In addition to the general success of ecommerce, mobile platforms are increasingly crucial for the retail industry. Customers are completing more transactions on mobile devices, but the possibilities for retailers extend beyond actual sales. Merchants can benefit from mobile advertising and promotional opportunities, taking advantage of the prominent place smartphones and tablets hold in consumers' lives.

Mobile advertising is a different ballgame than other types of marketing. To make their efforts more effective, merchants should pay attention to retail reports that identify consumer responsiveness to mobile engagement techniques. PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) recent report revealed that shoppers are receptive to mobile ads, but context and relevancy are crucial, Mobile Marketing Watch summarized. The study found that marketers must be creative in order to overcome the common perception that mobile devices should be ad-free. Largely because of this perception, many consumers don't respond to ads on mobile phones, especially because they often find them to be irrelevant, Forbes reported. Interactive features on smartphones offer additional possibilities for engagement, suggested PwC.

Marketing Profs offered the following tips for optimizing mobile marketing:

• Engagement must be timely – over half of conversions occur in the hour following a shopper's mobile search.
• Sites should be simple and easy to navigate.
• Context is crucial – retailers should use data to send personalized ads that are more effective.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, March 10th, 2014 at 12:45 pm .