In the last issue of Asian e-Marketing in 2012, we continue to assist you in your business endeavors to develop the right strategies and implement policies to succeed in digital marketing. Integrated multi-channel strategies are in particular very promising in the long term, as they accompany clients during every stage of the buying process.

Studies show, for example, that a good mobile shop can reduce shopping cart abortion by up to 50 percent and increase the average length of stay of up to 25 percent. Obviously, the customer doesn’t seem to care how he gets his Christmas presents for instance, as long as he gets them quickly and the method is reliable.

The confidence in mobile shopping will increase in the coming years, since shopping anywhere and anytime is not only the dream of many shopping enthusiasts, but the one of most online retailers, too – which can easily come true through shopping via smartphones.

Indeed, mobile commerce is on the rise, as more and more powerful data networks and innovative apps allow shopping on the small screen, whereby the new habits and functions increasingly change the traditional marketing.

We all know that innovative technologies and trends usually tend to take more time to mature than expected, but once implemented, they evolve rapidly and have a huge impact on previous principles. This can be observed especially in mobile shopping. According to a recent study, the number of mobile shoppers more than doubled within the past year, a development that brings new marketing approaches and strategic realignments.

Browsable online catalogues are the perfect amendment to traditional product presentations as they provide interactive and activating features at the same time, such as direct shopping in the catalogue or video integration. The click-to-call function on mobile sites, the direct dialing of phone numbers, simply complements the traditional marketing channels such as telemarketing. Mobile users search for specific content and should always be linked to relevant products and content.

Thus, a solid mobile website and the matching shop are important in order not to miss the connection to the digital business. Responsive Design, which is a website that is scalable across multiple devices, prepares the online store and in that way the entire company for the future. Once a brand has a mobile web presence, additional features - such as an app for the online store - should be taken into consideration.

By using technologies, such as HTML5, the web becomes a new world of experiences, available on mobile and desktop. You have to realize that if you want to develop a good mobile strategy, you still can’t get around a compelling desktop strategy as both versions go hand in hand and should be linked.

By Daniela La Marca