David Moth

Twitter's three rules for mobile success

Mobile services need to get better at “filling the gaps” in our daily lives, Twitter’s Bruce Daisley said at an IAB conference today.

In a talk about “Mobile and Social”, Daisley said that in order to succeed businesses need to follow three rules.

by David Moth 17 May 2012 12:47pm 2 comments

Google: a third of people use the mobile web every day

Almost two-thirds of UK smartphone owners (59%) access the mobile internet everyday, according to stats published on Google’s 'Our Mobile Planet' site.

With smartphone penetration now at 51%, this equates to more than a third of the total UK population using the mobile web on a daily basis.

Google’s industry leader for technology and hardware Simon Morgan used a speech at IAB Mobile Engage to highlight statistics that show the growing importance of mobile for marketing.

by David Moth 17 May 2012 11:16am 2 comments

Q&A: Boohoo's Chris Bale on digital marketing for fashion retail

In the early days of e-commerce people assumed that consumers wouldn't want to buy clothes online.

Along with big ticket items like beds and furniture it was thought that customers wanted to be able to go into a store and see the products first hand.

That assumption, while understandable, has proven to be totally incorrect and online fashion retailers are flourishing - but it is still a difficult business model to get right.

Boohoo.com has achieved success by selling affordable women's fashion while also providing customers with style and fashion content.

I sat down with COO Chris Bale at the E-commerce Futures Conference to find out what digital marketing tactics Boohoo uses to promote the brand and set itself apart from the competition...

by David Moth 17 May 2012 09:24am 3 comments

More than a third of Homebase customers research online before going in-store

More than a third of Homebase customers research online before going to a bricks-and-mortar store, according to the retailer’s head of multichannel.

During a speech at the E-Commerce Futures Conference this morning, Andy McWilliams said it highlights the need for a joined up approach in-store and online.

Even if you think you’re a multichannel retailer, online and offline often act almost independently. You get different offers online vs. offline. They have to be the same, and communication has to be the same.

by David Moth 16 May 2012 13:01pm 1 comment

18m UK consumers have used social media for customer service

More than a third of UK consumers (36%) have engaged with brands through social media, according to a survey from Fishburn Hedges.

This has doubled from 19% since August 2011 and equates to around 18m people.

The increased interaction appears to be driven by the widespread belief among respondents (40%) that social media improves customer service, compared to only 7% who feared it would harm service.

In fact 68% of those who have engaged with brands through social media believe that it “allowed them to find their voice.”

by David Moth 16 May 2012 11:17am 4 comments

Sweden's iZettle launches mobile card reader in the UK

There’s been much excitement in the world of mobile payments around Square, a credit card reader that allows merchants to take payments using an iPad or iPhone.

More than 1m businesses have signed up to use the device in the US, but it still isn't available in the UK.

However, as of this morning UK retailers can apply to join the beta phase for iZettle, a mobile card reader backed by Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone.

It already has 50,000 users in the Nordic market since launching in its native Sweden last September, increasing the number of point of sales terminals on the region by 10%.

by David Moth 16 May 2012 09:19am 3 comments

One tablet generates as many website visits as four smartphones

One tablet generates as many website visits as four smartphones, according to data from Adobe's Digital Index Report.

By the end of Q1 2012 smartphones accounted for 6.1% of site visits compared to 4.3% on tablet.

However, smartphones only maintain a greater share of website visits due to the lower penetration rate of tablets.

The report highlights that from 2010 through to 2011 there were 5.3 times more smartphones shipped across North America and Western Europe compared to tablets.

by David Moth 15 May 2012 15:18pm 9 comments

What is holding smartphone payments back?

NFC smartphone payments are slowly making their way into the mainstream, but there is still a long way to go before we see widespread consumer adoption.

Visa plans to use the London Olympics as a showcase for mobile NFC, although the trial will only involve a limited number of athletes.

And the infrastructure for consumer adoption appears to be in place with more than 140,000 contactless terminals around the UK.

So what is holding smartphone payments back?

To find out more about NFC payments and the opportunity for retailers, I spoke to The Logic Group's marketing director Mark Kusionowicz.

by David Moth 15 May 2012 13:24pm 7 comments

Mobile site review: Majestic Wine

Majestic Wine has launched a new mobile site to allow its customers to browse and buy wines on the go.

It has been developed by Usablenet, which also designed mobile sites for House of Fraser, Tesco and M&S.

A wine merchant isn’t necessarily the type of business you would expect to have a mobile site, and it doesn’t seem to be a common feature among its competitors.

So how does it measure up in terms of usability?

by David Moth 15 May 2012 10:37am 2 comments

Q&A: Last.fm's Chris Wistow on brands and monetisation

Streaming music online is a competitive business.

Spotify is probably the most recognisable provider, but the likes of Deezer and Grooveshark are also posting strong user numbers.

In order to keep attracting new users, one of the key challenges for streaming services is differentiating themselves from the competition.

Last.fm seeks to do this by tracking user listening behaviour and recommending artists based on their musical tastes. Since launching in 2002 the London-based company has collected 65bn pieces of track data from its users, which is obviously a powerful tool for advertisers.

To find out how Last.fm makes use of its data and sell its service to marketers, I spoke to commercial director Chris Wistow...

by David Moth 14 May 2012 13:23pm 1 comment