5 mobile predictions for 2012
With the New Year right around the corner, industry experts have some interesting ideas in terms of what to expect in 2012.
Mobile Marketer interviewed five industry experts regarding what to expect in 2012. Here is what they came up with:
?Android will become the primary platform for apps and marketing with clear advantages over iOS. In 2011, Fiksu research proved that Android users are typically two times more app loyal than iOS. The other benefit that Android provides is the ability to track advertising spend with a higher degree of accuracy. Apple will change its rank algorithm to de-emphasize pure download volume and emphasize more loyal usage activity. These factors may include app usage, trend lines in usage and download activity, ratings and reviews.?-- Jo Wightman, director of client development, Fiksu, Boston
?2012 will see a noticeable shift towards the mobile Web. Given the ubiquity of the web cross platform, the cost associated with developing apps across multiple platform operating systems and the experiences which can be provided via mobile Web, marketers will move away from platform specific applications and towards developing rich, mobile Web experiences. This rise in mobile Web will contribute to an overall rise of mobile bar codes. Mobile bar codes make it easier than ever for consumers to connect to the mobile Web, enabling a one-scan connection for the consumer rather than typing cumbersome and often lengthy URLs. Mobile bar codes will continue to be a change agent to simplify the dialogue between consumers and marketers and ease access to mobile Web experiences.? -- Laura Marriott, Denver-based CEO and board chairperson, NeoMedia Technologies Inc. |
?Amazon will acquire RIM. Also, mobile Web apps will become something retailers and businesses will implement more thoughtfully as a critical part of their overall mobile strategy.? -- Marci Troutman, CEO of Siteminis, Atlanta
"I predict that many marketers will neglect feature phone users as smartphone share tops 50 percent. Sure, we need to provide rich experiences to those with highly-capable devices, but we can't afford to forget the approximate 160 million Americans who will continue to carry simple phones for the foreseeable future. Mobile marketing will continue to be about reach in 2012." ? Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer, Hipcricket, Kirkland, WA
"I predict that NFC will emerge as a powerful force in mobile in 2012. Not for mobile payments (this will take a while to sort out), but as the technology behind real world trigger points that brands and retailers can deploy, to link consumers to mobile commerce sites, videos, ratings and reviews and cost-comparison tools. While QR codes are hot now, the user experience is clunky. Consumers have to download a reader, open it, get the reader to read the code, wait for the page to open, and then access the information. NFC is simple to use (tap it) and most new phones will be equipped with readers in 2012. Most consumers who take public transportation or have a car with keyless entry know how effective NFC is and it?s only a matter of time before it transforms the mobile experience. 2012 is the year." -- Wilson Kerr, director of business development and sales at Unbound Commerce, Boston