Online retailers are quickly understanding the potential of engaging a mobile advertising strategy to supplement their efforts, according to a new report published by Forrester.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of online retailers either already have or are developing a mobile strategy, and one in five boasts having a fully-implemented mobile strategy in place already. Interestingly, the report forecasts $170,000 per online retailer is expected to be spent on mobile sites this year with larger retailers spending much more. “Mobile investment is modest now, but we see that it will pick up in the future, especially among the biggest brands that have already invested significant amounts in their mobile operations,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research, and lead author of the report.
Forrester noted that search advertising will continue to command the largest portion of US online retail budgets this year, coming in at 40 percent, while email and affiliate marketing will also command large portions, the report notes. Social marketing is also fast coming to the forefront, with 80 percent of online retailers planning to invest- but ROI “remains murky.” The same can’t be said about mobile advertising, where ROI is easily measurable and obtained.
Digital marketing in general is quickly becoming centered around the art of “integrated communications,” whereby numerous channels are utilized to work off the strengths and weaknesses of one another. With mobile coming to the forefront, Online retailers need to quickly diversify their strategy to maintain relevancy.
