Brands are missing out on the potential of smartphones to sell products

According to a European study conducted by PR firm Weber Shandwick, nearly half of consumers (45 per cent) say they prefer to do business with companies that make it easy to interact with them via mobile. But it appears that brands are failing to take advantage of the potential to win over consumers using smartphones. 

When a company's website is easy access through a smart phone, how do you feel?:

As worldwide sales of smartphones are rocketing, growing by 85 per cent in the first quarter of 2011 (according to statistics from Gartner technology research) it makes sense for brands to focus on mobile communication strategies.

Colin Byrne, CEO EMEA at Weber Shandwick, says that as smartphones are a central part of mainstream consumer life, they are becoming the first and only port of call for interaction with the brands and businesses that matter to people. So it’s a shame that brands are not making the most of mobiles. Byrne adds: “The inescapable conclusion to be drawn from our research is that the level of focus and budget currently afforded to mobile by the marketing function is at odds with its importance as a catalyst for socialising content and generating advocacy.”

Consumer's feelings about smartphone interactions with corporates:

Around two-thirds of consumers say their top irritations with company websites is that they are too slow to load and are difficult to navigate on their mobiles. Nearly half (49 per cent) are annoyed about not being able to find out information about local companies. When it comes to getting more information about a product, or even purchasing it, again nearly half of consumers (47 per cent), end up feeling frustrated.

It is vital that brands tailor their services to smartphones if they want to make more sales. One in three consumers say that their purchasing is affected directly by their mobile experience, whether they are using the mobile to decide where to buy a product; are using it to research information about products; or just buy a product because it is so easy to do so using their phone. More than one fifth (21 per cent) of consumers say that they have actually bought something using their mobile in the last year.

About the study

The report Smart Marketing: Mobilising Your Brand was conducted by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research. The perceptions and behaviours of smarlphone users across Europe were examined following a survey of 2,000 adults who have a smart phone, with 400 users in each of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The survey was conducted online between 31st March and 14th April 2011.