Mobile has become the preferred interaction point for a growing group of shoppers, and retailers have responded by racing to optimize both mobile sites and apps. But brands are still missing out on mobile’s ability to attract potential new consumers through the channel.
While 90% of marketers say they design mobile initiatives for existing customers, only 40% design their mobile initiatives to attract new prospects, according to the MobileBridge 2017 Mobile Marketing Trends Report.
When carrying out a mobile transformation, marketers’ two most popular initiatives are building a responsive web site (59%) and building a new mobile app (54%). Only 35% responded that they were heavily focused on revamping or updating an existing app.
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With 57% declaring they already have a mobile app, this presents another missed opportunity: failing to leverage work and assets that are already in place to enhance an existing app.
Mobile Success Measurement Remains A Work In Progress
As many as 78% of marketers stated that their ability to measure mobile success is merely “somewhat sufficient” or not sufficient at all. Presently, these businesses define mobile app success through various metrics, including:
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Active users (91%);
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Revenue (56%);
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Downloads/installs (47%);
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Time in app (41%); and
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Acquisition (38%).
The report suggests organizations should further analyze data regarding the number of surveys taken, games played or offers redeemed, to better understand the app’s success.
Engagement Needs Improvement As Well
Marketers also feel they have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to engagement, with 59% saying their app engages their customers only somewhat, or not at all. Companies are presently engaging with their mobile consumers via:
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Push messaging (88%);
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Social media (72%);
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In-app messages (56%); and
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Coupons/offers (28%).
Considering customer engagement (84%) is the top goal of mobile apps — an even higher priority than driving revenue (66%) and building customer loyalty (63%) — brands must further integrate lesser-used tools such as surveys, coupons and games to capture consumer attention.
Companies are investing heavily to achieve these goals, with 70% stating that their budgets will somewhat or significantly increase in 2017.
