mGage’s marketing team looks at what the next few years could mean for mobile marketing

Many Firsts for the Century’s Third Decade

Think the past 10 years have brought a lot of change in mobile marketing? Set your sights on the next 10 years – or at least, the next few years – to see how many of the norms in today’s mobile marketing sphere will soon be old news.

Increased Use of Mobile Devices

Mobile is the worldwide communication platform of choice, and the trend continues to grow year after year. The average American spends 3.6 hours a day on a mobile device, accounting for over half their daily digital media usage. Up to 70 per cent of web traffic happens on a mobile device, and nearly 60 per cent of all US online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets.

As the ‘20s unfold, several trends are emerging that will continue to accelerate the use of mobile devices, particularly in the commercial sphere.

Rich Communication Services (RCS)

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is poised to change the way that brands communicate with their customers. RCS helps businesses engage with customers in a way that is more interactive, conversational, and trusted. It enables brands to incorporate features like carousels, chip lists, videos, and maps into their messages. More importantly, it also allows you to brand and track messages, so you can see if the messages were delivered or read, providing a real sense of engagement. Trials have demonstrated 14 times more customer engagement, three times more sales than more traditional channels, and nearly 75 per cent of consumers polled say that they are more likely to engage with a brand that uses RCS. It’s a good thing that smartphone manufacturers are keeping up with this new wave, and as much as 86 per cent of new smartphones will be RCS-enabled by next year. In the meantime, when an end user’s phone does not support RCS, the brands message will default to the SMS fallback feature, ensuring their message is still delivered.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Yes, I AM a Robot

AI will soon be the driving force behind many online services. According to research by digital marketing agency Single Grain, 71 per cent of B2B marketers are interested in using AI for personalization. Current uses of AI-driven communication tools include product recommendations, content creation, e-commerce, and personalization, as mentioned earlier in emails. By the end of 2020, Single Grain’s research estimates that 60 per cent of companies will be using artificial intelligence for driving digital revenue.

Chatbots – The Power of Automation

According to HubSpot, 85 per cent of consumers will engage with businesses without ever interacting with another human being by the end of 2020. Many factors will propel this change, but the most significant driver will be businesses’ use of chatbots for customer engagement.

The HubSpot research tapped the opinions of consumers and businesses, and the two audience segments were closely aligned on their views of chatbots and similar communication tools. According to responses, the top benefits of chatbots are 24-hour service (64 per cent), instant responses to inquiries (55 per cent), and answers to simple questions (55 per cent)

For brands, chatbots are an easy way to offer additional services without adding a lot of new staff. Chatbots enable communication with users through messenger apps and on websites, allowing businesses to ‘answer’ questions immediately, any time of day or night, with little or no impact on payroll. By 2022, it is estimated that chatbots will help businesses save over $8bn a year.

5G Connectivity – Ramp Up for Speed

5G, the next generation of wireless is going to be a hot topic for 2020, and it’s no wonder, with its promise of connectivity up to 400 times quicker than 4G. It will not only enhance today’s mobile broadband services but will also expand mobile networks to support a vast diversity of devices and services and connect new industries with improved performance, efficiency, and cost.

To learn more about how to capitalize on emerging mobile usage trends like these in the new decade, contact mGage today. There’s no better time than the present to embrace the future of mobile communication.

Sources

https://www.slashgear.com/mobile-trends-to-look-forward-to-in-2020-08602584/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/twenty-mobile-trends-for-2020/

https://mindsea.com/mobile-trends-the-best-brands-will-be-focused-on/

https://www.mobileappdaily.com/mobile-app-development-trends

https://www.qualcomm.com/invention/5g/what-is-5g