The mobile industry is still growing at breakneck speed, and this year more people will have access to a smart device than ever before. However, because the mobile web is still quite new, there are still new technologies being created every month that could potentially play a big part in how businesses operate in the near future.
In 2014, more technologies are starting to crop up, and we are slowly perfecting the technologies that have made themselves apparent in previous years. As a business owner, there are already many different reasons to consider creating a mobile website, but this year there are even more reasons to take into consideration. Below we’ve taken a look at some of the most prominent uses of the mobile web in 2014, and how they may play a big part in businesses all across the world this year and for years to come.
New Marketing Opportunities
The mobile web has now matured enough to support all sorts of great advertising opportunities, both from Google Adwords and from other ad platforms that offer surprisingly great results for marketers and advertisers.
While a lot of effort is being put into in-app advertisements, there are many great services this year that are also available to help businesses reach out to mobile web users. In 2014, all of our used apps and services are starting to become synchronized, and this offers a wide range of platforms for businesses to advertise their services to.
In fact, the smartphone is an endless supply of potential from a marketer’s perspective, and this year it’s going to be easier than ever to capture that potential.
New Ways to Build on Customer Loyalty Programs
Thanks to the power of the mobile web, we now have many new ways to build relationships with our customers, and there are now many services and apps that can make creating that experience as smooth as possible.
For example, check-in apps like Foursquare offer a platform for customers to announce their arrival in-store, and in return incentives can be offered to customers.
Other apps can offer incentives for actual in-store transactions, with Perka being a great example – this particular app offers rewards for customers every time they make certain milestones when purchasing from your business.
There are many other alternatives to Foursquare and Perka that have constantly growing user bases, and it won’t be long at all before these kinds of services are used by a large majority of smartphone users.
More Ways to Pay
Our smartphones are not too far away from serving as our wallets, and this means transactions will be a lot smoother in-store. While NFC transaction systems aren’t widely available just yet, there are services that help users shop online and collect in-store.
As a retail store owner, or a business who relies on physical interactions with their customers, any methods that can encourage users to come by instead of shopping online are always great to look into.
Any payment methods that can help a customer not worry about carrying cash is certainly something worth investing in too, and in 2014 these kinds of options will be more available for businesses than in previous years.
Easier Convenience for Customers
One of the biggest benefits of having a mobile website for your business is that customers can easily check information about your business quickly and while on the go. A well laid out mobile website offers a great amount of convenience for the average customer, and in 2014 this is still a great reason to consider investing in one.
More services are constantly being made available to make mobile websites even more convenient, and mobile websites can now easily connect to other apps or social services on a customer’s smartphone.
2014 is going to be another strong year for mobile handsets, and if you haven’t adapted your business to the mobile world just yet, it’s never been a better time to do so.