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For those who missed it there was a great online webinar event on earlier this evening by “Google thinkmobile” about the growth of mobile technology with really fascinating stats.
IF you are questioning whether YOUR business should have a mobile website or application, check out a couple of screenshots I grabbed and also Slideshare presentation given by some “Mobile leading lights”, a little heavy on the figures but interesting non the less ?
Here’s some images / figures to ponder from the Google thinkmobile event:
Mobile traffic (in the USA) is exploding with 4x growth in the past year and all sign are we are mirroring our American cousins, or more likely we are ahead of the game:
1 in 3 ‘Mobile Google Searches are “Local” which provides a very high conversion rate of this search resulting in a call to business, a staggering 61% !
79% of Smartphone users employ their phones to help when shopping !!!
Wow ! Wow ! . . . and thrice Wow ! Google really is on a mission !
Google Ads are on advertising offensive with Google mSearch (Mobile Browser Search) with . . .
Android wasn’t much of a focus on Google’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call, as there were bigger fish to fry, but there were a few interesting nuggets along the way. At the end of 2010, search on mobile devices grew four times more than the previous year.
At iMobile Local we are trying to keep you, small business owners abreast of what’s going on in the whirlwind world that is ‘iMobile’ , there is sooooo much activity with Google, Facebook etc directly at YOUR KIND OF BUSINESS . . . Yesterday Google announced that it was adding check-ins (and loyalty categories) to Latitude. It also announced the global expansion of HotPot, its recommendations tool. Checkout the video (left)
Google Places apps for both iPhone and Android allow people to rate and review businesses (HotPot’s objective). And on Places Pages, in Android, you can also check-in (that’s coming to iPhone). In addition all of this is deeply integrated with Google Maps and Navigation on Android handsets.
Google is also developing a Groupon clone. No doubt deals/offers will also be distributed on Google Place Pages when that service gets off the ground. Separately Google has been experimenting with “mobile Offers Ads” that show discounts and coupons intended to drive foot traffic to offline businesses.
Today’s mobile phones offer a smart way for small business owners to engage their customers through
Mobile Marketing.
According to the Mobile Marketing Association, it’s “A set of practices that enables organisations and businesses to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.” . . . . So what does this mean to YOU ?
iMobile Local provides some answers to some Frequently Asked Questions . . .
Q: How can a small business owner benefit from adding mobile to their marketing strategy ?
. . . says Macys.com’s CEO. Paul Demery
To keep customers happy, wireless networks that support the use of in-store mobile shopping will soon become mandatory for retailers, Peter Sachse, chief marketing officer of Macy’s Inc. and the chairman and CEO of Macys.com, said today at the National Retail Federation annual convention and expo in New York. Macy’s is No. 20 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.
Sachse made his comments during a general session entitled “Consumer 2020: What lies ahead for the retail industry.” The session’s moderator, Deloitte vice chair and U.S. retail leader Alison Paul, noted that some retailers oppose having in-store wireless to prevent shoppers from comparing prices with competing retailers.
Here is a recent tweet by Linda Bustos from GetElastic, the leading e-commerce blog:
“My prediction: WAY MORE mobile ecommerce sites, but not a huge jump in mobile transactions for physical goods”
Aside from Amazon and EBay numbers, there simply isn’t a lot of public information regarding trends in mobile e-commerce transactions. This makes the total volume hard to tell. Here are some observations that we’d like to share with you today:
60% of all internet searches are 'local'. Advertising appropriations are down, Giants are floundering . . . But internet marketing is EXPLODING !!! In most local markets YOUR competitors probably have no idea what they’re doing so if you’re reading this, the chances are you are already thinking way ahead of them ! 
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