The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer

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1 The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer

2 Foreword Consumers behaviours and preferences are shifting in favour of digital experiences and constant connectivity. GPS-enabled communication devices are now a large part of consumers lives. They are doing more on the Internet from their mobile phone than ever before from banking and booking travel to logging into social networks and sending s. Recognising consumers behaviours when using their mobile phone as a digital medium is important for any marketer hoping to target their messages in order to better and deepen customer engagement. Within the global telecoms market 2010 was the year of the smartphone boom and this is set to continue in Australia has been no exception with the Apple iphone, the Samsung Galaxy and the HTC Desire smartphones all racing to popularity across Australia. According to the Asia Digital Marketing Association, around 30% of the global market for smartphones lies in the Asia Pacific Region. 1 The BlackBerry, once the preserve of the high-ranking executive, is now standard issue in many small to medium sized companies as well as large corporations. In fact, IDC, the global provider of market intelligence for telecommunication markets, announced smartphone shipments grew 74.4 per cent in 2010, with a total of million devices shipped worldwide. 1 This huge increase in smartphone sales has had a significant impact on how consumers use their phone. Phone calls and SMS are now just two of many functions, with ing, downloading, searching and buying online becoming commonplace. Indeed, Experian research shows almost half (47 per cent) of Australians who can receive s on their phone use this function frequently or very frequently. Globally, the number of mobile users is expected to reach one billion by What s more, access via mobiles isn t just limited to personal use. Between 2009 and the end of 2014, IDC forecasts that the number of business mobile subscribers worldwide will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.5 per cent. 4 Australian marketers have an enormous opportunity to take advantage of this growing trend to effectively engage with consumers. In Australia specifically 28 per cent of those without a smartphone currently said they were considering purchasing one in the next 12 months. 2 1 Asia Digital Marketing Association Yearbook AC Nielsen, Sep IDC Worldwide Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast Dec Worldwide Business Mobile Forecast and 2009 Vendor Shares (IDC #224592), Sep The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

3 The changing face of marketing Historically, marketing has been widely adopted by marketers because it s simple, cheap and easy to reach a large audience. While s have been traditionally accessed via PC, the rise of the smartphone is changing the way information is accessed. Consumers are increasingly using their mobiles to send and receive s, especially when on the move. The fact that many Australians are now viewing on their mobile raises some important questions for marketers. Which customer groups are accessing mobile ? What type of messages cut through in this channel? How does the communication appear on the device? The list goes on. Until now, marketers have been able to turn a blind eye to adapting marketing content for mobile phones. The additional cost and complexity of tailoring campaigns for a small segment of the market has not been financially justifiable indeed some marketers have put mobile marketing in the too hard basket. However, in an era where mobile phones are now frequently used to check and respond to s, it s clear that marketers can no longer afford to ignore this channel. The question is: how can they make the best and most effective use of it? For marketers to get a timely understanding of how Australians are responding to and engaging with mobile marketing, Experian commissioned research among consumers and marketers to understand the experiences of mobile users and assess the expectations and potential disconnect between these two groups. Do the consumer trends on usage and future usage match marketer expectations and are marketers doing the right things to capitalise on this opportunity? The future of marketing whitepaper looks into key findings from the research and discusses the implications and recommendations for marketers so they can take advantage of and effectively use mobile marketing. In an era where mobile phones are now frequently used to check and respond to s, it s clear that marketers can no longer afford to ignore this channel. The question is: how can they make the best and most effective use of it? 3 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

4 Executive summary Experian commissioned independent research into the views of more than 240 B2B and B2C marketing professionals across a wide range of industries in Australia. The respondents roles ranged from marketing directors to online marketing managers. A second Experian survey questioned 1,000 consumers with mobile phone access to understand their use and experiences of mobile and the challenges they faced in using this channel. These views were then compared with marketers expectations to provide a detailed analysis of the Australian mobile and marketing landscape and the opportunities for growth. Websites not optimised for mobile visitors Almost two thirds of marketers indicated that they plan to change their web design in the future, but around a fifth still had no plans to tailor their site, showing a significant proportion of marketers are yet to fully engage with this approach. Interestingly marketers are placing equal importance on new mobile technology for engaging with consumers. Four in ten marketers rated as the most important tool for mobile phone communication in the future, yet an equal proportion rate smartphone apps as the key tool. Mobile design flaws The research showed that almost half of the consumers surveyed access their on their mobile phone either frequently or very frequently and almost 60 per cent plan to read more s on their phone in the future. However only a small proportion of the marketers surveyed have amended their marketing and communications strategies to meet consumer demands. More than three quarters of the marketers surveyed indicated they consider mobile marketing of high importance in future communications. However, the research showed that, on the whole, users don t appear to be satisfied with their current mobile experience. Less than two per cent of consumers rated design, image quality, content length and content relevance as very good suggesting huge scope for improvement across the board. Opportunity for marketers As leading companies worldwide continue to shift dollars and resources to mobile and digital channels, Australian marketers are challenged to develop and execute customer engagement strategies that take full advantage of this important medium. This is especially important as annual mobile ad revenues in Australia are expected to reach AU $76 million by 2015 (Frost and Sullivan) another direct mobile channel to reach consumers. As 2011 unfolds, smartphones, tablets and laptops are all being used to view the same marketing content. Marketers need to identify how marketing, brand and campaign websites can be tailored for mobile channels and the implications of this on their communications strategies. Without fully understanding the user experience for multiple devices, marketers are unlikely to gain competitive advantage in this cluttered market. The majority of consumers also experienced problems viewing websites effectively when they clicked on an link from their mobile phone. Only 11 per cent of people said they could view websites effectively nearly all of the time. Marketers who have proactively responded to consumer needs have taken a range of steps to adapt content for mobile devices, including redesigning templates and reducing content length. As 2011 unfolds, smartphones, tablets and laptops are all being used to view the same marketing content. Marketers need to identify how marketing, brand and campaign websites can be tailored for mobile channels and the implications of this on their communications strategies. 4 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

5 Research findings Australians show strong demand for accessing on mobiles The Experian research shows there is strong demand to access content from a mobile phone by Australian consumers. Almost half (47 per cent) of Australians who can receive s by mobile phone are using this function frequently or very frequently. The use of mobile is popular across all age groups with 31 per cent of over 65s using this service frequently. Usage is also fairly consistent across Australian states with the most active users in New South Wales (NSW) (52 per cent), Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (52 per cent) and Victoria (VIC) (51 per cent). Queensland had one of the lowest proportions of regular mobile users with just 35 per cent of those surveyed using this function frequently. (The volume of) mobile is set to increase significantly, with almost six out of ten (58 per cent) owners planning to read more s in the next two years on their phone. This quick, active adoption of a relatively new medium highlights the importance for marketers to effectively engage with this channel of communication. Over the next two years, how do you anticipate your viewing of s on mobile phones will change? Responses Tot al Read significantly more s on phone 23.60% 0.00% 29.80% 25.90% 21.70% 21.50% 10.50% Read more s on mobile phone 34.70% % 40.40% 40.80% 31.30% 27.00% 23.20% No change to amount of s read on mobile phones 33.30% 0.00% 27.80% 26.30% 38.30% 41.10% 41.10% Read less s on mobile phone 4.00% 0.00% 1.60% 3.50% 5.40% 3.70% 8.40% Read significantly less s on mobile phone 4.50% 0.00% 0.40% 3.50% 3.30% 6.70% 16.80% Quick, active adoption of a relatively new medium highlights the importance for marketers to effectively engage with this channel of communication. 5 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

6 Mobile access means consumption anytime, anywhere Australian consumers are broadly interested in reading all types of on their mobile device with 51 per cent already reading business, personal and marketing s on their phone. Almost half (47 per cent) of respondents say they would open a sales promotion on their mobile device and a similar proportion (50 per cent) would open a work related . What type of would you be likely to open on your mobile phone? 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 46.9% 47% 46.3% 50.3% 21.2% Sales promotion to you personally 46.90% (e.g. movie discount, clothes sales, pub offer) Event alert (e.g. clothes, tickets, bar) 47.00% Information from a utility company 46.30% (bank, insurance, phone, power company) Information from a company related to your job 50.30% (work content, e.g. newsletter) Company sales promotion for products/services 21.20% you may buy for your work (work promotion) While s have traditionally been the domain of PCs, one in five consumers surveyed said they are more likely to open an on their mobile rather than on their computer, when the is first viewed on their phone. An additional 53 per cent of consumers are equally as likely to open an on their mobile or PC, even if they have first viewed the on their mobile. A common strategy for some marketers is to send out s early in the morning at the start of the week. Interestingly, Experian s research shows the most popular times for consumers to read s are at the weekend (85 per cent) reading all the time or sometimes), while travelling (78 per cent) and after work (78 per cent).the changing nature of how and when consumers are accessing s will influence marketers to adapt their strategies to factor in the best time to send out their campaigns. This will also require analysis of industry sector, and the type of (event invite, discount offer etc.) being sent. Learning from more mature markets The projected growth of mobile marketing in Australia is supported by global trends. Japan was one of the first countries in the world to adopt 3G, and now is considered to have a mature mobile market with virtually no SMS marketing. With 70 per cent of all s being read from a mobile phone, organisations rely entirely on mobile marketing rather than SMS marketing. To take advantage of this trend, Japanese marketers learnt to tailor their s early on in the growth of mobile to ensure they were well received and understood by consumers. Australian marketers will benefit from looking at other markets to understand how to effectively engage consumers and drive effective mobile marketing campaigns. It is up to marketers to get their entire strategy (technology, delivery, offer and response) right to capitalise on this growing opportunity. 6 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

7 Barriers to reading s on mobiles Australian marketers clearly recognise the potential of marketing on mobile phones, with 97 per cent of marketing professionals agreeing that consumers will be reading significantly more s on their mobile in the future. However, the quality of mobile communication is currently missing the mark. The research indicates there is a lot of scope for marketers to improve their s design content for mobile phones. Only a quarter of consumers (24 per cent) thought the design of they currently received was good, and less than one third of consumers (28 per cent) rated the ability to view images as good. Content length and relevance performed slightly better for consumers, with one in three rating content favourably. However, this still leaves two thirds of consumers unhappy. Overall, less than two per cent rated the four factors above as very good, suggesting there is sizeable scope for marketers to improve the quality of their mobile communications to engage consumers. When asked about what information marketers should include in their s, half of the consumers believed that all content should be included in the , while only 31 per cent felt that just teaser copy should be used. Technical challenges, such as HTML formatting and non-optimised mobile web landing pages aside, marketers have complete control over the content length and relevance of their campaigns. To successfully engage with consumers, marketers need to tailor their mobile marketing to improve the consumer s experience, regardless of whether a mobile device or PC opens their . Common authentication problems seen with traditional campaigns also occur with mobile marketing campaigns. When asked what would deter consumers from opening an , 87 per cent of users said an unknown sender. Similarly, difficult to read formats (62 per cent) and concerns about viruses (58 per cent) would deter well over half of mobile phone owners. These findings identify a mix of both traditional and mobile-specific barriers for marketers to consider when looking to use the mobile phone channel for marketing s to their audience. How do you rate the performance of s you currently receive for suitability for mobile phones? Criteria Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good Tot al Design of 4.10% 19.68% 50.65% 23.68% 1.90% 1001 Compelling subject line 2.40% 15.08% 52.85% 28.27% 1.40% 1001 Content relevance 2.30% 14.29% 49.85% 31.97% 1.60% 1001 Content length 2.50% 17.98% 46.85% 30.57% 2.10% 1001 Volume of stories in the 2.30% 20.18% 53.45% 22.68% 1.40% 1001 Ability to view image(s) 5.49% 25.27% 39.16% 25.17% 4.90% 1001 Ability to click on links 4.70% 19.38% 44.56% 27.07% 4.30% The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

8 Marketers opportunity to improve the web user experience for customers The research shows consumers have a clear desire to use more mobile but also a resistance to take action. Over 60 per cent of respondents are less likely to click on an link if it is read on their mobile phone. The end goal of all marketing s is to generate a response from consumers. If an campaign call to action (CTA) involves clicking a link that goes to a website which is not optimised for mobile phones, the opportunity to gain valuable data on customers their sales habits/preferences or information is likely to be wasted. Poor experiences when viewing websites through mobile phones may be limiting the growth of this channel. Consumers said they were more likely to click on s and link through to websites via their PC. Just 10 per cent of people would be more likely to click on an link when using their phone, as opposed to 61 per cent who were more likely to click through when on their PC. Alarmingly almost half (48 per cent) of those consumers surveyed said that less than 40 per cent of all websites could be viewed effectively when they clicked on an link from their mobile. Just 11 per cent of people said they could view websites effectively nearly all of the time, with older audiences tending to have more viewing difficulties, or be more critical of the quality of the web experience. This is a major obstacle that marketers need to address if they are to engage consumers through mobile marketing. When you click on a link in an on your mobile phone, what percentage of website (landing) pages can be viewed effectively on your mobile? Responses Tot al % 22.60% 0.00% 14.70% 14.90% 25.40% 27.00% 49.50% 21% - 40% 25.40% 33.30% 22.40% 29.80% 23.30% 26.40% 24.20% 41% - 60% 27.00% 33.30% 30.20% 28.20% 29.20% 22.70% 16.80% 61% - 80% 14.30% 33.30% 20.00% 16.90% 12.10% 9.80% 5.30% 81% - 100% 10.08% 0.00% 12.70% 10.20% 10.00% 14.10% 4.20% 8 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

9 Mobile apps create a new marketing communication channel Mobile applications (apps) are a relatively new entrant to the mobile marketing domain and almost half (47 per cent) of consumers surveyed stated they would rather receive information via an than a mobile app (32 per cent). This may be due to the new nature of the technology. Of those surveyed aged years old, 40 per cent would prefer content via a mobile app, while only 22 per cent of those aged 55+ would prefer content via mobile apps. Would you rather receive information or news on a mobile phone via or an application ( app )? Responses Tot al % 33.30% 43.70% 47.50% 45.40% 54.00% 46.30% Mobile phone applications ( apps ) 32.30% 33.30% 40.00% 34.10% 33.80% 23.30% 18.90% Don t know 20.80% 33.30% 16.30% 18.40% 20.80% 22.70% 34.70% The marketers surveyed clearly recognise the potential for growth in this new medium, with professionals placing equal importance on mobile apps for engaging with consumers. 40 per cent of marketers rated as the most important tool for mobile phone communication, yet 41 per cent rate smartphone apps as a key tool. There are pros and cons for both marketers and consumers when using mobile apps. Apps are more personal and can deliver targeted ads, but an inbox collates information in one place from many senders. It s highly unlikely a person will seek individual updates from 15+ mobile apps to get news about their favourite brands this is an alternative route for marketers, if they opt not to send information updates via . Marketers may prioritise s or apps depending on their technical experience and the style of communication they deliver to their customers. Marketers need to recognise that younger mobile users are more likely to be early adopters and have a preference for newer technologies such as apps. 9 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

10 Majority of marketers failing to tailor communications Experian s survey findings show more than three-quarters (78 per cent) of marketers place a high or very high importance on the use of mobile marketing in future communication programs. However, only 18 per cent indicated they have actually taken steps to capitalise on this and amend their marketing and communications approaches for mobile phones. Furthermore, almost one quarter (23 per cent) of marketers have no plans to tailor mobile marketing in the future. This is a significant proportion of marketers who are clearly missing an opportunity to meet consumer s communication preferences and embrace new technology. While less than a fifth (18 per cent) of marketers surveyed are currently reviewing their mobile marketing approaches, those that are reviewing their strategy have taken a range of steps to adapt their content for mobiles. Almost eight out of ten (79 per cent) have redesigned templates, while two-thirds (67 per cent) have reduced content length. Marketers who have amended their approach to meet the needs of mobile users have done so primarily through structural and content changes. These marketers will improve their brand profile and gain significant advantage just by having their s read by mobile users. Interestingly one of the least popular measures to be implemented was changing the time of their delivery (16 per cent). This is despite the fact that so many mobile users are accessing after work, while on the move and at weekends. Another issue which is likely to influence the future timing of s is the use of location intelligence technology on mobile phones. Through the creation of new location aware applications such as Foursquare and Facebook Places, marketers have the opportunity to reach consumers directly with timely and relevant information and offers when they are nearby specific retail outlets or venues. This approach is currently limited by consumer privacy concerns. Australian retailers have suffered from the introduction of discount brand product websites such as brandsexclusive.com.au. This caters for a market which is happy to wait for 1-3 weeks for products, given the large discount. However, if major retailers and brands can target their customers with the right offers and discounts when they are at the door, they may convert more sales in the store, rather than selling their product at wholesale prices to website discounters. If you have changed your EDM to cater for mobile recipients, what changes have you made? 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% Redesign templates 79.00% Content length 67.00% Number of stories in each newsletter 30.00% Change of subject lines 26.00% Testing s in mobile browser 72.00% Changing time of sending s 16.00% Using location based intelligence for s 12.00% Change call to action (desired action from the ) 16.00% Other 9.00% 40% 30% 20% 10% 79% 67% 30% 26% 72% 16% 12% 16% 9% 0% 10 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

11 Marketers reluctant to tailor websites for mobile access The research showed a similar proportion of marketers who had adapted their campaigns had also adapted the design or programming of their website to cater for mobile phone access this was just 20 per cent of marketers. Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) were planning to change their web design in the future, while 17 per cent had no plans to tailor their site. Again, it shows a significant proportion of marketers are yet to embrace mobile phones as a marketing channel. The research findings indicate that if consumers can read the clearly, marketers believe it will improve the open rate by 55 per cent. The perceived increase in click through rates also rises by 36 per cent. Yet, despite marketers being able to see the benefit between ease of reading and click through rates, many are still to invest in tailoring their campaigns for mobile use. It appears marketers can see the correlation between consumers easily being able to read s on mobiles and users responding to the CTA. If recipients receive your marketing on their mobile phone, what impact do you anticipate on the following metrics? 60% 50% Increase No Change Decrease Don t Know 40% 30% 20% 10% 55% 15% 13% 17% 36% 20% 29% 15% 30% 36% 10% 24% 23% 41% 13% 24% 0% Open Rate Click Rate Number of stories / links clicked within an . Deliverability authentication, spam reports, blacklists, whitelists, certification. Unsubscribe 11 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

12 Mobile marketing: Immediate steps to meet consumer demand The research highlights a large proportion of Australians are already active mobile users across all age groups and this trend is predicted to increase. Consumers have also identified specific areas of mobile communication as substandard notably design and the lack of mobile microsites. Investing time now in building tailored marketing approaches for mobile and testing usability will ensure campaigns are hitting their target audiences with the right messages in the right way and at the right time. Businesses need to research their audiences and assess the messages that work so that mobile marketing is an effective extension of their existing marketing mix. Some of the core components include understanding why you are sending an . What results are you expecting? A CTA is crucial. If the recipient is not acting on your , have you wasted your engagement opportunity? Will your customer s response be different if reading your on either a PC or a mobile? The question for marketers is, what do I do now? How can I move to meet current and future consumer demands and engage audiences effectively? The question for marketers is, what do I do now? How can I move to meet current and future consumer demands and engage audiences effectively? 12 - The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

13 Experian insights to improve the effectiveness of your EDM campaigns Whilst you cannot control how and when your audiences read your communications, it s worth thinking about the impact of increasing mobile readership as it relates to your specific audience, brand and messages. 1. Brand and relevance When an is received on the consumer s mobile phone, only the subject line and from field is likely to be visible as there is no preview pane. D Identify customer communication preferences: The channels available for communicating with a single customer have proliferated. Understanding when and how a customer would like to hear from you will greatly improve your engagement. These therefore become more critical than ever. As always, identify which products and keywords target customers are looking for and use this information to form your subject lines. Also make sure that your brand features prominently. If it s a brand they know and trust, the chances of the being opened will be much higher. 2. Engagement Getting your into the customer s inbox is not the end goal for marketers anymore. Conversion rates and improving customer responsiveness are now the big issue for marketers working in a cluttered and competitive world. The mobile channel only makes this more challenging. Key factors for a good marketing strategy should include: A Engagement, reliance and responsiveness: Relevance for your audience will determine whether they will respond to your . If they contact you for further information, your responsiveness to their query will determine whether a conversion/sale is made. B Tailor communication to the individuals: Gauge your customer demands. Tailoring communication to the individual will improve your relevance and conversion rates. C Capture more customer info and use this to tailor communication: Data capture through registration, sales, website visits can help build a comprehensive picture of your customer, providing it is possible to visualise this in a single customer view. Use this to modify your communication to meet the needs of the individual customer. 3. Design One of the major challenges is creating an that looks good and can be read on the mobile device. The size of the screen is obviously considerably smaller on a mobile device than the traditional PC and mobiles vary considerably in how they render content. Testing will reveal the differences. Marketers should ensure their campaign website is autooptimised for mobile users so it meets the requirements of their entire database. Marketers need to accept that marketing communication that doesn t meet consumer needs will damage their brand perception. The Apple iphone and HTC Desire, for example, now render HTML quite well but there are many mobile devices that don t. Text versions usually render well on most devices but even here, it s still worthwhile reviewing your text versions so that they are optimised for the small screen. Sending a multi-part (MIME-format) can help. This includes both an HTML and a text version within one envelope. If forwarded, multi-part s will also render correctly on any user s . Client and anti-spam filters are friendlier towards multi-part s than towards HTML-only s. Another option is to use a pre-header link to a mobile version, such as Reading this on a mobile device? This will allow you to optimise your communications for both the PC and mobile. Whichever option you choose, be sure to test the on different devices before you send it The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

14 Experian insights to improve the effectiveness of your EDM campaigns 4. Audience Think about the profile of your audience and whether they might be major users of smartphones. If they are, then look to segment your communications into types that are timing-driven notices such as sale ends at 9pm and more programmatic communications such as monthly newsletters. Timing-driven s with urgent messages should be kept short so that they are easily read on mobiles, whereas more programmatic communications can be optimised for computers but still be readable on mobile devices. Consider the timing of your different types of communications too. For example, a retailer with high street stores might consider sending a sale ends at 9pm at around 5pm when people are leaving the office to remind them to stop on the way home. 5. Mobile web A final consideration is looking at how your landing pages and website render on the mobile device. Creating a.mobi version gives website visitors using a mobile device a much better user experience and makes it easier for them to transact on your site. This means that any calls to action you use on your campaigns which require a visit to your site have a greater chance of being acted on when read on a mobile. This removes the need for people to wait until they are back at their PC, by which time the message might have lost its urgency and appeal. As the next step in building a more accurate picture of your subscribers, use your ongoing communications to encourage them to identify themselves as people who do sometimes access s on their mobile phone. Provide a Mobile Format option at sign up, along with Text or HTML. Then you can look to segment your mailings with increasing accuracy to target mobile readers as a distinct group. Consider the timing of your different types of communications. For example, a retailer with high street stores might consider sending a sale ends at 9pm at around 5pm when people are leaving the office to remind them to stop on the way home The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

15 Planning future marketing strategies Regardless of theories, engagement channels and technologies, the critical thing for marketers is to meet the individual requirements of their audiences. Conversion and consumer response rates need to be the primary focus the right technologies and channels will flow from this. As new innovations hit the market, marketers need to keep abreast of technological development and tailor strategies accordingly. Some of the key hot trends in mobile marketing are summarised below: 1 Learn from early adopters More mature mobile markets, like Japan, are already using technologies that Australian marketers will soon be able to adopt. QR Codes are two dimensional codes stored on outdoor advertising that can be scanned and captured by taking a picture with a mobile camera. This action typically links the user directly to a website, discount offer or a vcard for contact information, helping to drive customer conversion and, potentially, sales. The system provides an effective way for marketers to integrate their above the line (ATL) campaigns with mobile customers. 2 Explore the use of location intelligence Location-based communication has grown significantly due to GPS-enabled 3G devices. This trend is set to continue given the technical specifications of new smartphones. Marketers with a location-specific offering, such as retailers, should consider now what the cost-benefits of this approach will be. Now may be the time to devise a location-based strategy, particularly for new bank branch, restaurants or store openings. This approach enables marketers to registered customers with new product information or sales offers as they are passing the area. For many, location is a logical next step. 3 Mobile commerce Already early adopter marketers are using mobile technology to build a closer relationship with their customers. Examples include Qantas, with its paperless barcode boarding passes for customers to swipe with their smartphones at an airline gate; bank s which allows customers replies to state put me in a queue and have the call centre call me to enquire about my account when ready ; and discount barcodes, that allow shoppers to redeem discounts at their local stores. Awareness of these approaches should encourage marketers to think laterally about the opportunities that new technologies bring to their campaigns. 4 Establish a single customer view Achieving a single customer view is the objective of many marketers. Data is collected from customers at many different touch points, including contact data and purchasing information, and consolidated in different databases. It s critical that organisations invest in linking databases so that sales, marketing and customer support teams all have access to complete customer information rather than isolated pockets. For marketers, a single customer view enables the personalisation of all communications. It also means marketers can communicate their message persuasively, through the right channel, at the right time and (increasingly) in the right location. The challenge for marketers is to integrate these channels and ensure all communication goes through the channel that the customer dictates. Households can also have separate accounts (mum, dad, kids), yet live under the same roof. A thorough understanding of customer relationships and the resulting customer communication is important to avoid saturation The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

16 Research methodology The consumer research was commissioned by Experian and conducted by independent research house, PureProfile. It examined the views of more than 1000 consumers on their differing preferences for reading s on their mobile phones. These views were then contrasted with expectations marketers have about the behaviour of consumers and their consumption of mobile . Experian also surveyed 240 B2B and B2C marketing professionals across multiple industries in Australia. The respondents roles ranged from marketing directors to online marketing managers. Unless otherwise stated, all results and commentary are based on the response of the survey participants The future of marketing: adapting to today s smartphone enabled consumer.

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