Tag: mobile marketing

Social media marketing gains ground in 2012

| December 15, 2012

 

Social media marketing offers many new opportunities for businesses

Social media plays an importaMobile Social Media Marketingnt role in the lives of millions of people around the world. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have shown that consumers are very interested in keeping in touch with their friends and family online, while also sharing their interests with others and promoting companies they like. Social media offers many opportunities to the marketing sector, especially in terms of mobile marketing. A new report from NM Incite, a social media and market research firm, highlights the opportunities that social media marketing represents.

Report highlights the growth of social media platforms

The report, titled “Social Media Report 2012,” details the ways social media can be used as a communications tool for advertisers. The report highlights the growth of several social media platforms, noting that Facebook remains the most popular platform among consumers and businesses. Blogger and Twitter continue to be rising stars in the social media space, with marketers eyeing Twitter for its potential in social media marketing. Pintrest, a relatively new content sharing website, has seen the most aggressive growth this year, in terms of users.

Consumers showing more interest in mobile devices than in PCs

According to the report, more consumers are making use of their mobile devices to stay connected to social media platforms. The report shows that the amount of time consumers spend on these sites with their mobile device has gone up 21% this year. More consumers are showing favor for their smart phones and tablets than they are for their PCs, presenting an opportunity for advertisers to establish a constant connection with people no matter where they go. Businesses are also responding to this by making themselves more available to social media sites, encouraging consumers to share these sites to their friends and families.

Social media marketing presents its own challenges

The report notes that social media marketing presents several challenges, despite its beneficial prospects. Mobile consumers have shown that they are interested in visits that are marketed to them, but only 14% of these people actually purchased products that they looked up through social media marketing campaigns. Moreover, constant connection with consumers opens businesses up to more scrutiny, increasing the need for comprehensive customer service on a 24-hour cycle.

CVS takes steps to increase mobile commerce presence

| December 13, 2012

 

CVS Mobile Commerce Website UpdateCVS introduces mobile commerce updates to mobile site and application

CVS Caremark Corp. is looking to bolster its mobile commerce presence by making updates to its website and mobile application. Mobile commerce continues to attract the interest of the retail industry, especially in the wake of a record breaking Thanksgiving shopping weekend. This year, retailers have seen massive growth in the realm of mobile sales thanks to the interest consumers have been showing in mobile commerce. CVS hopes to take advantage of this by reaching out to mobile consumers in a more dynamic fashion.

Mobile site features new services for consumers

CVS has made updates to its mobile website, which now features a variety of options that are designed to help consumers keep track of their health. The company has introduced an immunization scheduler, which helps users keep track of when they can receive immunization treatments from health care professionals that visit CVS stores. Users can set up appointments for specific immunizations through the mobile site. CVS has also introduced a number of shopping enhancements that are meant to help mobile consumers find the products they are interested in.

Electronic gift cards may be big during the holiday season

Another feature that has been introduced to the mobile website are electronic gift cards. These digital cards can be purchased from the mobile website and used from a smart phone or other device to pay for goods online. These cards can be given as gifts to others, delivered via email. CVS anticipates the sale of these gift cards to skyrocket during the holiday season, especially among consumers that rely on CVS for the health care products they need, such as glucose meters for those with diabetes.

CVS may have plans to adopt in-store mobile payments in the future

CVS has also introduced several new features into its mobile application, such as a pill identifier that will help users identify the pills they are taking. The mobile application also includes several shopping features that encourage consumers to purchase products through their mobile device and online. CVS has yet to adopt in-store mobile payments, but if mobile commerce continues to grow in popularity, this service may be on its way.