Mobile Groove

Some of the smartest minds in mobile marketing and advertising recently gave their 2012 predictions for mobile during a webinar conducted by Mobile Marketer and sponsored by Hipcricket.

All speakers agreed that mobile plays a more central role in marketing, impacting people and influencing their actions throughout the purchase funnel (from awareness to conversion and commerce). However, there was a lack of consensus when it came to answering THE big question: how will mobile play out in 2012?

On the heels of last month’s survey of mobile telecoms execs across the Asia Pacific region (and a tremendously successful #doxchat Tweetchat that had a global reach of 92,000+), Amdocs is gearing up to release a new report looking at mobile operator attitudes and activities around mobile payments. Here is an exclusive preview of the key findings.

In the countdown to Apps World Asia (September 1-2, Singapore) we speak with Tak Miyata, senior vice president of global business at Mixi, the fast-growing and number one social network in Japan about Mixi’s strategy to expand its communications platform, enable third-party developers to make mobile apps for its members and encourage commerce that bridges online (digital) and offline (physical).

Mixi started out in 2004 allowing its users to post photos, share comments and links, and interact on community pages and forums based on themes ranging from recipes to rock-n-roll.

The monthly Carnival of the Mobilists (COM) sets up camp at MobileGroove with an entertaining and eclectic mix of themes and topics that speak volumes about recent developments in mobile. From a curated list of Mobile Web influencers to an examination of the pros and cons of mobile apps, it’s all there – so let’s dive in!

Tomi Ahonen is in rare form this month with a deliciously disruptive post dripping with sarcasm. It would be a great laugh if it was only fiction. But this quiz, which tests our ability to run Nokia into the ground (as it appears Microsoft and Stephen Elop are doing as we speak), is based on keen observations from a long-time Nokia watcher (and former employee).

What is the state of mobile retail readiness in Europe? How are Europe’s biggest retail brands extending their brand experience through mobile? What approaches are retailers taking to engage influence consumers throughout the purchase funnel (awareness, engagement, consideration, conversion and loyalty)?

Get the inside track by joining MobileGroove and Acquity Group executives this Wednesday (June 22) for Global Insight: European Retail Goes Mobile. The 30-minute online webinar (12-12:30 CST or click here to see the time in your region) will deep dive into the trends and mobile intelligence gleaned from Acquity’s first-ever European Mobile Audit of the top 300 European retail brands.

48 PERCENT OF U.S. CONSUMERS RESEARCED PRODUCTS ON A MOBILE DEVICE WHILE IN-STORE in December 2010, according to research from Oracle and ATG. This represented a 78 percent increase compared to November 2009, when just 29 percent of consumers were using their mobile devices for research in-store.

Unsurprisingly, the data shows that younger consumers (ages 18-34) were the most avid in-store researchers (60 percent), up 46 percent from November 2009 (41 percent). But the real opportunity just may be a more mature demographic.