Mobile technology is growing in power, which is something that online retailers should take into account. Mobile devices are the desktop computers of the 21st century: they are extremely popular and always at hand. Mobile websites and applications are already generating more sales than desktop websites or they will soon. Also, mobile techniques prove to be very effective when it comes to advertising products. Check your facts and go mobile!
There are more mobile devices than Desktop Computers
Over 4 million people own a mobile phone – it means that more than half of the world’s population have an access to mobile technology. It is projected that by 2015 there will be as many mobile phones as there are people on our planet. Not only are mobile devices becoming more and more popular, they have already overtaken the desktop computers – there are 5 times more mobile phones than computers.
Smartphones give rise to Mobile commerce
The introduction of smart cell phones was a real boom in mobile technology. A smartphone is basically a microcomputer, which allows users to connect to the internet, receive and send mails, access mobile websites and use mobile applications. Currently half of the 271 million mobile company subscribers in the United States own a smartphone – that is over 100 million users, who regularly use smartphones to access the internet.
Not only gaming and Social media
The most popular services used by mobile users are online games – 49% of the time spent on mobile devices – and social media – 30% of time. However, the popularity of smartphones and mobile internet gave rise to mobile commerce, which is growing at an astounding pace. According to Google, since 2010 mobile searches have increased by 400%. 95% of mobile users access internet to find information about local businesses. After successful search 61% of mobile users call the company and 59% of them visit the local business. One fourth of Americans use only smartphones and/ or tablets to access internet. 74% of mobile users access the internet to find information about products they want to buy and 79% of them make the purchase via a mobile device.
Mobile technology means mobile businesses
E-commerce companies are embracing the mobile technology more than ever. Mobile devices have led to the rise of responsive design – currently dominating trend in mobile web development, often summarized as “one design for all platforms”. Magento web development services are also customized to meet the requirements of different mobile devices. Finally, mobile advertising has proven to be more effective than online ads and although currently only 0.9% of advertising spends are allocated to mobile campaigns, the astonishing impact of online advertising – mobile ads are 4 to 5 times more successful than online ads – will most likely lead to an increased popularity of mobile advertising techniques. If you do not want to be left behind, now is the time to act and join the ranks of online companies using mobile technologies to advertise and sell their products. What is now a dominating trend will soon become a standard. The sooner you join the game, the more advantage you have over your competition.
Marta Gromadzka is a writer and editor with a wide variety of experience, including writing for websites internationally and editing books on many different subjects and in a variety of formats.