Back in March, we revealed some rather surprising stats – mcommerce via tablets was rivalling mcommerce via smartphones despite the vastly superior penetration levels of the latter.

And the latest stats released on the impact of tablets on mobile search, mobile traffic and mobile commerce demonstrate their growing influence.

Tablets Now Account for 40% of All Retail Searches on Mobile Devices

The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium and Google Retail Monitor demonstrate that tablets – of which Apple’s iPad has by far the largest market share – are punching way above their weight in terms of their share of retail related mobile searches. Despite have only 1/7 the penetration of smartphones, they’re accounting for almost half of all retail searches on mobile devices.

And retail searches on mobile devices are increasing rapidly – up by 113% in Q2 2012 vs. Q2 2011 compared to an overall increase in retail searches on all devices (i.e. PC, laptop, smartphone and tablet) of just 9%. As a result, mobile retail searches now comprise 20% of all retail searches, compared to just 10% this time last year. 

US Marketers are Shifting Their Paid Search Budgets into Tablets

Penetration of tablet devices may be higher in the US than in the UK, but tablet adoption in the UK is only going in one direction and so US trends represent the shape of things to come.  And US marketers are moving their paid search budgets into tablets.

Devices like the iPad and the Kindle Fire were allocated 7% of search spend in Q2 2012 compared to just 5% in Q1 - a marked increase within a short time frame.

No doubt as a reflection of the extra resource allocated, the share of click throughs on tablets also increased by 33% to 8%, although click thru share still lagged smartphones at 10%.

55% of mCommerce Sales Come via the iPad

According to statistics from Affiliate Window, iPad m-commerce is now outstripping smartphone m-commerce by 55% to 45% (29% iPhone, 11% Android, 3% Blackberry and 2% Other).

Mcommerce sales represented 7% of all sales in April 2012, up from just 2% in January 2011.

In some ways these stats are hardly surprising. Despite UK penetration levels of only c8%, tablets do offer a vastly superior browsing and shopping experience to the small screen of a smartphone, particularly when researching or purchasing premium and luxury products.  And their importance is only going to grow with new models crowding the market, including Google’s Nexus Play and Microsoft’s Surface tablet. 

The challenge for marketers is not only to optimise their site for tablets – and the popularity of the Nexus Play and the possible launch of an iPad 7 inch may necessitate taking account of different screen sizes in the future too – but to re-appraise and re-balance their search budgets between PC, smartphone and iPad to ensure they’re achieving the optimum return on investment.

By: Neil Cunningham

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 ‘SoLoMo’ isn’t a new concept, but it’s one that an increasing number of luxury brands are embracing.

So what is it, precisely? Well, ‘SoLoMo’ is where social, local and mobile meet – it involves using the power of social networks to deliver local information to consumers on the go via their mobile devices.

Services such FourSquare and Gowalla were pioneers in this field – using the ‘check-in’ on a user’s mobile to fulfil a social function, locating friends and alerting them to the user’s location, and a local benefit in terms of discounts and coupons from participating retailers. 

So why is ‘SoLoMo’ attracting the attention of luxury brands? Well, firstly, affluent consumers are over-represented on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Secondly, affluents tend to be early adopters of technology and are more likely to have the latest GPS-enabled mobile device in their pocket. And finally, affluent consumers demand service which is above and beyond the norm. In short, they have the technology to use ‘SoLoMo’ services and the desire to use them if they help to make their lives simpler.

So which luxury brands have launched ‘SoLoMo’ services and what are they offering? We’ve picked out 3 examples of great applications below:

1. Louis Vuitton’s Amble iPhone App

Louis Vuitton is a brand which is about travel, so where better for the brand to be at its consumers’ sides than when exploring a new city.
With its ‘Amble’ app, Louise Vuitton created a means for visitors to access highly relevant, location specific information from destination insiders using their mobile phone.

In the app’s first iteration, users could follow the ‘ambles’ of global celebrities across their favourite cities to unearth insights and tips. The celebrities included Rachel Weisz, Cate Blanchet and Sofia Coppela.

In subsequent releases, the trusted guides became ‘It Boys and Girls’ – city insiders and socialites that affluent visitors could more readily identify with – who offered their own curated tips as the user followed their ‘amble’ throughout the city.

And the social element?  Users can also access the tips of LV Friends – other users that have curated their own tips and insights – and upload their own too.

2. Mercedes “Tweet Fleet”

Money can afford the affluent many privileges, but easily finding a parking spot in a busy city isn’t one of them.

The Park Assist feature built into Mercedes cars was designed to do just this –automatically identifying an empty parking space simply by driving past it.

However, Mercedes realised that if Park Assist identified empty parking spots in busy cities, then everyone could benefit.  So the tweet fleet was born.

A special fleet of cars was created to drive the streets of Stuttgart at the height of the holiday season. Their Park Assists were modified to ‘tweet’ empty parking spots with GPS locations.  Drivers subscribed to the service would be tweeted details of empty parking spaces with a link which connected to a map to show them where that space was.

The ‘Tweet Fleet’, although primarily a promotional vehicle, generated a considerable amount of buzz for Mercedes and some valuable publicity for its in-car Park Assist feature.

3. Four Seasons – The Social Concierge

Four Seasons is a brand associated with exceptional and intuitive service, and their use of Twitter to identify and react to their customer’s needs is a prime example of this.

For example, a comment on Twitter about the poor quality of a Four Season’s Resorts music resulted in an apologetic note from the General Manager, a free bottle of wine and a listing of local radio stations. When a guest complained via Twitter that there was nothing much to watch on TV that night, the concierge pointed out the hotel’s DVD library. And when a guest tweeted about the quality of the bathroom, Four Seasons treated them to a complementary bottle of bath salts so they could fully appreciate the bathtub.

In addition, Four Seasons has embraced the social location service Gowalla to enhance its offering in California. Its Gowalla app offers guests recommendations on sites, restaurants, shopping and ‘hidden gems’ while exploring the region and allows them to earn hotel credits as too.

Although there’s little doubt that luxury brands are starting to realise the potential of ‘SoLoMo’ , fewer than 4% have grasped this particular nettle. For brands that can offer services with genuine utility for their customers, ‘SoLoMo’ offers a prime opportunity to create a point of differentiation, generate some positive buzz and position themselves as genuine innovators.

By: Neil Cunningham

Posted in Mobile, Online | No Comments »

If there’s one piece of advice we find ourselves giving more often than others at present it’s ‘make sure your website is optimized for mobile usage.’

If your site isn’t yet optimised and you’re looking for some facts to justify the investment, we’ve picked out 10 key statistics from the latest (2012) wave of Google’s Mobile Planet research into smartphone penetration and usage in the UK which will make for more than a convincing case.

1. Smartphone Penetration in the UK has Reached 51%

That compares to 29% at the end of Q1 2011 (as reported by Ofcom), so adoption is not only widespread, but it has been rapid.

2. 78% of Smartphone Owners Don’t Leave Home Without their Phone

It isn’t just a personal device, it’s the personal device.

3. 76% of Smartphone Owners Have Browsed the Internet on their Phone

Browser usage is not a minority pursuit on smartphones – 3/4 of users have done it. It’s still behind talking and texting, but ahead of app usage (67% of smartphone owners).

4. 71% Go Online At Least Twice a Day on their Smartphone

52% of smartphone owners are using their phones to access the internet 4 times a day or more.

5.  92% Expect to Spend the Same Time or More Using the Internet on their Smartphone Over the Next 12 Months

57% expect to spend the same time using the internet on their phones in the next 12 months, 35% more time and only 4% less time.

6.  52% Have ‘Searched’ Using their Smartphone after seeing an Ad on TV

And 41% have searched on their phone after seeing an ad in a magazine, 34% after seeing an ad on a poster.

7. 85% of Have Used their Phone to Look Up Information on a Local Business or Service

And 44% have gone on to visit the website of that business or service.

8. 65% Expect Mobile Websites to be as Good as PC Websites

The expectation of 2/3s of smartphone owners is that sites used on their smartphones will be as easy to access and navigate as sites they visit using their PC. If the site isn’t mobile optimised, this won’t be the case.

9. 55% Make Purchases on Their Smartphone at Least Monthly

13% make purchases at least weekly. This frequency of purchase is only going to increase.

10. 17% Have Used Their Phone to Research Products or Services In-Store.

More and more people are using their phones to enhance their in-store experience.  Not only could a poor mobile site experience be losing you sales as customer search for items you don’t have in stock, it could be the catalyst for competitors to make sales while customers are in your stores if their mobile site is superior to yours.

By: Neil Cunningham

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