Mobile Friendly websites

A few weeks ago, I posted a graphic that represented email clients in order of popularity. I will re post a similar graphic again from a campaign we sent last week.

This chart evidences the point I would like to make regarding the importance of ensuring that a website is designed to be mobile friendly. So much direct marketing is carried out by email today and the evidence is that much of it is being accessed by mobile email clients.  For email marketing to be successful, it is important that there are clear and compelling calls to action present. But if fulfilment of these marketing campaigns is to take place on an iPhone or an Android device then it is just as important that the destination website be mobile compatible.

It is possible to have a mobile application creates, with an RSS feed that your mobile users may access your news etc. however it is unlikely that unless you are a very big consumer brand that you are going to get many subscribers who regularly check that application and even less likely to get them to download it in the first place.

One area that is seeing rapid growth is streaming video. There are many websites that supply streaming content that I can access with my HTC. Sadly, they do not offer 100% usability. The thing is I am most likely to access this type of content from my mobile when I have a few minutes to spare and I am not at my desk or in my house.
Most of these systems do use flash and the problems with accessing rich flash content from a mobile device are well documented. No doubt we will see more websites developed to offer a better streaming experience to mobile users but I cant help but feel that some big players in this market are missing a trick.

Once again I have to say that if you are running direct email marketing campaigns, ensure that the landing page does not have flash. This will ruin the impact of the campaign on pretty much any mobile device. Another thing to be wary of is screen width. Make sure that the different elements of your homepage are able to exist next to each other without blocking important text, links or functions.

Th important point to remember is that New Media is all about giving customers choice. If customers are choosing to use mobile devices as web browsers, it would be a fool who fails to react to that basic market force.

UK first in Europe for e-commerce spending

It is no seceret that British people love to shop but recent research by e-commerce specialists FACT-Finder indicate that the U.K, Germany and France account for almost three-quarters of on-line sales in Europe.

As reported in a recent article on Internet Retailing, FACT-Finder has released figures that show the majority, 70%, of on-line sales originate from just three countries:

U.K: $64.1bn German: $52.4bn France: $33.4bn

These figures prove that, despite their geographical closeness, their cultural differences and diversities mean that Europe cannot be viewed as a single entity from an e-commerce point of view. This means cross-border trading can be a challenge and many retailers choose to focus on trading locally. Even ad campaigns don't translate, culturally or literally, across multiple countries because brands, and stores, differ from country to country. Think of perennial TV favorite Lynx, commonly known on the Continent as Axe.

While the infrastructure may be in place to support international e-commerce in Europe, it can still take a considerable investment in time and money to understand the intricacies of trading abroad. In many cases this leads to companies not taking advantage of these expanded markets and solely focussing on local trade.

Ofcom research indicates that British Internet users made more than double the number of on-line purchases in the past six months than Internet users in any other European country, except Poland (19 and 14 on-line purchases respectively). The next country was Germany with nine purchases.

In addition, the total value of online purchases Internet users said they made in the past six months was highest in the U.K. with $1,624. This was nearly double the amount spent by Internet users in the next-placed country, Germany, with $938.

Mathias Duda, head of UK operations at FACT-Finder, said: “The growth of ecommerce has made it much easier for even small brands and retailers to trade outside their domestic markets."

He added: “We hope others will find this report enlightening and perhaps start a conversation about how retailers see themselves in the European market and consider how cross-border trading might be improved.”

Why are there so many foodies? What to do with them?

I have been giving some thought to food programmes on TV recently. I don’t watch them very much but so many of my friends and family do, I have always been curious as to the appeal. I will admit to having watched two series of New Scandinavian Cooking but that was because I had a horrible crush on Tina Nordström which I think does account for the popularity of certain well known culinary personalities. What does strike me from looking into this phenomenon is that Foodies are a huge market. The sales of celebrity chef cook books attest to that as well as the numerous hellish spin offs of Gordon the Swearing Scotsman. (No not the former PM)

Why are foodies so numerous? Because nearly 100% of the consumer base cook on a daily basis and they don't want to have the same chicken and potatoes every night. Amateur chefs are moms, dads, young adults, retirees and busy families. With the ongoing recessionary conditions (it can be argued that the recession is over but inflationary pressure is driving up all prices) many people are looking at their kitchens as a way to spice up their lives, pardon the pun, restaurants are suffering slightly as Jack and Jill experiment in the kitchen rather than take that easy meal out.

Given the size of this market, how can brands engage foodies? The obvious answer is through advertising and social media.

If you are selling a directly related product, knives or crockery then the route to the hearts of your clients is through their stomachs. It is easy to see how a brand associated with a celebrity chef like Tefal with Jamie Oliver could use the likes of Facebook and Twitter to great effect to grow a following of Jamie fans and indeed convince them not only to buy Tefal but to promote it to their “Friends”.

Marketing experts around the world are telling businesses to get involved with social media, but many companies are not clear on what to offer to a social network. Cooking and recipe information can’t work for all brands, but for food or cooking supply brands it is an easy fit. This type of information is exactly what their customers are after. Social network features such as recipe of the day or encouraging their fans to add their own recipes can be really powerful loyalty builders.

As far as advertising is concerned, a recent study from About.com discovered that there is a new community of cooks out there who are active online and searching for recipes, tips, equipment and secrets to improve their cooking and meal planning. Companies are presented with an opportunity to reach this group, just as they discover a need for a particular item. This could lead on to a quick sale if there is advertising directly to an e-commerce store or a coupon that offers an in store discount.

Mobile applications are another way that brands can engage with foodies. A food or diet related application could capture useful demographic data. This data can be used to thoughtfully target advertising at consumers. The Advertising need not necessarily be food related as having good demographic data to hand the advertising could be targeting the wider interests of each group.

I hope this has wetted your appetite for marketing to the hungry masses and I have not left a bad taste in your mouth with one too many food puns. Bon Appétit!

Holiday shoppers spending more online than in-store

The latest Compete Holiday Insights survey shows that in recent weeks more money was spent online by holiday shoppers than in-store.

As of Sunday, November 7, almost two-thirds of respondents to Compete's survey had begun their holiday shopping and 14% had made more than half of their intended purchases.

Many are going online to do their holiday shopping and, for the first time since the beginning of October, more money was spent on holiday items online than in-store.

On average, in the week to November 7, consumers spent $185 online, up 30% from 2 weeks prior, whereas offline spend averaged $175, down 32% from 2 weeks prior.

While increased shopping across all product categories was apparent, the largest increases were in clothing and shoes, toys and games, and movies and video Games.

Other recent data from Compete indicates that holiday shoppers are turning to the Internet for upcoming Black Friday deals. While traffic to Black Friday websites has already exceeded 2008 levels, there is some way to go before it tips those of 2009.

European shoppers are ready for m-commerce

Retailers across Europe need to develop their m-commerce strategies fast as many shoppers across the region plan on using their mobile devices for m-commerce in the next year.

Just as most of us are getting used to e-commerce, a new kid rocks up and starts throwing his weight around in the digital marketplace. That is right, m-commerce is here and its getting all up in your face!

According to new figures released by Akamai, media distribution specialists, a third (30%) of consumers across Europe are using, or plan to use, their mobile devices to conduct e-commerce.

Ten percent of them are already using mobile devices to make purchases and 20% intend to start doing so within the next 12 months. I must add that I personally have completed a number of purchases from my mobile phone, from pizza to dvds.

The evidence indicates that despite there being thousands of mobile apps relating to retailers and brands, consumers in prefer to use mobile browsers to access the Internet. I have done both and although the Amazon app is adequate, a mobile friendly website is much better and usually more up to date with offers and your shopping history.

Recent research by Orange indicates that, mobile browser use was found to be highest in the U.K. (70%) although a similar percentage of French mobile users also prefer browsers (68%). The Spanish are split evenly between browsers and apps while Poland is the only country to favor apps over browsers (45% vs. 39%).

"With increasing numbers of shoppers going online with mobile devices, it is important for retailers to get their mobile e-commerce strategies right the first time and the need for security, website performance, scalability and availability has never been more important to underpin success in the online marketplace," says Akamai's international marketing vice-president, Martin Haering.

Akamai's research also indicates an increase in online spending among 30% of the 1,500 respondents while Spain emerged as the fastest growing e-commerce market in Europe, where 44% of consumers reported a willingness to spend more on-line. The highest spenders online in Europe tend to be aged between 35 and 54 years of age, each spending around $2,111 per year.

Nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents purchased clothes and footwear online, making this the largest category of spend in the survey, followed by more 'traditional' online items such as books and magazines (59%). Online travel accounted for nearly half (47%) of spend.

"E-commerce sales keep growing - despite the recession online sales grew by over 20% in 2009 - and the market is rapidly diversifying," commented Ivano Ortis, research director at IDC Retail Insights, which carried out the research.

"Basket size is increasing, as is the level of services and support that customers are expecting from e-commerce websites."

The moral of the story is, if your customers are diversifying the way they shop, are you diversifying the way you sell? If you are still holding out in going e-commerce, this is the time to address that and look at making your new site mobile friendly.