It’s hard to imagine that such a small object like a mobiles now gives us such access. it’s practically a portal to a realm of immense amount of information literally at the tip of our fingers. So then I want to put you in my perspective 10 years ago where smart phones weren’t even a concept in my mind yet. But for what smartphones are today we can easily take it for granted and it’s like what Eric Schmidt mentioned “Mobile is happening faster than all of our internal predictions.” For example you can get answers for your homework, have food delivered and taxis ordered to your doorstep. Everything you’ve ever needed or wanted has been streamlined into one device and all attained in an instant.
To measure the magnitude, The World Bank Database shows there’s 100 (100.682) mobile subscriptions per 100 people globally meaning we’ve reached at least 1 mobile cellular subscription throughout whole global population. It’s the perfect platform for marketing! That doesn’t mean that everyone in the world has access to a mobile phone, but we can assume that’s the potential marketing reach.
However, Statista shows what time is spent in media vs advertising spending and compared to other platforms, mobile still has a disparity between time spent and ads spent so there’s lost potential for revenue. Statista does forecast that revenue would double by 2021.
There is one example that piqued my interest the most which was the IKEA place app because it involved augmented reality which seems like an advanced concept but its integrated quite well on the phone. What it does is provide a catalogue of IKEA’s furniture and you’re able to virtually place them within your living space. I don’t know about you but I think that’s amazing especially for someone like me who’s quite pedantic with furniture and how it would fit in my home. It’s an incredible way to have customers engage with the product without even going to the store because the e-commerce store is connected anyways so that mobile purchases can play a role. Just by going through the app, testing how furniture looks in your room and then going as far as buying it then and there, this could happen all in the span of 30 minutes, all you have to do is wait for delivery and your set. That sense of uncertainty has been abolished and now consumers have confidence in buying their products.
Mobile phones now have that capability to have augmented reality sync so well and seamlessly as well as the app giving accessibility especially to those who may not be able to reach IKEA’s physical locations.
So what do you think could be the next biggest thing for mobile marketing? What kind of apps could have consumers better engaged or what sort of outrageous concept could be the gateway of another level of marketing?
Digital Marketing for Dummies 
Hey there, thanks for the great read! I also mentioned the same IKEA app on my post and I think it’s such a creative concept. It is useful plus interactive so I think it’s really well done in terms of being a marketable app. I also thought that augmented and virtual reality was still a futuristic concept but it’s amazing that brands actually integrate these features into their apps and marketing. I’m excited to see how mobile technology and apps continue to grow and shape our marketing landscape!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you agreed too Elizabeth. The app and AR in general is an amazingly innovative concept ideal for applications such as the IKEA place app. There’s still room for improvement especially when it revolves around just using the phone. Augmented virtual reality is not that prevalent as a marketing alternative and it’s main applications rely on using the VR headset to display content which is seems like a burden to me and is not at all portable.
LikeLike
IKEA’s use of AR technology is leading in to wide use I’d imagine. There are so many applications for that style of marketing and it adds so much value to the consumer, allows them to make more informed choices and I’d bet makes them more likely to purchase products with greater certainty of what the outcome will be. It also helps to reduce the time required by customers going in to stores to look at the physical product, and maybe with options to share your room designs and discuss them, IKEA could be implementing the full four I’s within their app.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s completely true what you say, the IKEA app displays one of the most convenient formats to purchase furniture and I think the best feature for that the app is avoiding buyer’s remorse. I’m excited to see what the future holds for augmented reality and marketing. There’s not many applications out there similar to the IKEA app, the only good examples I can think of Pokemon GO or Google Translate. In terms of the Four I’s, the only thing I can’t seem to find is INITIATING consumers to create content. At the moment, it does everything else well: Integrating the entire IKEA catalogue to instantly purchase, Individualising by having the consumer’s own living space as the canvas to find the best suited furniture, and Involving consumers with their own chat function as customer support.
LikeLike
Hi there, great blogpost!
Love your informative perspective on mobile’s tremendous impact. The IKEA example is awesome, I’m hoping it’s as cool in practice. I’ll have to try it out!
I definitely think augmented reality will take off before virtual reality does, though in time I think both will have their moment. In the current landscape, I believe chatbots will surpass the notion of ‘apps’. (I mean they already are.) Chatbots enable a more seamless, frictionless experience for users, intertwining apps and services. Home voice assistants and Facebook messenger bots are here to stay and further enhance the mobile experience!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, thanks for reading my blog!
I looked into what chatbots are and I think you’re right, it could be a bigger shift than mobile apps from the web, you could say we’re moving into the Artificial Intelligence Age. I’m interested to see what kind of marketing applications there could be for chatbots. If anything, it could replace the whole process of shopping if I just tell a chatbot what I want and they could display all potential results.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for such a great read. This introduced me to the IKEA augmented reality app and I can’t believe how well it works – such an innovative idea! As commenters above, I believe augmented reality will take off as it’s such a smart idea for businesses that really pitches their own products to the consumer. I believe the ease of augmented reality can assist in creating such a success as the consumer has nearly everything done for them, I know it works for me! Well done! 🙂
LikeLike
It’s always interesting to see where concepts such as Augmented Reality can take us. I’m glad you got to experience the IKEA app and how well it works and I’m looking forward to see future applications for it especially through our phones. Right now, the marketing application for AR seems quite limited especially through our mobile phones alone, but there could be a potential to include wearable technology for AR like watches acting as sensors or glasses for more seamless operation. The possibilities are endless.
LikeLike