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The past decade has seen an unprecedented rise in smartphone innovations along with rapid development of mobile internet connectivity, add to this the increasing affordability of both and you have the reason why the world is seeing a phenomenal revolution changing every aspect of people’s everyday lives.
- Changing Lifestyles The freedom of movement and flexibility offered by smartphones has now made it the most common medium of connecting to the internet, leaving devices like desktops far behind. People have become so increasingly dependent on their smartphones that it has become lesser about having conversations and more about a lifestyle change.
A look at some aspects of everyday life and how people prefer to go about it nowadays on their smartphones:- People Connect: Driving through an unknown city – Google Maps the go to option for directions rather than asking people on the street.
- Entertainment: Favourite television shows or music videos – Binge watching on Netflix or YouTube rather than on cable television.
- Grocery Shopping: Time for the monthly grocery shopping – Going on grocery apps like BigBasket, Grofers etc and avoiding the long queues at check-out counters.
- Brand Selection: Standing at a showroom torn between two brands of a washing machine – decision made based on online user reviews rather than on what the salesman says.
- Doorstep Delivery: Buying a new outfit, the latest bestseller novel or even a bite to eat – Orders placed on sites like Flipkart, Amazon or Uber Eats respectively rather than handling the heavy traffic and crowds.
- Travel: Getting to office in the morning – A matter of opening up the Uber or Ola app to book a cab, rather than waiting on the road to hail down a cab.
- Capturing the Moment: Every memorable moment being captured – Photos taken on the phone and instantly shared via Instagram and Facebook, as opposed to photos taken on a digital camera which needs to be uploaded to the laptop before sharing.
- Payment: Paying for all these services – Forget about carrying cash or a debit card, prefer using apps like QR Code, Mobile Wallets (Paytm) etc.
What we have seen above is just the start, currently smartphones account for around half of internet traffic around the world and this trend is set to grow exponentially over the next few years. Now the question arises as to whether business concerns are realising this and making the necessary modifications in their digital marketing strategies.
- Mobile-First Digital Marketing Strategy Well, some business concerns have begun to realise this and taken the first step by specifically designing websites to be most optimally viewed on smartphones. Termed as ‘Mobile-First’, this signals a major shift from the traditional desktop focused web design. However business concerns need to realise that changing the design of the website is just the tip of the iceberg, ‘Mobile-First’ encompasses so much more. It means a major shift in the entire digital marketing strategy where aspects like Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing etc are also centered on mobiles.
In fact the ‘Mobile-First’ strategy looks to be heading towards becoming a ‘Mobile-Only’ strategy in the near future. The sooner business concerns realise this and take the first step in accordingly modifying their digital marketing strategies, the better placed they will be in driving the way the world does business.
