Category: Mobile Marketing

IgnitionOne documents the positive impact Thanksgiving shopping has had for advertisers

IgnitionOne, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions, has released a new report documenting the positive impact the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend has had for advertisers. The firm suggests that from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, advertisers saw major growth in online searches, as well as other advertising fronts. The report shows that the holiday shopping weekend was a major success for more than just the retail industry and its endeavors in mobile commerce.

Spend and impressions on the rise

According to the report, advertisers saw search spend and impressions jump by 29% during the Thanksgiving shopping weekend over the levels they had been in the same period of 2011. Consumers also proved to be more responsive to the advertisements coming from marketers, accounting for a 23% increase in revenue. IgnitionOne suggests that the positive results marks a promising trend for the fourth quarter of 2012. The firm expects that the momentum gained by such a positive shopping weekend will carry on throughout the remainder of the quarter.

Paid search for smart phones and tablets continues to grow

Search advertising spending continues to grow, according to IgnitionOne, especially where mobile and tablet advertisements are concerned. More consumers are becoming reliant on their mobile devices, creating a promising opportunity for advertisers that are looking to engage consumers in a more dynamic way. The IgnitionOne report shows that paid search spend on smart phones has grown by 307% in the first half of the fourth quarter, with paid search spend for tablets up 231%.

Mobile technology continues to open new channels for advertisers

The report from IgnitionOne is the latest in a quarterly series that reviews the trends that exist in the online advertising space. The advent of mobile technology is expected to continue having a major impact on the way advertisers engage consumers, especially as more of these consumers turn to online channels to get what they want.

Marketers now need to use these barcodes for more than just pushing content.

According to data from an Ofcom study, more than half of smartphone users in the United Kingdom regularly scan QR codes and perform other tasks with their devices while they’re out shopping.

It also noted that 21 percent of shoppers use their devices for scanning barcodes.

This means that over one in every five consumers in the U.K. are scanning the QR codes that they see in advertising, on product packaging, and in other locations, in order to obtain more information about the products that they are considering for purchase.

As there are 25 million British people with smartphones (as penetration of these devices has reached 51 percent in that country), considering that one fifth of them are using QR codes on a regular basis, this means that 4.5 million people in the U.K. are regular scanners while shopping.

The implications of this heavy use of QR codes should not be overlooked.

Marketers and retailers alike should recognize that this presents a tremendous opportunity, and that the odds are that the number of users will only skyrocket along with the ever rising penetration of smartphone devices. Though NFC does still hold a great deal of potential, it is QR codes, and not near field communications, that are currently changing the way that British mobile consumers are engaging with brands.

Experts in the industry, such as Laura Marriot, the CEO of NeoMedia, believe that QR codes are now on the cusp of a time of rapid expansion, and that as an increasing number of verticals are starting to notice this trend, the importance of the barcodes to marketing will blossom.

The key is for marketers to understand that it is not simply a method of providing content to consumers. In fact, this tendency is doing more harm than good for the overall health of the use of QR codes. Instead of simply providing the barcodes in order to allow consumers to scan them and view a website or a page about a product, it is being recommended that they be used for a much more appealing and action based purpose.

Experts are encouraging marketers to use QR codes to share discounts, promotions, offers, and other attractive benefits that will encourage consumers to continue to scan, and to use what they receive in order to make a purchase