What’s The Definition Of Mobile?

We’ve come a long way since the early days of cellular technology, and the concept of “mobile” now means much more than a brick-sized phone with a giant antenna. Today, mobile is a strategy as much as it is a set of technologies. It’s an approach to communication, as much as it is a platform.

But if you’re a marketer in 2014, mobile should mean one thing to you above all else: essential.

To stay connected to today’s audiences, from the Greatest Generation to the Millennials (and everyone in-between) mobile needs to be a key facet of your overall digital and marketing mix.

The latest statistics paint a picture of a rapidly growing and evolving landscape:

• According to Pew Internet, 90% of American adults have a cell phone, 58% have a smartphone, 42% own a tablet computer and 32% own an e-reader.


• Also from Pew, 81% of users send and receive text messages, 63% access the internet, 52% use email, 50% download apps, 49% access directions or location-based recommendations and 8% do location sharing or “check-ins”.


• Comscore says mobile penetration is up 29% from 2012 to 2013 – and a whopping 99% from 2011 to 2013.


• Digital Gov reports that 40% of us suffer from “nomophobia” – the fear of being without our smartphones.


• Forrester points out that the key competitive advantage in this space now lies in a brand’s use of mobile data and analytics.


• And per Nielsen, brands are still struggling to track and measure ROI with their mobile efforts – which means anyone who can master that process will be just that much further ahead of the game.

Nowadays, consumers can possess all the power of a personal computer – plus additional communication and navigation tools –in their pockets. For marketers, that means unprecedented access to customers and potential customers through every platform and venue: websites, social platforms, email, SMS, push notifications from apps and more. It’s no surprise that mobile is increasingly our first line of engagement.

It also means that traditional approaches to these channels often result in a waste of this massive opportunity. Whenever “the vision thing” is being mapped out, whenever strategy is being planned, whenever budget is being debated, you must remember that:

• Every channel has to work together to provide a great customer experience – not just a barrage of messages.


• Responsive design is now a fundamental step in making sure customers can connect – easily and beautifully – on any mobile or digital device they’re using.


• A mind-boggling amount of data is available to help you know and understand your prospects and customers better. Analyze that data so you can give them what they actually want.


• Silos prevent us from progress. For instance, you don’t want to be caught in a situation where the right hand is still promoting to the customer, while the left hand is dealing with a fulfillment issue. Oops!

Brands and companies that think outside the silo and outside traditional mobile strategies are seeing a different level of investment and response from users and consumers.

Consider the case of Chinese e-commerce juggernaut, Alibaba, and the threat they pose to even the most innovative, dominant U.S. internet retailers like Amazon and eBay. With a huge chunk of the Chinese (and beyond) population already fully engaged in offerings ranging from multi-market internet shopping, to cloud computing, to international import-export, to online escrow-payment services –not to mention a US IPO just north of $20 billion – Alibaba stands to up-end the way we think about mobile across the globe.

So what’s really next? Significant developments are happening nearly daily in areas like wearable technology (think Pebble, FitBit, Jawbone), mobile payment and banking, and cloud computing. And there’s no doubt that there are also technologies in the works right now that stand to surpass all of that.

You may not be able to keep up with the very latest all the time, but you can put some thought, effort and investment into providing the best mobile experience you can for your users.

What do they wish they could do on your site with their mobile devices, but can’t? How do they want to be able to contact you, but you’re not there yet? How are you connecting the dots on your end to make sure your right hand and left hand are working together to your customers’ benefit?

For you, answering those questions is the real future of mobile. Because mobile today is actually more than communication, more than a platform. Mobile … is a lifestyle.

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