English: A pile of mobile devices including sm...

English: A pile of mobile devices including smart phones, tablets, laptops and ebok readers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I recently returned from a family gathering in Illinois. On Thanksgiving Day, we had about 23 of us, ranging in age from about 5 years to 82 years, under my parents’ roof.

As I looked around the living room on Thanksgiving Day, I saw my nieces, nephews and daughters glued to their smart phones, readers and gaming devices—texting friends, reading books or playing games—while the Macy’s parade and football games played in the background. We learned from FaceBook a few days earlier that one of my nieces got engaged—my sister stumbled across her post just hours after our niece had left us at the house. No phone call to share this exciting news, just a FaceBook post with photo of her new diamond ring.

So why am I writing about this in a marketing blog?

Obviously, we are more connected than ever before and using our smart phones and tablets for our entertainment, socializing, scheduling and more. Mobile technology is playing a bigger-than-ever role in all our lives.

And if that doesn’t get you thinking about what role mobile can play in your business, here are some stats pulled from recent articles to jumpstart your thinking.

It’s all about convenience

It’s no secret we’re all busy. Shopping during the holiday season only adds another layer to our never-ending “to-do” lists. Convenience is key and mobile technology and shopping apps can make shopping easier and more efficient than ever before.

  • A Deloitte study estimates that about 68% of smart phone users will use their mobile devices for holiday shopping this year. While Black Friday used to be the barometer for the holiday shopping season, that seems to be changing as the study reports that sales on Cyber Monday (the online follow-up to Black Friday) has increased 41% since 2010. Here’s an infographic that suggests the increase is all about convenience.
  • A survey from CouponCabin.com found that the majority of smart phone users will use their devices to research potential items before they buy, and more than half say they will actually make a purchase using a mobile device.
  • According to a recent BDO USA survey, retailers now see that social media is essential to their marketing efforts. Additionally, the use of mobile devices for shopping and buying is way up. Google reports that four out of five consumers will use their mobile devices to shop this year. While print and television are still among the top spends for chief marketing officers, digital channels are getting a bigger share of marketing dollars this year, which means retailers are shifting their advertising dollars to social media and other online avenues to reach consumers on the go.
  • More than 20% of U.S. retailers are planning to increase their spending in mobile, social or email marketing this holiday season. Forty-nine percent
[49%] of retailers have invested in mobile applications over the past year, while 43% have optimized their websites for mobile platforms.
  • An increasing number of moms are online and half of them participate in social media via their mobile devices. Here’s a link to a Nielsen infographic that shows how moms are spending their time online.

What does this mean for your company?Mobile is growing…and growing fast. If it isn’t already a part of your marketing strategy, it’s too late for this holiday season. But it’s not too late for next year. Find out what (and who) you’re missing and what the potential is for your business.

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