Mobile marketing and m-commerce

When deciding on whether to use mobile marketing or m-commerce solutions in your business, you should consider the following points:

• How mobile marketing fits into your marketing plan. Will you use it to market your product or service, acquire or retain customers, or solely as a sales tool?
• Your target audience and how they use mobile devices. Consider whether a mobile application is necessary for them.
• Whether a mobile application or service would improve your current product or service. For example, you could switch from paper discount vouchers to SMS-based vouchers.
• If your competitors use mobile devices or applications, how do they use them? Are they successful, and how could you improve your own strategy? 

You also need to consider the most effective mix of mobile content that will benefit your business.  

There are several options for developing content for m-commerce and mobile marketing. Some of the options you could consider are: 

• mobile applications - this includes social networking apps, rich media content, instant messaging platforms, games or viral content 
• mobile websites - websites that are designed for ease of use on a mobile device
• location-based services - eg mobile services that use the users' location to personalise the content that is served

Generating revenue

There are a number of ways you can make money through m-commerce and mobile marketing.

One simple way is to allow your product or service to be purchased through a mobile-friendly website. Often a responsive website template is used to change the look and feel of your website, to make it more accessible to mobile users. See mobile web design best practice.