2000% growth in number of mobile-ready websites

EDITOR'S NOTE: Brandel's App Products give your business a mobile Web presence as well as an app icon on the iPhone and iPod touch. Publishers, take advantage of the boom in smartphones and help advertisers get their presence in front of millions of on-the-go consumers.

...New research...does indeed show a humongous rise in the number of mobile-ready websites that consumers can access from their mobile handsets. Read on for the figures and how to make your mobile website user friendly.

In 2008, there were approximately 150,000 mobile-ready websites. In just two years that number has risen to over 3 million. That growth, some say, is faster than the growth of desktop Internet over a similar period.

The world's top 1,000 websites, as ranked by Alexa, are certainly choosing to offer mobile-friendly alternatives. dobMobi's study found that over 40% have a mobile version.

This percentage decreases the further down the rankings you go, down to just under 30% for the top 10,000 websites and 19% overall among all 500,000 sites ranked.

Thanks to new tools, and the proliferation of HTML5 support, brands are now able to provide a mobile Internet experience that works across all platforms and devices.

An important part of mobile Internet success is having a website that is easy to use and functions efficiently despite the restrictions of a mobile phone's screen size and usability.

Bear the following in mind to ensure mobile Internet site visitors have the best experience possible.

1. Keep it simple

The golden rule of mobile website content is "less is more". Cut out unnecessary images, or give visitors the option of whether to view them.

2. Cut down clicks

Make information easily reachable without the need for excessive clicks or typing.

3. Hone the homepage

Consider what features customers find most important to the mobile shopping experience and highlight them on the homepage.

4. Be finger-friendly

Touch screens are becoming more widespread. Users will be using their fingers to navigate. Make sure content and links are large and clear to make navigating the site hassle-free.

5. Test

What looks great on one device may be a complete turn-off on another, so test mobile websites on as many platforms as possible.

-Helen Leggatt

EBay expects $1.5B in mobile revenue by year-end

An eBay executive...said that his company’s mobile commerce business will eventually surpass its ecommerce revenue.

Funneled through its subsidiary PayPal, eBay’s mobile revenue was in excess of $600 million in 2009, and the company is well on its way to at least $1.5 billion in mobile revenue this year. Given such robust growth, eBay has made mobile an increasing priority in the belief that the sky is the limit for mobile commerce.

“For eBay, mobile commerce is the future, and our plan is to innovate and hit the gas pedal—we don’t see the steep growth trajectory of mobile commerce changing,” said Oliver Cockcroft, product manager at eBay, Palo Alto, CA. “We went from three people on the eBay mobile team to 70 in the last year and a half.

“We’re driving as hard as we can to break through and become mcommerce leader,” he said. “In the future, we will see our mobile commerce business surpass our ecommerce business, especially when you take tablets into account.”

That said, there are still plenty of challenges to overcome, even for a $1.5 billion mobile commerce giant.

The company realized that it needed to revolutionize what it had done in mobile, because its mobile properties had gotten a bit stale after four or five years with the same technology.

The company moved from a WAP site to a full mobile Web site and has rolled out applications for multiple platforms, including Android, iPhone and iPad.

The other key challenge is education.

“In general, normal consumers are very open to mobile commerce, whereas eBay consumers…we have a special group of people that use eBay,” Mr. Cockcroft said. “It can be a challenge to get new technology into their hands, as they tend to be stuck in their ways.

“It’s a challenge communicating the products we offer—a large percentage of eBay users don’t even know we have a mobile presence,” he said. “That said, our buyers and sellers need to be connected at every point—they have to keep track of what they’re buying what they’re selling, what auctions they’re following.

“Mobile gives them access to eBay while they’re out shopping, watching their kids play baseball and even during their commute—how do we provide a great product that quickly and easily gives them the information they require and lets them to interact with eBay and transact using their handsets?”

Mr. Cockcroft said that thinking about the situational context of when and where people are accessing the mobile platforms is key.

When creating a mobile site or application, there is a fine balance between putting in too many features in and not including enough.

Like all companies, eBay wanted to provide the features that its users will need on the go while also make it a great user experience.

“We want to be able to create an experience that uses all of the new technologies available to provide the great eBay experience no matter where our users are,” Mr. Cockcroft said. “We want to give them a way to scan bar codes, interact with their friends and transact via eBay.”

Its application development strategy is heavily focused on iPhone and Android, but it realizes the importance of the mobile Web to reach other mobile users.

“We have a lot of iphone users obviously because we’ve put a lot of press behind it, a lot of revenue through our iPhone apps, but it is something like 25 percent iPhone users on the mobile site,” Mr. Cockcroft said. “A lot of our Apple device users actually use both the app and the mobile site.

“You also have to make sure people who don’t necessarily have a smartphone can access their eBay accounts via the mobile Web,” he said. “If not, you’re losing 50 percent of your traffic.”

The company has an application install base of 13 million on the iPhone, and 5 million of those consumers are transacting on the mobile Web site as well, according to eBay.

Another advantage of having a mobile Web presence is discoverability.

Next week, eBay is rolling out a global redirect, which will take anyone searching eBay on their handsets to the corresponding mobile Web set that is optimized for their particular device.

Whether on the mobile Web or within an application, it is incredibly important to make the mobile payment checkout process user-friendly to reduce friction in the last-mile conversion.

“If you find an eBay search result through Google or a mobile ad link, we don’t want to send them to the PC Web site or a generic Web link, because the payment functionality isn’t there,” Mr. Cockcroft said. “Using Google on their handset to get to our mobile site, they can find the item they want, transact via PayPal and they’re done.

“A problem I’ve seen on a lot of mobile sites and apps, the user drops off quickly when they can’t quickly and easily buy a product,” he said. “Even if the information is there, it doesn’t matter if the mobile purchase process isn’t easy.”

-Dan Butcher

Record 77 Million Smartphones Shipped In Q3, Growing 78 Percent Over Last Year

Strategy Analytics is out with new data regarding global smartphone sales for Q3, showing record growth and the fact that Apple continues its surge to the top.

According to the data, global smartphone shipments grew 78% over the same period last year to 77 million total units. Apple, while still in second place to Nokia, showed the strongest growth in terms of market share, while both Nokia and RIM continue to lose share as competition heats up on a global scale. Still, Nokia shipped record smartphone volumes of more than 26 million units.

The report warns that demand is so high for smartphones currently, that suppliers will likely have a hard time keeping up as we enter the all-important holiday shopping season. “Global smartphone shipments grew 78 percent from a year earlier, the industry’s fastest rate since the mid-2000s,” said Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics. ”However, the surging volumes are placing heavy demands on component suppliers and moderate shortages of select components are emerging ahead of the Q4 holiday season.”

Five Billion Of The World’s 6.7 Billion People Are Mobile Subscribers

Mobile subscriptions worldwide have hit the impressive milestone of 5 billion, according to ABI. To put it in perspective, there’s currently around 6.7B people roaming the earth, indicating incredible adoption for just one type of device.

A majority of the growth is happening in emerging markets, with Africa leading the way with 4% growth between the first and second quarter of 2010. So much so, that ABI said the continent’s low mobile penetration to date is attracting global service providers such as Vodafone and India’s Bharti to build up wireless infrastructure in Africa.

Still, growth in developed regions like the US, Japan and Europe are still growing. The report says the introduction of high-speed 4G data technologies such as WiMax and LTE will ensure that subscription growth stays strong even in “hyper-saturated” regions. Jake Saunders, ABI’s vice president of research, pointed in particular to the successful launch of the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint, running on the WiMax network built by Clearwire.

ABI expects mobile subscriptions to reach 6.4 billion by 2015, of which 169 million will be to 4G technologies. As if it’s any kind of secret, the sheer fact that nearly every single person has a mobile device of some kind with them at all times means unprecedented opportunity for mobile marketers.

Your smartphone will run your life

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Today, one in five Americans owns a smartphone -- but give it just a few more years and the gadgets will be ubiquitous.

By 2015, smartphone ownership will surpass 80% in the U.S., up from 17% of the population today, research firms Frost & Sullivan and Forrester Research estimate. Worldwide, 1 billion people will own smartphones in 2013, according to a forecast from Informa Telecoms & Media.

Smartphone sales are already outpacing those of PCs, Gartner's research shows, and a number of analysts predict that by the end of the decade they will be the primary point people use to stay connected.

"These devices are becoming the center of our lives," says Will Stofega, analyst at IDC. "Smartphones are bringing an immediacy and an availability of the Internet that has changed and transformed the way people access information. They're the first thing we pick up right after our car keys, and they're changing our behavior."

That new connectivity wave is reshaping the tech field. A boom in hyper-personal applications opens up huge growth opportunities for new business models -- and might wash out some of the industry's current giants.

If experts' predictions come true, the tech world could look quite different in the next five to 10 years.

PCs and laptops can be shared among multiple family members or coworkers, but a smartphone is the one connected device that is truly yours. That makes it very, very personal.

Already, the typical smartphone user is downloading hundreds of applications to customize their device -- and stuffing it with personal data. Apps store passwords, health information, financial transactions, daily calendars, to-do lists and detailed e-mail trails, plus games and vast entertainment libraries of books, movies and music.

Analysts see phones becoming the remote controls for our digital lives. We'll still use PCs, iPods, laptops, tablets and many more devices -- get ready for the connected fridge -- but the phone will be the brain at the heart of each individual's gizmo galaxy.

"Every device out there is something that consumers will start interacting with and using to connect to the Web," says Dmitriy Molchanov, analyst at Yankee Group. "The smartphone is the device that will be at the hub of that connectivity."

Picture this scenario: When you leave for work, your smartphone will know -- based on the time of day and your location -- that you're ready to go on your commute. It knows the weather is expected to be snowy, so it will suggest alternate routes for your drive. It will have "talked" to your connected car, and will remind you that you need gas, then suggest which station on your route has the cheapest fuel. And if a friend is grabbing breakfast at a coffee shop on the way, your phone will let you know -- and maybe even give you a coupon for a doughnut.

Your PC can't do that.

Science fiction writers and tech marketers have been sketching out visions like that for decades. What's new is that we've hit a technology tipping point. The device needed to power that digital ecosystem is no longer theoretical, or a pricey prototype. It's in your pocket.

And it knows where you are, constantly. That's another watershed for the tech field.

No one knows quite how that technology will play out (or pay off), but everyone wants a foothold. Twitter and Facebook recently added location-aware capabilities, and venture capitalists are throwing cash at location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla. Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), Yelp and Groupon are diving deep into the local advertising markets.

Where you are is now one of the most important -- and potentially lucrative -- aspects of your identity.

The roster of gadgets orbiting your smartphone will fluctuate. We'll still use desktops, or something like them -- no office worker wants to do their daily computing on a tiny screen -- and a pile of other gadgets optimized for specific tasks. Dedicated shutterbugs won't want to trade in their digital cameras, and joggers will still want a tiny digital music player along on their morning run.

But devices have to jockey for position, and some will die off: Netbooks faded fast when tablets burst onto the scene. How gadgets integrate with your phone will play a big role in their evolution.

DVDs, USB memory sticks and even printers could be headed for extinction. You can already wirelessly stream movies from your iPhone and watch them on your Apple TV, and you can send what's on your desktop screen straight to your Android phone with a click of a button.

Which tech giants will rule that world? It may not be the ones who have held power for the past few decades.

Just like the iPhone helped launch Apple from lovable underdog to the most-valuable tech company in the world, smartphones have revitalized companies like Motorola, Samsung and HTC.

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and other mobile networks also are gaining power. As the companies that keep us constantly (well, usually) connected, they're literally the backbone of our digital lives.

But as new blood enters, some of the slow-to-change old guard is getting left behind.

Microsoft, Intel, and Dell, have staked their reputations on the primacy of the PC. They're trailing way behind competitors that got into the mobile business sooner.

Hewlett-Packard may be the savviest of the entrenched players. It's been reangling for years around the idea of "the connected you," despite its position as the world's largest PC maker. Its purchase of Palm earlier this year indicates that it sees the handwriting on the wall: Palm's fast-fading technology may not be a survivor, but like Apple, HP is committing to controlling both the hardware and software for its mobile gadgets.

"We are clearly in the early innings of the next major technology cycle," says Brent Iadarolla, global research director at Frost & Sullivan.

The shakeup is giving some industries a second crack at creating a sustainable online business model.

The music industry gave away songs for free on radio and blew its first shot at digital age with its mishandling of Napster. But it is finding some success with license-paying services like Pandora and Slacker Radio, which are surging along with smartphone use. And iTunes showed that 99 cents is a magic price point: Make legal purchasing cheap and easy, and most users won't bother with pirate tunes.

That's a ray of hope for both emerging startups and lumbering giants: So much will change in the coming decade that it's way too early to call the winners. We're in the primordial stage of the tech future smartphones are shaping.

"Lots of disruptions could happen," says IDC's Stofega. "The market's big enough not just to take newcomers, but also newer newcomers."

-David Goldman

Museum of Modern Art features 32,000 art pieces on iPhone app

The Museum of Modern Art has unveiled an iPhone application that lets users access 32,000 works of art via their mobile device.

The application lets users view renowned collections, exhibits and events. The application, which was designed in-house is available for the iPhone and iPod touch in the Apple App Store.

“Like all museums large and small, we have to think carefully about how we allocate our resources,” said Allegra Burnette, creative director of digital media at MoMA, New York. “But we also wanted to try doing a project specifically for this platform.

“So we decided to create an app that could both take advantage of the features of an iPhone or iPod touch, but which could also form the foundation for other apps across multiple devices and also for our mobile Web site,” she said. “Mobile is clearly playing an increasing role in how people access information about the museum, and creating a platform that enables us to expand across a variety of devices is a key part of our overall digital strategy.

“The iPhone app is, in many respects, just the beginning.”

Mobile art
The MoMa application lets users view a dictionary of art terms and a database of artist bios, calendar information for exhibitions, film screenings, events and a variety of audio tours, including special tours for children, teens and the visually impaired.

Users who visit the museum can snap photos inside and send them as postcards.

Additionally, visitors can select tracks from their own music libraries and listen to it while touring the museum.

“Mobile is greatly increasing as the means by which our audience is finding out about exhibitions, events, and our collection,” Ms. Burnette said. “So mobile really is a necessity rather than an option at this point.

“We did some user testing with members during the development, and what was gratifying is that we discovered that people across multiple generations were finding it accessible and useful,” she said. “So I think it’s not about a target age range, but more about people who have an interest in the Museum and in art in general.

“During the testing, one of our members said that it was like carrying MoMA in her pocket, and that’s kind of become our tagline.”

The tour feature consists of MoMA Audio programs, with five distinct tour options, such as Special Exhibitions, Modern Voices, Modern kids, MoMA Teen Audio and Visual Descriptions.

Users can browse the tour feature by floor or stop number and view information about the museum, including hours, admission and transportation.

In addition, users can check the calendar of current and upcoming exhibitions, daily events and film screenings and share it via Facebook or Twitter.

Users can also access MoMa resources on iTunes, iTunes U and YouTube via the application.

“The app does work on the iPad, although you need to upscale it currently, and we are definitely turning to Android as another priority,” Ms. Burnette said. “And our mobile site, which is following very closely on the heels of the app launch, will enable users of all of those platforms to get much of the same content through their browser.

“The various apps on the different devices allow us to take that base mobile content and then add custom features to take advantage of what each of the platforms offers in particular,” she said.

-Rimma Kats

Walgreens sees hockey-stick growth for text alert program

SMS text alerts are a big hit for Walgreens Co., a $63 billion drugstore chain which puts its 7,500 stores nationwide at the center of all marketing and commerce.

Walgreens has seen tremendous growth in registrations for its prescription SMS alerts in the [ten] months since the Chicago company began the program. In fact, SMS sign-up is outpacing email, according to a senior executive.

“Both are growing, but text alerts are hockey-sticking – we weren’t expecting that,” said Abhi Dhar, chief technology officer for ecommerce at Walgreens.

Text is healthy
Walgreens is putting considerable marketing muscle behind not just the SMS program but also its iPhone application and a mobile site created by Usablenet.

For example, the company recently ran two 30-second rolling videos on a billboard in New York's Times Square where Walgreens has a store.

The messages on the two-story-high outdoor effort focused on its pharmacy and photo businesses.

Viewers of those spots were encouraged to order prescriptions and photos from the mobile phone and pick them up in-store.

In addition to downloading an application, these consumers were also asked to text the keyword WAG to the 21525 common short code. Those consumers who texted received a coupon for redemption in a Walgreens store.

While Mr. Dhar would not disclose the size of the mobile database, he did say that the SMS registrations were growing. So was the number of Walgreens application downloads.

“The customers want it,” Mr. Dhar said. “What we realized is that we need to educate our customers [about mobile] offline.”

Walgreens has been an early adopter with digital and electronic technology.

The retailer has linked its pharmacies by satellite since the 1980s. In 1999 it put customer prescription history online and, six years later, offered online digital photo services.

Now, like most retailers in this market, Walgreens is bracing itself for a host of macro factors affecting the economy: a healthcare crisis, an aging population, 9.5 percent unemployment and three quarters of declining GDP.

With all these economic woes, consumers continue to adapt to new technology and evolve behavior.

For example, 70 percent of mobile phone owners take photos on their phone.

Mr. Dhar concluded his presentation with four points in summary.

First, consumers have changed and retailers have to deal with it.

Next, consumers think of choice, convenience and control. The definition is based on experiences in multiple sectors.

Third, mobile is an essential connecting capability for multichannel transactions.

“[Finally], there is no such thing as ‘ecommerce’ or ‘mcommerce,’” Mr. Dhar said. “Commerce is commerce.”

-Mickey Alam Khan

iPhone Social Games Have Larger Audience Than Prime-Time TV

How’s this for interesting — Flurry is reporting that iPhone social gaming apps garner a larger audience than many prime-time TV shows, including the likes of Sunday Night Football, CBS’s Undercover Boss and NCIS Los Angeles.

In a blog post published today titled “Is iPhone the Next American Idol,” Flurry estimates iOS social gaming apps have a daily audience of 19 million viewers and are averaging more than 22 minutes per day, per user. The fact that these numbers alone represent a larger audience than many of the most popular TV shows combined is intriguing, but then there’s the fact that Flurry’s numbers are just from it’s network, representing only a small portion of the total audience.

Flurry’s network only represents a fraction of the larger picture, equaling roughly 25%. The network reaches around 50,000 apps — versus the 250,000 total apps present in Apple’s App Store. “Additionally, since this analysis focuses on only two categories of applications — social games and social networking apps — it’s clear that iOS devices are already ahead of prime time television’s hottest shows,” Flurry’s Peter Farago says in his post.

“Given that the app store only launched in July 2008, these figures are staggering,” he said. ”Mass consumption of applications on mobile devices has exploded in record time. Also noteworthy is that the enormous audience these applications reach takes place every day, 365 days a year. Compared to a top television series, which airs 22 episodes a season, advertisers can reach a larger consumer audience through applications 15 times more frequently.”

Can SMS serve as holiday mobile catch-all in yo-yo economy?

Brands and retailers should leverage SMS for the holidays to push private sales, holiday-themed merchandise via coupons, wish lists, mobile commerce-enabled sites and special store hours during this busy time of year.

Approximately 72 percent of American adult consumers send and receive text messages, according to Pew Internet Project. Virtually everyone is text messaging, making it a convenient way for retailers and brands to communicate with consumers.

“Consumers are quickly becoming more and more receptive to receiving offers and deals from companies on their mobile devices—especially via SMS—as long as they are relevant and valuable,” said Tom Cotney, president/CEO of Air2Web, Atlanta. “The holidays provide a particularly good opportunity for companies to use SMS to support their promotions.

“Think of Black Friday,” he said. “Many people will scour the ads for deals and promotions and head for the stores with pockets and purses stuffed with paper coupons.

“A lot of consumers are willing to do this just to get a deal.”

The process becomes so much easier if the coupons are stored on a mobile device.

SMS enables the transmission of coupons and an opportunity to send the customer even more deals while they are in the store shopping.

Research Hipcricket conducted last year shows that 83 percent of consumers are still waiting for a favorite, trusted brand to market to them via their mobile phone.

The brands and agencies that do it right this holiday season will emerge with a significant advantage in 2011: the opportunity to remarket to opted-in consumers and continue an engaged dialogue.

The immediacy of SMS makes it an ideal channel for retailers to push timely sales and also perishable inventory such as food and seasonal items.

Florists, restaurants and holiday card companies, for example, can use SMS to drive sales of items via coupons or even just standard alerts that say, “Hi, we have this item, come and get it.”

Companies can ask consumers to opt-in to an SMS list via existing assets such as social media, email campaigns and even include a call to action on their Internet Web sites asking permission from consumers to communicate with them via text message.

“The important thing is to focus on the customer, not the medium,” said Eric Harber, president and chief operating officer of Hipcricket, Seattle. “The holidays are a busy, stressful time, and resounding themes this year will likely be about getting everything done and doing more with less.

“SMS campaigns need to tap into these themes,” he said. “Customers will be willing to opt into programs that share recipes at Thanksgiving, offer special members-only shopping discounts at Christmas and Hannukah, and suggest special cocktail mixes for New Year's Eve.

“The opportunity exists to be more than just a favorite brand. By using SMS right, brands can become trusted partners that help their customers create the perfect holiday season.”

Consumers may not respond on the spot to SMS marketing communications, but the message received was most likely read and the impression has been made.

SinglePoint found that 90 percent of text messages are read within three minutes of delivery, and that the recipient eventually reads more than 99 percent of all text messages.

The opportunity with using SMS relies on the greater reach that the channel provides.

According to Pew research, 72 percent of adult consumers send and receive text messages, compared to only 38 percent that access the mobile Internet.

According to Experian, consumers are open to mobile ads that push some sort of sale or promotion, making mobile coupons a great way to target cost-conscious consumers during the holidays.

Coupons can push holiday-themed items, driving purchases because of the discount and also just acting as a means of letting the consumer know that this particular retailer offers a specific item.

While still nascent, mobile couponing is becoming an increasingly effective way to bring people into the store and increase sales, according to InsightExpress.

Brands and retailers can turn to limited-time-offer mobile coupons that are good from, say, 6 to 8, to drive consumers into stores during the holidays.

Consumers are looking for a deal, especially during the holidays with so many gifts to purchase.

InsightExpress found that 10 percent of consumers have been driven in-store via a mobile coupon.

A majority of consumers want to receive coupons via SMS, according to InsightExpress.

“Drive opt-ins while the stores are busy – post calls to action in-store and on cash register receipts for instant coupons that get people signed up for future mobile programs,” Mr. Cotney said.

“Retailers should look for unique and targeted ways of reaching their consumers with SMS, both ahead of sales and at the point of transaction."

A Deloitte study conducted right before the holidays last year found only about one-third of consumers search for coupons via mobile.

This year has seen enormous growth in the use of SMS and mobile in general – a recent Peninsula Strategies report found that 64 of the Fortune 100 have a mobile strategy.

The economy has not really improved much over 2009, so people are still looking for ways to save money while still providing quality gifts and holiday staples for their families and friends.

With a 97 percent open rate, mobile coupons via SMS can help them do that, Mr. Cotney said.

According to Aberdeen research, 38 percent of retailers have adopted some sort of mobile presence, the majority of which consists of a mobile commerce site.

What is a better way to let a database of opted-in consumers know that a retailer has a mobile Web site, than sending a link via an SMS message?

A lot of mobile retail sites are offering free shipping on all mobile orders during the holidays. This too, is a great way to encourage mobile shopping during the holidays.

SMS can also be used to drive a consumer back to a mobile commerce site when that individual has abandoned an item in the shopping cart.

Imagine a consumer sitting on the train and trying to buy something from Steve Madden’s mobile site.

Next thing this consumer knows, it is time to get off and so the item that was about to be purchased is abandoned in-cart.

About an hour or later the consumer is on the bus and gets a message that reminds him that this item is still in the cart. “Click on this link to complete the order.”

“For discoverability use SMS with embedded links as the mobile click to jump into an offer and special strategically,” said Gary Schwartz, president of Impact Mobile, New York. “I like to think of SMS as your mobile Web mouse click.

“Put the call-to-action for this click on all your media and this will drive impulse traffic,” he said. “Use SMS opt-in to drive targeted, timely deals back to the shopper. If your offer is compelling, you will drive impulse conversion.

A lot of retailers have special hours during the holidays, especially for Black Friday.

Sending an SMS message that lets opted-in loyal consumers know the new hours is a great way to get an individual who thought he or she did not have enough time to make it to a specific retailer’s location into that store.

Alerts are also a great way to let consumers know about sales and specials.

Once that list is built, there are a number of great ways that brands can target these consumers during the holidays.

“During the holidays we all have a lot to remember – parties, family gatherings, finishing up the year at work and travel,” Mr. Cotney said. “Make holiday shopping easy with SMS. Your customers will thank you.”

SMS has fantastic reach, excellent measurability and ties all the mobile modalities – mobile applications, Web and advertising – together in the context of the broader overall marketing strategy, per Hipcricket’s Mr. Harber.

Mobile, especially SMS, cannot be the sole focus of any marketing campaign, but it should be an important one, according to Air2Web’s Mr. Cotney.

When shopping during the holidays, consumers are looking for opportunities to make their lives easier as they deal with the crowds and traffic.

More traditional marketing strategies can still be effective. But there should always be a mobile option or call to action for those who prefer to use their mobile device to store deals.

And SMS offers an easy, less-expensive way to personalize the deals to consumers.

“One great example of SMS providing the glue to a mobile strategy is for a company to send an email to one of its customers mentioning an upcoming sale and providing a short code for that customer to subscribe to receive special deals,” Mr. Cotney said. “Special deals can then be targeted to that consumer based on their profile.

“For a middle-aged man, perhaps a promotional offer can be sent for flat-screen TVs, while a woman in her early 30s could receive an offer for shoes,” he said. “At the point of sale, the customer could be asked to do a quick mobile survey, providing even more information to personalize offers sent to that customer.”

In creating the message, there are two important goals to keep in mind: be creative and be useful, per Hipcricket’s Mr. Harber.

In terms of opting in and out, following the Mobile Marketing Association guidelines is important in order to improve the consumers’ experience and to demonstrate good stewardship of that ongoing-permission based relationship.

For creative, remember that the campaign needs to catch the mobile subscriber’s attention.

Given the character length limitations of SMS, marketers need to distill their messages down to their absolute essentials.

The key here is to be creative and simple, but above all, bring something that represents value.

“In terms of utility, remember this: the holidays are perhaps the most stressful time of the year,” Mr. Harber said. “People don’t want something clever or quirky on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

“They want to know how they can get their shopping done quickly and cost-effectively,” he said. “Help them do that and they will be loyal fans for life.”

-Giselle Tsirulnik

Who's Suing Whom in the Mobile Technology arena

EDITOR'S NOTE: Click on the headline above for a link to an infographic that makes legal stuff fun!

As the mobile industry continues to grow exponentially and newcomers displace old-timers in terms of devices, services and nearly everything else in the mobile ecosystem, litigation continues to run rampant. Whether it’s disputes over patent infringement, anti-trust inquiries or even the “handling of digital images,” a lawsuit seems to be the easiest answer for companies large and small.

David McCandless, a data journalist and designer, put together this awesome infographic published on his Website “Information is Beautiful” [embedded below] to visually identify who’s suing whom in the telecom world. He even differentiates between ongoing and finished lawsuits with different arrows, while the size of the cubes represent the various company’s estimated revenue. In addition, if a company’s cube is red, it means its revenue is decreasing, while gray cubes represent companies with increasing revenues.

Smartphone App Market To Be Worth $15B By 2013, Already $2.2B In First Half Of 2010

The mobile app market continues to grow by an incredible amount year after year, with new research estimating the entire market will reach $15 billion by 2013.

Mobile research firm Research2guidance recently published a comprehensive report entitled “Global Smartphone Application Market Report 2010,” which was an update for the smartphone app market for the first half of 2010. In it, the firm indicates the market has already reached $2.2B in the first six month of this year, well on track to reach the $15B estimate for 2013.

While the firm’s estimates were attributed mostly to the obvious growth of app stores like Apple’s and the Android Market, Research2guidance expects future growth to be driven by “niche stores for verticals such as business or health.” As for app downloads, the research indicates numbers reached a total of 3.8 billion in the first semester of this year, compared to 3.1 billion for all of 2009.

A primary contributing factor to the growth of mobile apps is the steady adoption of smartphones, which the firm estimates will increase from about 100 million in 2009 to nearly 1 billion by 2013.

Global Mobile Advertising Industry Grows 17% in Q3

New data released today from mobile media firm BuzzCity indicate the global mobile advertising industry grew by 17% during Q3 2010, with specific regions showing growth as high as 154% during the three-month period ending Oct. 1st.

The results, which were published in BuzzCity’s “Global Mobile Advertising Index for Q3 2010,” indicate a total of 54 markets each delivering monthly traffic exceeding 10million impressions per month — an increase from 44 markets in Q2 and 32 markets in Q1.

Some interesting takeaways include the fact that while Indonesia ranked number one worldwide in terms of ad-banners served (3,685,538,814), its overall growth during Q3 declined by 16%. Mobile advertising in the U.S grew 70% in Q3, putting it in third place in terms of ads served, while a newcomer to the list — Libya — grew an incredible 154% during Q3 alone, placing it in the number 8 spot worldwide.

In total, 14 countries have witnessed double digit growth in mobile advertising over the last three months, with three markets, Libya, Korea and Kenya, seeing triple digit growth. It’s important to note that the index tracks activity across BuzzCity’s network of over 2500 publishers across the globe, so it doesn’t necessarily paint the clearest picture of the mobile ad industry as a whole.

32% Of Smartphone Buyers Choose Android, Now Most Popular Mobile OS In U.S.

New data out from Nielsen suggests Android is now the top choice for new smartphone buyers in the U.S., with 32% of new smartphone purchases sporting the open source OS.

These numbers show Android has now passed both the iPhone and Blackberry, with 25 percent choosing the iPhone OS and 26 percent choosing Blackberry as their smartphone of choice. The data sample, which covers a period that includes a full-month of iPhone 4 availability, shows Blackberry still holds the largest share of the smartphone market with 31 percent, while 28 percent of smartphone owners have iPhones and only 19 percent have Android devices.

What’s interesting is that the picture looked far different only two months ago when Nielsen issued a similar report. In June, BlackBerry was selling 35 percent of the smartphones in the U.S. while Android was selling 27 percent and Apple was in last place selling just 21 percent. Who knows how the race will look in another two months. One thing’s for sure, Android will continue its stride to the top as more OEMs choose the open source (and free) OS to power their devices.