Michelle Cheung2

We have to admit that mobile marketing is the new and hottest trend in the market in the past few years. Consumers have changed, and marketers need to adapt their approach to successfully reach them. Mobile marketing has significant influence to products and services sales in countries where there is a broad penetration of affordable smartphones, such as China. According to figures from the China internet network information centre, the number of Chinese people who access the internet through mobile phones has reached 420 million, representing 74.5% of all internet users in the country. Recent figures show that online shopping accounts for the biggest proportion of China’s internet economy, growing to 52.7% in 2012 compared to 35.9% in 2010. Chinese consumers shop online through their mobile phones at home (53.3%), on their way to work or school (26.2%); and when taking public transportation or in queues (13.9% and 10.6% respectively).

The higher the percentage of people accessing Internet through mobile phones, the more shopping activities can be done through the Internet. I came across a blog which suggested 3 criteria in designing a mobile marketing strategy, and I think those are . The 3 criteria are Content, Context and Channels. Content translates to the importance of tailoring the brand and/or promotional messages to the what the mobile users need or desire. Essentially, this is individual marketing. Context refers to marketers’ need to create a consumer-centred marketing system that meets the demands of consumers in real time without geographic boundaries. It also includes how quickly the system can respond to the feedback from the users. What’s interesting to mention is the relationship between the marketers and users. In the mobile platform, it is likely to be transformed into a peer-to-peer relationship. In terms of channels, mobile itself is one channel that should be integrated to the traditional marketing channels. Although these 3 criteria may not be covering every aspect, I think they are quite comprehensive at the developmental stage of mobile marketing.