Google Australia has launched a mobile value calculator that helps users estimate the value of mobile for their business.
The tool, according to Google, helps businesses consider online and offline actions that customers take: from calling a business, downloading an app, in-store purchases, asking for directions on their mobile phone, or doing research across various devices (PC, smartphone, tablet, laptop). Some of these actions may not have been measured yet by a business, so Google has created this tool to give businesses a better understanding of where users are coming from.
“Rethinking conversion paths is not only key to unlocking the full value of mobile, but also to unlocking the full value of digital,” said Google.
How does the calculator work? There are two options: users can import data from Google’s AdWords and from their business’s mobile websites; or by entering the information manually. The tool will then calculate the value of search ads, return on investment and value per click for a campaign.
Google said that while the calculator isn’t perfect, it’s simply a starting point for businesses to realise the impact of mobile.
Jason Pellegrino, director and head of mobile ads at Google Australia, told B&T that the tool was built so users can start considering “how they should be optimising their investment in a multi-screen world”.
It’s a handy tool to find out a consumer’s purchase path and seeing the value of each of those conversions along those paths.
Camera – check, Connectivity – check, Community – check.
Now m-Commerce is the way forward
Now we know what the new iPhone 5 means for consumers lets take a look at what the latest launch in the iPhone series could possibly mean for digitally-led marketers.
The key features of the Phone 5 are arguably a new, larger screen, higher quality camera (eight megapix), faster connectivity and a longer battery life.
Content
The increase in screen size comes as good news for content makers who are already focused on mobile and tablets, and is also representative of the trend in consumption of high definition content on the go. It also offers a greater playing field for mobile display ads, giving them the possibility to be richer and more engaging.
The iPhone 5 won’t come with the YouTube app pre-installed, however it will offer new instant Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar. YouTube has created its own app which will be available in the App Store.
Purchase & Payment
Apple is pushing its new closed system Passbook technology, rather than Google Wallet. Passbook is being implemented by brands like Virgin Australia and functionality includes storage of tickets, membership cards, management of check-ins etc. Passbook has in-built live updates – for example late flight departure alerts – and is a step towards the digital wallet that Google has already surpassed. This may be a missed opportunity to give consumers and third parties an open system that works across devices seamlessly.
However, the oportunities for marketers are significant: because Passbook runs continually, users won’t need to open an app to interact with a brand. Using GPS, consumers can be sent a voucher or find out about deals and offers near them while they’re in a shopping centre, for example.
But, one interesting omission is the lack of a near field communication chip (NFC), which had been hotly tipped to be the new way of connecting with consumers, with some outdoor advertising companies already investing in the technology. NFC gives consumers the ability to swipe a phone to pay for purchases and is used by Google’s cash free development Google Wallet and has been trialed, with initial perceived success by some businesses in the UK during the 2012 Olympic period.
Clarity
The new screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio display, which is great for app developers far and wide who will now have to reformat every single app design *sigh. Imagine the cost in aggregate terms… this seems a blunder from Apple. Until the app icons are updated they will display a ’letterboxed’ version.
New capabilities and devices, such as the iPhone 5, offer marketers additional opportunities to enhance consumers’ in-store shopping experience. ‘Showroom’ shoppers are extremely savvy and willing to listen to and engage with brands via their mobile devices; marketers will want to identify and reach out to encourage those shoppers to use their brands’ mobile presence as a key resource while they’re in-store.
Overall, there’s no huge technology leap but It does suggest that marketers who aren’t considering how to reach the consumer on the move already need to immerse themselves in mobile or risk falling behind the pack. M-commerce is the looking like the most important marketing issue to focus on going forward into 2013.
We’ve just been short listed for the 2012 Mobies for an app we built for the University of Newcastle. The handy app is aimed at prospective students who are in the depths of that well known search for the perfect university.
But instead of being elbow deep in prospectuses, future students can research on the go – at work, on the bus, whilst battling it out on Warcraft and all of the other studenty things students do.
Not only did the app provide access ‘on the go’ but it also provided must-know information on student life, the campus, and the wider area of Newcastle as we know how crucial it is for not only local students but more importantly international students to have the very best university experience.
Because the University has an extensive number of degrees on offer, over 200 in fact, it meant that it was sometimes a challenge for students to understand which degree would be right for them. The app helps students to search by Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Honour degree, plus search by multiple categories such as keyword, career and university campus. Prospective students can also watch videos of students who are undertaking courses they might be interested in.
An added bonus the app provided was that we were able to build in Google Maps functionality for all of their campuses. The University of Newcastle is located in stunning bushland and is spread over a vast area, therefore mapping out the journey from class to class was of great importance, after all these guys cram in up to 6 classes per day.
We also made sure students could search the university campus for parking locations and we mapped out quick route walking paths using KML files – showing the quickest path to lecture theatres, cafes, bars, car parks etc to make their day that little bit easier.
The Uni of Newcastle app captures students when they’re away from their computer, increasing the opportunity for engagement with the University in a controlled mobile environment. The result is increased engagement with the University supporting the underlying goal of conveying the strengths of Newcastle’s offering, from academic to social and ultimately to convert prospective students and have them decide to attend UoN to further their learning.
Statistics from iPhone application illustrate this strong engagement:
• 7.41 pages viewed per visit
• Average visit over 17 minutes
This translated to:
• Over 50% visitors to app looked 5 or more pages
• Over 24% looked 10 or more pages
• Over 7% looked 20 or more pages
Importantly, 65% of app users returned to the application. The application provides a convenient, easy to access location for students to return to while in the University ‘shopping’ process.
Most functionality in the app was well trafficked. Highlights include:
• 27% pages used were for the degree guide functionality (one of the core functions of the application allowing students to read about degrees and watch videos from students undertaking courses)
• 15% pages used were for maps function – an advanced mapping integration that permits students to search maps for building, display walking paths, look at both campus and Newcastle points of interest.
Critically
• 5% page views were to contact us page
• 4% were to information on getting into the University
So now that you know a little more about the app, we need you to get voting!
Cast your vote using the button below, then share it with your mates on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter (entries close 23rd August.)
If a mobile app is on your to do list for 2012 you’re not alone. There’s been a huge uptake of smartphones in Australasia and worldwide, led by the runaway success of successive iPhone’s. The eyes – and in many cases cheque books – of many marketing managers and senior executives are focussed on reaching this attractive audience of mobile users.
But once “Create a mobile app” makes it to your task list, the complexity begins. If you’ve been the brains behind multiple Web sites and know your DB from your OS, CMS, SQL, XML and Jquery, it will help. But not as much as you think.
To paraphrase one developer I work with: “It’s an app, not a Web site”.
Back to the future
If you can remember when the Internet was something universities used and your tech team – they were probably called the MIS department then – were saying how great it was to move from the mainframe to PC-based client/server, you might actually be at an advantage.
That’s because mobile apps are essentially client/server programs. They run on a hardware specific operating system, use a set programming language and are deployed (generally) from a centralised location. They can do processing on the device and are usually designed to minimise the amount of data transferred between the program and servers.
But, as a child of the Internet age, they can also take advantage of a global user base and interfaces to Web services like Google maps or connections to eCommerce systems.
This presents all sorts of opportunities for marketers and developers. However, it also presents some real hurdles to work through.
Platforms
It’s taken for granted now that you only have to build one Web site and all users – irrespective of the computer or device they are on – can use it. Even the quirks of different browsers and the necessary workarounds are becoming less of an issue as browser software matures and adheres more closely to Internet standards.
The app world is vastly different. For many marketers looking to have their brands represented in an app the platform decision was, until recently, fairly simple: build it for the iPhone. But now, the rise of Android devices and the improvements in both Android hardware and the platform itself, means that marketers must consider if apps should be released on both platforms.
Whether you work with a partner like First or do your own leg work, it’s important to be informed before finalising your plans. You’ll need to not only weigh up the size and value of the audiences on each platform but also take into account the additional cost and complexity of developing, maintaining, upgrading and managing multiple applications. And there are multiple approaches to be considered including using HTML wrappers as well as building native apps that can take full advantage of the mobile hardware.
“Research shows 60% of Mobile Web users had a problem in the past year when accessing a website on their phone”
In a study by IDC 494.2 million Smartphone units were shipped in 2011. During 2012, worldwide shipments are forecasted to grow 33.5% and at a average growth rate of 18.6% through to 2016 [1]. The rising demand for Smartphone’s is causing a fundamental shift in the way people are accessing the internet. As the world moves more towards mobile devices and away from desktops, an important question that all businesses and organisations are having to address is: “are you maximising your mobile opportunity?”.
If the mobile opportunity is something relatively new to you or something you want to discover more about, then this post is for you. The following outlines five [5] key steps for getting your business/organisation presence in the mobile space by first understanding current trends in mobile user behaviour, particularly in terms of direct mobile-attributed conversions (i.e. purchase) and testing your mobile-friendly site.
Mobile user Behaviour
Below are some of the key findings related directly to mobile internet usage and mobile generated conversions published in a study conducted by Google – “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users” [2].
27% of Smartphone shoppers purchase via Mobile Websites.
74% of Smartphone shoppers made a purchase as a result of using a Smartphone.
76% in-store.
59% online using a computer.
35% Smartphone.
95% of users have looked for local information and a result, 88% of users took action within the same day of which; 77% contacted the business and 44% had purchased.
Among various types of websites, search engine websites were ranked as the most visited website.
From a conversion point of view, these findings suggest people are highly likely to take action as a result of using their Smartphone. In addition to this, given the growing popularity of using mobile payment systems like Google Wallet and PayPal Here, we’re likely to see a growing trend in purchases made via mobile (Smartphone) devices.
From a search perspective, the results suggest people typically engage the same type of behaviours as they would if operating a desktop when searching for information (but in some cases more localised). In turn this is likely to mean that the majority of your non-direct mobile visitors are arriving to your website via a search engine. But just how many of website visitors are mobile visitors? Below we outline steps in Google Analytics to discover how much of your traffic is attributed to mobile.
Analyse
Generate a report in Google Analytics (GA) to identify the trend in mobile visits to your website. In GA you can do this by following the steps below:
Navigate to ‘Standard Reporting’.
Click the ‘Audience’ tab.
Click ‘Mobile’ then ‘Overview’.
Set a date range you would like to see traffic and/or conversion data for. Depending on how long you’ve had Google Analytics installed on your site, we suggest looking at relatively long time periods i.e. six or twelve month periods. Then,
Choose the type of metrics you wish to compare in the chart i.e. Visits vs. Transactions (if you have an eCommerce site).
Reviewing & Analysing the mobile data:
If you want a visual overview of the percentage of mobile attributed visits contribute to total website visits for the date range your have set, click either the percentage icon or the performance icon. From the menu in the top right hand of the table.
In the Mobile Overview Standard Report, the Primary Dimension should be set to Mobile with two line items in the table below with No and Yes. To see only mobile data, next to the search filter click Advanced and enter the following filter settings and click Apply.
You should now only see traffic for mobile data only. In the chart, you will be able to see whether or not mobile data (i.e. visits and conversions) have increased.To drill down a step further, include as a Secondary dimension – Operating System.
To drill down a step further, include as a Secondary dimension – Operating System.
The purpose of this report is to identify what type of mobile devices/operating systems are being used to access your website (e.g. iPhone, Android, and Windows powered mobile devices).
Website Optimisation for Mobile Devices
Purpose: Is a move to add/include a mobile site version into the mix a good idea and why? Are you able to state and clearly justify the benefit a mobile version of your site will bring to your business and to your users? [1] Identify a clear purpose for why you think a mobile site will be of benefit and what reliable data can back this up?
Objectives: Before adding or optimising your website for mobile traffic, it is important to determine what exactly the objectives for the mobile version are. For example the objectives might be to improve number of conversions attributed to mobile traffic, to increase number of mobile visitors to the website, or to simply improve website experience for mobile users. By determining what the specific objectives are, you should then be able to put in place a strategic plan of action towards achieving those objectives.
Make it super simple: Compared to a PC, mobile devices are smaller; therefore display screens are smaller and perhaps with that so are the patience and attention spans of your mobile visitors. Cramming a content filled page fit for a PC-sized web browser into a smart phone display is not much fun for many. So when optimising your site for mobile, based on the objectives for the mobile version, simplify the navigation, minimise the content (text and images), and only put what’s absolutely necessary. The easier your mobile site is for users to use the more likely they will use it.
Call to action: If your mobile site is geared towards increasing online conversions, ensure the call-to-action signals are clear and obvious to users.
Mobile redirects: Whether a visitor from a mobile device is redirected to your website via a search or is referred to as direct, speak to your developer about implementing automatic redirects to the mobile version of your site. Implementing this function will also avoid the effects of either carrier or Google Transcoding your webpages and the possibility of a user having a poor experience with your site through their mobile device
Other alternatives:
If you don’t want to invest significant time/resources into developing a mobile-friendly site, there are a number of hosted platforms you can use to help you stay up to date and manage all the devices and technology for you (e.g. Mobistro.com and Unitymobile.com).
Tracking mobile site activity
It’s important to note, from a tracking perspective, mobile devices essentially fall into two different classes. These can be referred to as “low-end” (i.e. mobile phones with WAP enabled browsers) – mobile devices that do not support JavaScript and “high-end” (i.e. Smartphone’s with full HTML browsers) – mobile devices that support JavaScript.
When tracking visitor activity on your mobile site, if your site has the standard ga.js script and _trackPageview calls then GA should be able to collect data from high-end mobile users. If however you want to ensure your mobile site also tracks activity from low-end mobile users, you will need to implement custom script depending on your server-side language. For details on this see the Google Analytics for Mobile Websites help page.
Whether you decide to have the mobile version of your site on its own .mobi domain or as a sub-domain, and in particular have links on the mobile site to the full site, given the way GA is designed to track single domains, you will need to implement cross-domain tracking.
Resources for testing your site for mobile traffic
GoMo: A Google driven initiative, provides a free tool for testing how your mobile site renders on a Smartphone device. The full report also provides useful advice for further optimising your mobile site.
Mobile Emulators: Test whether or not your current site renders properly using the Gomez Mobile Readiness Test.
Android SDK (testing for Android powered devices only) device emulator shows how your site will appear on Android devices.
W3C mobile checker: is a useful resource for checking how mobile-friendly a specific URL is. The detailed report provides a comprehensive breakdown in order of severity of particular errors that occurred with recommendations to fix the issue.
Take action
The mobile movement is picking up momentum. It’s no doubt with the growing number of mobile/Smartphone devices being activated everyday so will website visits from these devices. If you’re interested in finding out more about how mobile visits are contributing to your overall traffic volume, including understanding mobile visitor behaviour and interaction with your site, speak with us. We can help with providing an in-depth mobile Web Analytics analysis with actionable insights tailored to fit your digital marketing strategy.
lets take a look at what the latest launch in the iPhone series could possibly mean for digitally-led marketers.
