Tag: geolocation technology

A great deal of money is flowing into location based advertising for smartphones and there are many reasons why.

According to the latest reports in the mobile marketing environment, companies are continuing to pour their money into geolocation based efforts because it is proving to be worth every dollar spent.

Advertising over mobile using location based techniques promises surgical targeting, high conversion rates, and consumer data.

According to many reports, these goals for targeting, conversion rates, and rich customer profiles are delivering when it comes to geolocation. Therefore, companies that have already started using this type of mobile marketing are pouring more into it, and those that haven’t yet started are scrambling to begin.

Geolocation based mobile marketing techniques take in a number of different types of efforts.

It includes everything from geofencing to geoaware ad campaigns, hyper local keyword optimizing, and offering Wi-Fi hotspots. Among the most common consumer targets are bargain hunters, moms, coffee enthusiasts, and others.

BI Intelligence recently released a mobile marketing report that looked at geolocation and the progress that it is making in the industry as well as the success that it is achieving for its users. It determined that location based advertising can help in everything from encouraging consumers to buy to building customer profiles that are dense with useful purchasing behavior and preference information.

Among the reasons that geolocation is a growing leader in mobile marketing are the following:

• Geolocation is the equivalent to cookies on the standard web. Location based marketing offers the ability to collect data that can be used to provide consumers with relevant information that is more appropriate to their preferences and behaviors. This is important as many mobile devices do not support third party cookies.
• Money is being made from the money spent on Geolocation. For that reason, the majority of companies that have not started these campaigns are planning to, and those that already are using them are boosting their spending. This was discovered by Balihoo and Berg Insight.
• Geolocation provides consumers with the information they want and need to make informed shopping decisions that are relevant to them no matter where they happen to be.

Companies in the UAE are being urged to embrace these opportunities to keep up with the competition.

According to the results of TNS research called the Annual Mobile Life Study, geolocation and QR codes may be the most important technologies to be considered for the future of businesses.

The organization that held the study is among the largest custom market research firms in the world.

It determined that location based services, also known as geolocation and LBS, as well as quick response (QR) codes, could hold the key to remaining competitive in the not too distant future, and that many companies in the United Arab Emirates are already taking their first steps in that direction.

The research indicated that geolocation and scannable barcodes are especially important in the UAE.

The reason is that in that country, the penetration of mobile devices currently stands at an estimated 92 percent. Among the users of those devices, 43 percent are currently already using geolocation services. Fifty three percent of consumers in the UAE who aren’t yet using these services have expressed an interest in doing so.

The research went on to examine the behaviors, attitudes, motivations, and responses of consumers. It suggested that 37 percent of geolocation users apply these services for navigating their way around and locating friends. Another 27 percent use LBS to find points of interest that are nearby and as a dedicated GPS alternative.

TNS MENA CEO, Steve Hamilton-Clark explained that geolocation LBS services have finally come of age. Data is now indicating that the same is becoming true for QR codes. The research showed that 19 percent of mobile users are now using them, and that 28 percent have expressed interest in doing so.

Hamilton-Clark explained that “Advanced features such as home control, speech to text, LBS and scanning QR codes hold strong growth potential.” He added that “As more people gain access to smartphone technology, they are eager to use new content and multiple functions as long as they deliver convenience, experience, reassurance, relevance and independence.”

Mobile is a primary entry point for giving consumers the ability to obtain the information and the entertainment that they require. Brands are being advised to consider geolocation and QR codes to ensure that they are taking advantage of the opportunity that they hold.