Jasper Bell

About Jasper Bell

Four critical steps to commercial mobile success

As recent research by Comscore reveals that one in three online minutes is now spent beyond the desktop, it is clear that mobile and tablet devices are moving away from being secondary devices and fast becoming the primary experience.

Our mobile devices have become the remote controls to our lives, influencing how we shop, inform and entertain ourselves and connect with one another.

We look to mobile technology to maximise every moment in our day and the immediacy it offers has driven consumer expectations to a new high.

How can brands take greater advantage of second-screen usage?

A recent BBC World News survey of more than 3,600 digital device owners found that 43% of tablet users say they consume more TV than they did five years ago, with most respondents saying they use tablets alongside TV.

A recent Deloitte survey found that 24% are using a second screen while watching TV. This crossover with leisure time presents a unique opportunity to convert those in a ‘lean-back’ position. 

So how can marketers respond to this trend? 

Now is the time to embrace showrooming

A new TNS study across 43 countries suggests that 21% of shoppers use smartphones in store to ‘showroom’, 43% read reviews, 31% compare prices and 25% seek advice before they buy from friends and family.  

This phenomenon has put the fear of God into many within the retail industry, woken businesses up to the link between the high street and internet and made retailers aware that they are not ready to service this reality.

We’ve seen Jessops and HMV go into administration in recent months and Best Buy shrink. The culprit? Supposedly showrooming.

The opportunities and challenges of international customer engagement

European ecommerce is thriving as infrastructure, laws, and consumer preferences evolve, while the advent of the multichannel consumer and rise of the smartphone are all contributing factors.

In short: buying online has become quicker, easier and more social.

This trend is driven by two fundamental changes, the increased access today’s consumer has to digital retail experiences and offers and in turn the heightened access retailers and brands now enjoy to their audiences.

Let’s explore these two changes in turn.