Mobile Marketing and Commerce

m-Commerce

The following survey is part of a market research project that I embarked on to determine consumer value related to mobile devices for purposes of improving m-commerce trends in the new digital space. The responses documented here were elicited using questions created in Zoomerang that were based on a focus group of five (5) individuals of the same sex and living in the same geographic locations. Their age(s) and socioeconomic status(es)were on the other hand different.

High-level Firmware                

The first respondent surveyed in the focus group is a female Retail Sales Clerk in her late 20’s, who has used cell phones for approximately 10 years. Her primary use of the mobile device is to check emails. Her comfort level with all features of her mobile device is very high to advanced. For reasons of convenience, she is willing to sacrifice ‘most’ of her rights to privacy for exclusive content. She expresses satisfaction with the current grade level of her mobile telephone, which is a Verizon Storm. Plus, she appreciates the provided Versatility and High-level Firmware respective of fewer dropped calls. A limitation of her Verizon Storm, however, is its inability to allow simultaneous talk and Internet access. A feature that her heart desires considering her cell phone is an exclusive means of communication in lieu of a land-line telephone at home. As for ringtones, ring-backs, video games or other forms of digital media, she maintains that she does not spend on monthly downloads.

The second respondent surveyed in the focus group is a female Recreation Therapist in her 40’s, who has used cell phones for approximately 12 years or since 1998. Her primary use of the mobile device is to send and receive SMS Messages, check emails, frequent social networking sites, and make phone calls. Her comfort level with all features of her mobile device is high to advanced. For reasons of convenience, she is willing to sacrifice ‘some’ of her rights to privacy. Every two years, she upgrades her phone to stay in step with up-scaled features like faster photo access and touch screen capabilities. And she does not spend monthly on ringtones or other forms of digital media. She did share the fact that she recently had a land-line installed for long distance calls to Canada and that her home phone is rarely used because she is always on the go.

Simultaneous Conversation and Internet Browsing

The third respondent surveyed in the focus group is a female Marketing Executive in her 30’s, who has used cell phones for approximately 12 years. Her primary use of the mobile device is to make phone calls, text messages, and check emails. Her comfort level with all features of her mobile device is high to advanced. For mere reasons of convenience, she is 'not' willing to sacrifice ‘any’ of her rights to privacy for exclusive content. It is not often that she upgrades her mobile device because she feels buying high-end supplants the need. Her ultimate desire is a mobile device that allows Simultaneous Conversation and Internet Browsing capabilities. She maintains that she had a land-line telephone installed a home, as a means to arming her house alarm, but it is rarely used because she has 3 hand held devices -- a Blackberry, an Apple Ipod Touch, and a PDA. They serve all of her daily communication needs. As for ringtones or other forms of digital media, she does not spend monthly on downloads.

Skype

The fourth respondent surveyed in the focus group is a female Recreation Therapist in her 30’s, who has used cell phones for approximately 10 years now. Her primary use of the mobile device is to make phone calls and text messages. Her comfort level with all features of her mobile device is high to advanced. And for reasons of convenience, she is not willing to sacrifice ‘any’ of her rights to privacy for exclusive content. Likewise, she is not very likely to upgrade her phone unless it is for the mobile Skype feature. She does not spend monthly on ringtones or forms of digital media and maintains that while she does have a land-line telephone at home, it still does not trump her mobile device. That she would much rather use her cell phone because it allows for more convenience and versatility like on-the-go access to the Internet.

P2P Music Sharing

The fifth respondent surveyed in the focus group is a 16-year old female high school student, who has used cell phones for approximately 3 years now. Her primary use of the mobile device is to make phone calls, text messages, check emails, and at times peruse the Internet. Her comfort level with all features of her mobile device is moderate to intermediate. For reasons of convenience, she is not willing to sacrifice ‘any’ of her rights to privacy for exclusive content. She maintains that she upgrades her phone every two years, prefers better digital photo editing, and desires P2P Music Sharing capabilities as those features to ramp up. On average, she spends $5- $10 per month on ringtones and further maintains that her cell phone is her exclusive means of communication. She also stresses that her infrequent use of her parent’s land-line telephone is most justified because her hand held device is more personal, convenient, and easily accessible. 

Overall, the surveyed respondents expressed great reservation and concern about privacy issues related to receiving exclusive content on their mobile devices. Similarly, they all subscribed to being the primary users of their mobile devices and maintained that it served as an exclusive means of communication for them. This otherwise suggested that their cell phones were near, dear, and personal to them. According to Rick Mathieson in “Branding Unbound”, this represents a major component of m-branding called ‘intimacy’, whereby the user perceives their mobile device as being “irrefutably, undeniably, and incontrovertibly” theirs. And thus validates the disproportionate number of respondents (3 out of 5) who were reluctant about sacrificing their privacy for convenience coming by way of it.

All of the respondents in that same vein subscribed to using their mobile devices for text messaging, checking emails, placing phone calls, and  accessing the Web. While the youngest of them exhibited a predilection for downloading ring tones, ring-backs and video games (among other things). These commonalities and differences alike, in usage, are additional components of m-branding known as ‘immediacy’, ‘immersion’, ‘interactivity’, and ‘mobility’. Mobile devices allow for the convenience of immediate participation, responsiveness, and real-time engagement with others. They are among those essential items we carry everyday like keys, purses, and wallets. And they serve as the most powerful driving forces behind content building and revenue growth in m-commerce. 

Such being the case, it spawned many relevant questions with one (1) in particular being: 

Could the success of a mobile marketing campaign in part be a function dictated by age-related trends and values?

Disposable Income

Based on the amount of disposable income spent per month on ring tones  and other forms of digital media  by the 16 year old, I believe the answer exists in the prescient generalization made by Mathieson  that “teenyboppers... build brand affinity and even sales” in this particular segment of the market. It may also be quite reasonable to surmise that the success of a mobile marketing campaign at least in part is a function dictated by age-related trends and values, especially given the 10 - 20 dollars of disposable income spent per month on ring tones and other forms of digital media by the teenager surveyed here, albeit a survey limited in mere size and scope.

Nevertheless, the mobile commerce industry is consumer driven. And this survey was administered in order to gather at least a modicum of relevant information relative to those values and demands of the mobile consumer who exercise their buying power and share in the experience. This is pivotal in forging successful mobile marketing campaigns that take into account the consumer needs and improves upon m-commerce trends taking place in the new digital space. The same campaigns that garner brand recognition, generate sales, and build brand loyalty. Or better yet, those mobile marketing campaigns that have the earning potential to enhance a company’s entire ecosystem of products and services while otherwise enhancing its overall bottom-line. This is the future of mobile media and communication. Just take a look below at what's to come.