If you want to reach new customers and clients, mobile marketing is essential to your marketing mix. Marketing and advertising through mobile devices is increasing as smartphone and tablet usage grows exponentially. Mobile is much more than optimizing your website for mobile users. Mobile bridges the gap between the online and offline world, making information available anytime, anywhere. Mobile devices provide instant access to vital information that helps consumers make purchasing decisions. Consumers can compare pricing using their mobile devices right inside stores. They are having conversations about products through social media and email. They check into restaurants and businesses before they go using apps with customer reviews. Consider the following:
- Over 800 million smartphones and tablets were sold in 2012 alone.
- Morgan Stanley stated that "91% of people keep their phone within 3 feet, 24 hours a day."
- 1.08 of the world's 4 billion mobile phones are smartphones. (Microsoft Tag 2012)
- Mobile internet usage is projected to overtake desktop internet usage by 2014. (Microsoft Tag 2012)
- 39% of instances where a consumer walks out of a store without buying were influenced by smartphones. (Motoral Solutions 2012)
