mobile-year-in-review/