Mobile usage is no longer simply a trend. It is a clear, fundamental shift in how we interact with the beast that is the world wide web. Mobile is not simply a device, or a platform. It is now classified as a behaviour.
I attended an excellent event a few weeks ago, hosted by the ever-enthusiastic Michael Correa, who runs the Mobile Marketing meet-up here in Sydney. The topic of discussion was centred around design strategy and marketing for mobile behaviour, with two highly accomplished speakers in Oliver Maruda (Head of Digital Ventures, Vivant) and Venessa Hunt (Head of Mobile, Group M). Mobile is continuing its hockey stick growth, and is being embraced by users, both young and old (my friend’s grandmother recently purchased her first iPhone, and she’s 87!).

Here are a number of takeaways that I took from the event

Creating an app is only one part of the journey
There is no question that apps for both mobile and tablet are huge. In fact, we spend 90% of our time on these devices, on. Whether we’re updating our Facebook status, swiping on Tinder, paying bills through our chosen banking app or calling an Uber – apps are huge! However, businesses need to ensure that when building their apps, that they are prepared to commit to the long haul – building the app, testing to ensure it runs smoothly (no bugs, or as little as possible), starting off small and continuing to test on their target market, and ensuring it is properly optimised for the app store. Apps require plenty of maintenance and continuous care once built – if this is not done then it can lead to disaster for the brand. I remember downloading the US Open Tennis Championships app this year, and while the design was exceptional, the actual functionality of the app was poor – for the most part it was slow, unresponsive and crashed frequently. Start off simple, and continue to build and add new features as you go.

Measure your success, and be ruthless
The two words I hear more and more with each passing day – vanity metrics. These are dangerous to any business, who is promoting a new product, service or app. Typical scenario – you release your product on the App Store, and there are 1,000 downloads and 800 registrations in the first week. Looks great on paper, doesn’t it? However, this is where in-depth reporting and analytics comes into play. Measure your success – downloads v uninstalls, new users v active users, customer engagement (time spent in app). There are so many questions to be asked – pick the questions/scenarios that are most relevant you feel to your product. For example, the Daily Mail and Spotify apps present alternating usage cases – you might use the Daily Mail app 5 times a day for 5 minutes a time, while you might use the Spotify App once a day, but for an hour at a time.

The continued rise of m-commerce
We as consumers are becoming increasingly more comfortable with purchasing goods and services online, and now on our mobile device. We’re not exactly buying cars or booking big international holidays on our devices yet, but the numbers are growing. Retailers such as the Iconic and ASOS are leading the charge, with simple but excellent customer experiences through their mobile apps. Studies have shown in Australia that customers feel comfortable spending up to $250 on their mobile phones, before the numbers drop off sharply. With the impending arrival of Amazon here in Australia, that number should continue to rise.

Mobile is part of everything we do.
Mobile is simply a part of everyday life. We use it for part of everything we do. Based on a study of 1,000 mobile users across Australia commissioned by YouGov Research on behalf of InMobi in January 2016, 85% use their mobile while waiting for something, 65% use it while commuting and 46% use it whilst shopping.
The role of mobile in our lives will only continue to increase and is continuing to disrupt major industries, such as fintech. Some of the biggest trends coming into 2017 will include mobile automation, digital payments and block chain tech.

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