mobileThe idea of sitting down at the desk and powering up a PC to log-in to the Internet already seems a thing of the past nowadays, although Apple launched the first iPhone just 10 years ago, ushering in the age of the mobile Internet.

How fundamentally the devices would shape our lives probably nobody could imagine at that time. The fact is that more and more hours are spent each week on the Internet: here, desktop PCs and notebooks are becoming less relevant to most consumers, while the smartphone is becoming increasingly important. This trend is particularly evident in the case of very young users who are virtually online around the clock via their smartphone.


Mobile changed customer behavior


Our consumption behavior has also changed considerably due to the mobile Internet. Unlike in the past, consumers can design their own customer journey today: they can compare offers, find out independently about products and services and buy them with just a few clicks - always and everywhere. This resulted in completely new rules for marketers in recent years.

Getting deep insights into the behavior and needs of consumers is therefore particularly important. Especially, since today’s consumers are aware of their new position of power and their claims have increased enormously within a short time:

  • While mobile versions of websites, for example, were still the exception a few years ago, they are indispensable today: over half of all consumers tend to turn their backs on a brand if it does not deliver a compelling mobile experience.
  • Another crucial point is the topic of personalization. According to Localytics, 49.2% of smartphone owners use apps more frequently if these apps can respond to the user's personal preferences.


Considering these facts, it is important for brands to align their sales platforms with this development.

Personalization is the alpha and omega

Since the GDPR came into force in 2018, the collection and processing of customer data has become much more difficult. The consent of the customer must be explicit - for each individual channel.

Today, brands are particularly dependent on providing the consumer with added value in return for their data, who expect dynamic content along their individual customer journey. These include personalized product suggestions that always reach consumers in the right situation. Against this background, marketers need to know as much as possible about the consumer, therefore have to capture as much data as possible. A powerful Customer Data Platform (CDP) has proven to be particularly efficient, aggregating all existing customer data and creating comprehensive customer profiles that form the basis for personalized marketing. Modern AI engines ensure that unstructured data masses become tailor-made campaigns in which the individual customer is the focus.

We are just at the beginning

Mobile marketing is the order of the day, since the smartphone is the ultimate interface between brands and consumers. Already next year, about 30% of all advertising expenditures are expected to be invested in mobile, which by now has a far greater significance than, for example, classic TV advertising.

How long smartphones will maintain their momentary importance is uncertain. Industry experts predict that Augmented Reality (AR) will soon see a new era of communication. What is certain, however, is that today no brand can miss out on mobile marketing and the more brands know about their customers, the more effectively they can design mobile marketing. A fully integrated marketing cloud platform makes it possible to guide the customers into the future on their self-determined customer journey.

By Daniela La Marca