Mobile is Coming, but it’s passing us by?

There is a great piece of research just released which highlights a number of undeniable facts and figures about mobile communications, how fast it’s moving and how most businesses are so far behind the curve that most can’t even see the potential that is right at their fingertips. This report is worth the read if for no other reason than to see what you missing out on.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from this report and specifically what impact they have on the internet:

Smart phones will overtake the sales on PC’s within 2 years.

• 35% of American Adults use their phone to connect wirelessly to the internet.
  IPhone users spend on average 65% of their time using their phone to browse the internet.
• Smart phone usage has grown 110% in the past year.
• Mobile Phones are now used to read product reviews, compare prices and find stores with stock
• Search is the top activity for mobile users.
• Mobile Shopping is not just driving sales but pushes customers towards their real world stores.
• Mobile users want to stay social almost, 1/3 of smart phones users access social networking sites on their phone, this will continue to grow.
• Apps are what is driving this success of the mobile user is, and they are willing to share that information to find local services and offers.
• Location based apps have one of the highest uptake rates
• Banner blindness, people on mobiles are still willing to interact with a compelling banner ad.
• SMS messaging still has an important part to play in the new mobile world.
  Businesses still can’t see the potential, only 12% of the top 500 internet retailers have optimised their sites for mobile.
• Smart phone adoption in business is phenomenal with Blackberries divining this growth.
• QC codes are bringing real world interaction to a mobile environment.

What does all this mean for business

After reading this report it’s clear to see the amount of opportunities that businesses are missing, mobile internet usage is growing exponentially but even the most affluent online retailers that should be leading the way into mobile retail have no strategy to tackle this new dimension. Many cannot even see the potential here and have no plans to implement into their marketing efforts.

Real world businesses should be looking at location based apps and coupons, not to just drive sales but to also increase foot fall in each of their stores.

If the biggest retailers in the US cannot see the potential here surely there are ample opportunities for smaller more agile retailers to take advantage and steal a march on their biggest competitors.