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72pc of companies implementing mobile strategy: report

The majority of large companies are fully embracing mobile marketing, with 92 percent recognizing the importance of mobile solutions in their industries, according to a new study from Syniverse.

It should come as no surprise that mobile is playing a large role in companies? marketing strategies, but this survey solidifies the extent to which that statement is true. Mobile marketing is no longer optional, and companies are beginning to understand that.

?I would say that the biggest takeaway is that the time for a mobile marketing strategy is now,? said Janet Roberts, CMO of Syniverse, Tampa, FL.

?Clearly, when you look at these results, the respondents have confirmed how important mobile solutions are and also that mobile solutions for marketing campaigns are important,? she said. ?People have been talking about mobile for a long time and struggling with how to incorporate it. They now get that it?s going to be part of a campaign to reach customers.?

Syniverse, with the help of market strategy consulting firm iGR, surveyed 1,000 Fortune companies from 10 countries in July 2013.

Thinking mobile
According to Syniverse?s study, companies understand how useful mobile can be for their strategies.

They realize that mobile can help in terms of customer experience, service and communications, as well as reducing operating expenses. They also see mobile enhancing loyalty and revenue in general.

While 72 percent of respondents have implemented or are in the process of implementing a mobile strategy, 16 percent have defined a strategy but have not implemented it yet.

Additionally, 84 percent of respondents said that mobile is ?very likely? or ?likely? to be used in customer and marketing campaigns.

Fifty-six percent are in the process of implementing location-based services strategies.

According to Joe DiFonzo, chief technology officer of Syniverse, location-based services are key for mobile marketing.

?Clearly a lot of companies are seeing tremendous value in applying location,? he said. ?That?s one of the key aspects of mobility, you take the phone with you.?

Mobile specifics
In terms of the specific mobile tactic companies preferred, HTML5, applications and messaging were the three mobile technologies in which respondents invested the most. Twenty-six oercent of the respondents used messaging for customer, partner and employee communications.

Mr. DiFonzo explained that HTML5 may be more appealing than apps because it will probably reach more customers.

With apps, you need to get consumers to download them first. Web sites, on the other hand are more easily accessible.

Similarly, SMS is appealing because it reaches all phones, not just smartphones.

Mr. DiFonzo expects to see more multimedia coming in mobile strategies, such as rich-communication services.

?It?s still a very complex environment under all of this,? he said.

?There?s a need for some simplification of this,? he said. ?There?s a lot of complexity with regulatory and privacy issues, productivity and reach, and then of course all of the technical difficulties that are out there. Even mundane things like coding.

?The need for a company that can help not only on the functional end but also on the technical end so companies can reach their customers anywhere and everywhere is going to be very important.?

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York