Category: Featured News

Mobile web trends show smartphones and tablets will take over in 2017

| November 3, 2016

A new Zenith prediction states that 75 percent of usage will occur over mobile devices next year.

Zenith has released a new mobile web trends forecast that showed a notable growth in smartphone based internet use next year. It predicted that three quarters of all 2017 internet use will occur over mobile devices.

This could prove to be important insight for marketers that are deciding on their mobile ad budgets.

Last year, Zenith’s mobile web trends prediction was that 2016 would see 71 percent of internet use from smartphones and tablets. It also estimated that 60 percent of global internet advertising dollars would be spent for mobile ads by 2018. This latest prediction was released in the company’s Mobile Advertising Forecasts report.

Mobile Web Trends - Smartphones and Tablets Online The report stated that in 2018, marketers would spend $138 billion on mobile advertising. That figure “is more than will be spent on newspaper, magazine, cinema and outdoor advertising put together,” stated the report.

The Zenith mobile web trends forecast also predicted this year’s mobile ad spend to be $71 billion.

A growing number of ad dollars are shifting from TV to digital, particularly focused at smaller screens. Google, Facebook and Snapchat are now prime platforms for mobile marketers. According to DDG Inc. consultancy firm managing director of innovation and digital media exec, Scott Singer, “In four years, you’ve gone from 40 per cent to 70 per cent (of total internet use) in mobile.”

This mobile marketing trend is sending ad dollars away from traditional media such as newspapers and television and is directing it to media, entertainment and communications platforms.

Telecommunications companies are bringing digital distribution and content together as mobile data consumption – particularly video – is on the rise. The goal to this mobile web trend is to draw consumers to view digital content on mobile devices while appealing to advertisers. Companies from small businesses to giant corporations. This has been reflected in the recent announcement that AT&T was seeking to purchase Time Warner Inc and that Verizon Communications Inc is interested in Yahoo Inc. In both cases, the goal is to help leverage available user data for targeting ads on behalf of marketers.

MasterPass mobile payments available in-car with GM OnStar

| November 2, 2016

Drivers will soon be able to complete secure purchase transactions from within their vehicles.

A recent announcement has revealed that OnStar will soon allow drivers to make MasterPass mobile payments in GM vehicles. OnStar is a General Motors subsidiary and offers a subscription-based in-car communication service.

The mobile payments service was created in collaboration with IBM and will be available in several 2017 GM vehicles.

The service let drivers use their MasterPass mobile payments accounts to buy products and services. The transaction will run via OnStar and will be embedded within “many GM vehicles” next year.

MasterPass mobile payments - Mobile Phone and DriverA statement from MasterCard said: “By embedding MasterPass within OnStar Go, MasterCard will enable drivers and passengers to safely make secure and seamless payments for goods and services using credit or debit cards stored within their MasterPass wallet.”

This MasterPass mobile payments service will make it possible for merchants to provide a more connected experience.

In combination with IBM Watson, the OnStar mobile wallet service will develop new “connected driving experiences.” For instance, if the driver decides to buy a take-out breakfast from one of the restaurants on the OnStar Go merchant marketplace, new options would become available. That restaurant could, for example, ask the driver about ordering certain menu items based on purchases previously made there.

Consumers can make their orders ahead of time and checkout through the MasterPass service within their vehicles. They can then drive to the store or restaurant location to pick up the order. Since the transaction has already been handled through OnStar, that step needn’t be taken in-store. This helps to reduce the amount of time needed in order to make a purchase, providing a smoother experience.

Over time, as the driver continues to use MasterPass mobile payments, the merchants from whom the consumer makes purchases will be able to identify that individual’s shopping trends. This will make it possible for merchants to craft offers that are personalized to the unique preferences of each shopper. With customized and relevant marketing, consumers may find the offers they receive to be more appealing and may act on them on a more regular basis.