Create a Mobile Website

QR Code hung in large format over Madison Square Garden, June 2010.  Finally the "Code" is getting some traction here in the US.

Linking  the physical world with digital information is a fundamentally exciting aspect of being mobile.  Within a few short years augmented reality will become main stream as businesses begin to push new applications using a mobile device to overlay the physical world with digital information such as names of places, store info, and real-time information.  Meanwhile there is an easy link between physical and mobile and it doesn't cost anything to use it!

One very early connector of the mobile web and the physical world is the QR code.  QR stands for “quick response”.  It was developed by Japanese corporation Densu-Wave in 1994.  QR codes are very popular in Japan and by now you’ve  likely seen this square box with the black and white blocks inside, as they are used more frequently every day.  The picture at the top of this post shows a QR code prominently draped over Madison Square Garden in New York.  UPS and Fedex use them as do many manufacturers.  They simply carry much more information than an 'old time' bar code.

                              

Old Time Bar Code                            Very Smart QR Code
Not Much Information                       Contains lots of information



Basically QR codes work like this –  The phone must have QR reading software installed (takes less than a minute to install and is free).  Using the camera of the mobile device, the phone software will translate the QR code and deliver back to the user whatever you want–a mobile website, video, pricing information or actually even kick off an application like charging for a product.  

The cell phone needs a QR code reader to work, and in Japan phones come with this software already installed.  Google's mobile Android operatingsystem supports the use of QR codes by natively including the barcode scanner (ZXing) on some models.

Today MoFuse has many clients who use QR codes in interesting ways.  One publisher adds them to magazine articles to drive people from the physical pages of a publication to their mobile phone web page that carries a special offer.  Another publishes QR codes on the jackets of books and when translated, brings people to a mobile web page with more information about the author and book.

Marketers take note, when you use QR in advertising you can find out a lot about your mobile web audience.  People who translate a QR code are delivered to your mobile site - which  is fired up when the QR code is read.  Your mobile web analytics will then give you insight into who is interacting with your brand via the QR code.

If you want to try them out you can go to qrcode.mofuse.com to create your code.  Just fill in the URL that you want your customers to go to when the QR is read.  We’ll give you the 2D bar code to copy and publish anywhere.  You can also select from many sizes of QR code depending on the use.  Place the QR code on physical locations to connect people to your mobile URL.   QR is just one of many exciting mobile web tools that will help you integrate physical and mobile.

The mobile phone has become so important to our everyday existence that we feel lost without it!  

It is truly a personal digital tool that has transcended it’s “phone-i-ness”.  The killer app started simply as the “voice phone” – imagine you could connect live with any person – from anywhere and any time of day.  Next, and building this past year, it has been about connecting this device to the Internet – The Mobile Web.

By connecting the mobile device to the Internet, the “phone” has become a personal web enabled information machine.  You can get to a portable website, and handle any web based application – anywhere you are. Suddenly it is in fashion to make your website mobile friendly.

Today we are standing at the forefront of the next evolutionary chapter – and retailers need to listen up!

That ‘oh-so-indispensible’ device is about to give your wallet a run for its money. 

By linking our personal mobile device to everyday transactions, enter the next “can’t do without”  – mobile commerce.   Purchase anything, anywhere – and use the device to move currency! 

There are 3 formats most often used for mobile commerce today:


With all of this focus on new mobile payment formats,   every retailer needs to have mobile commerce on their radar now.  Mobile web readers will soon become mobile web buyers.

How will mobile payments help to ease transactions between buyers and sellers?  What do you need to do now to prepare for this inevitable future?

We present the top 10 things every retailer should know now about mobile commerce:

1. Mobile Internet usage continues to grow – US mobile web usage alone grew over 110% in 2009.  Retailers that do not have a mobile commerce site will be behind the curve in 2010 as more people conduct transactions on mobile.

2. Mobile Drives In- Store Commerce – Mobile search for a retail locations will become among the number one uses for the device.  Store locators on mobile sites are a quick way to assure that the mobile consumer will find you when they are out and about. 

3. Shopping All The Time – Further breaking the ‘bricks & mortar’ boundaries, mobile retail allows customers to make transactions even when they aren’t in front of the computer.

4. Powering the Impulse  – The mobile Internet is great for impulse shopping. Mobile couponing and in store discounts really help to create excitement for buying.

5. Comparison shopping  – Mobile sites help customers to comparison-shop while they are out and about – further in store comparison shopping will be huge! 

6. Inventory management– Consumers can check in-store availability via a retailer’s mobile site the ultimate great experience for your customers.

7. Marketing  – Retailers can ask consumers to opt-in to receive coupons, special offers and ongoing mobile “just in time” specials. 

8. Check order status wherever, whenever – A mobile site also serves as a 24/7 customer service representative. Consumers can check their order status right from the retailer’s mobile site.

9. Location-based services – Retailers can use mobile to target consumers who have opted-in and are close to their retail locations. Special promotions by geography will be  welcomed by those who choose to receive them.

10. True Multichannel and Brand Alignment – Be there or be square - that's right- your teenagers will get it immediately.  The mobile channel needs to be a part of any retail brands offering.


The Top 10 adapted  from information provided byGiselle Tsirulnik, Article from The Mobile Marketer

If you could compare how many people visited your desktop website using a mobile phone last January versus this January, you would likely be very shocked. 

How do you find that out?  You’ll need to interpret the log files from your website or use a site analytics package like Google Analytics.  Seeing the mobile traffic that is already trying to access your site is an enlightening experience.  It will give you instant insight into the shifting habits of your site visitors. 

Why should you care? 
If you don't have a site specifically created for mobile, then their experience is likely very poor. If your current site has Flash, Java or other popular site technologies - the mobile experience will be bad.  It is about your brand experience!

Traffic from mobile devices has taken a dramatic jump over the past year.  Smartphones, better data plan pricing and available bandwidth are contributing factors to the increased activity.  Just take a look at the newest statistics regarding mobile web traffic from Quantcast. 

Web traffic from mobile devices increased 110% in North America over the past year and 148% globally, according to a new study by Quantcast.  Putting it in to perspective, this is only a small fraction of overall Web traffic (1.3% of all North American page views in December 2009). Last August Admob reported that traffic doubled within that month from iPhone users alone!




The nature of that mobile traffic is changing too – hold on – iPhone is no longer the only platform you  need to consider. The Quantcast study shows that the dominance of the iPhone is being eroded by emerging competitors like Android.  Recently page views from the Droid in North America overtook RIM’s Blackberry.  Gee, that was fast!  Apparently Droid had over 12% of the North American page views helping Google's Android operating system surpass the BlackBerry OS.

In 2010, Quantcast expects growth of the mobile web's share of page views in North America to increase a full percentage point to 2.3%. Globally, mobile's share will increase from 0.95% to over 1.8%. A host of new devices from manufacturers Motorola, HTC and BlackBerry will fuel that growth this year.

So what does this mean for your business?  You should  be prepared for mobile visitors now.  You need to build a mobile website - like the largest media companies have had for years now (for example: m.cnn.com, m.weather.com or m.espn.com).  Developing a mobile website is easy and inexpensive with mobile platforms like MoFuse.  You can do it yourself or have someone build it for you in no time.

Oh yes- it matters very much.

It’s happening before our eyes, the mobile web is growing up.  Exactly one week ago Google announced that it was acquiring mobile advertising industry leader, AdMob.

What does this mean?

The mobile web really is (as we’ve said 100 times before) a separate and important digital medium that you can no longer ignore. Google knows that mobile devices represent the largest penetration of any technology on the planet.   There are about 1 Billion desktop computers in the world and nearly 1 Billion Automobiles, but there are 4 Billion mobile devices!  With all of that reach (and attention) somebody will make money monetizing the mobile real estate that is accessed on all of those devices. The growth of the mobile web is just beginning.

We will look back on this event as a defining moment for the industry.  

This strategic acquisition by Google sends a strong signal that the mobile web is ready for prime time.    It signals that Google understands that traffic on the mobile web will no longer be guided by the carrier's initial landing page ('on deck' as it is termed in the industry).  Google has seen a 5X mobile search growth over the past 2 years.  Usage patterns of the mobile web have evolved significantly and are proof that people will seach, find destinations and link to mobile web pages directly- the same behaviors as the desktop web.  This movement 'off deck', away from the carriers 'guiding' you to the sports, news, weather  or any sites THEY want you to see, is a key change.   With more eyeballs, going to more mobile sites on their own -   more publishers will be able to make money on mobile advertising. 

AdMob is a leader in mobile advertising and supplies superior services for serving mobile ads and equally as important, for reporting on mobile web analytics.  Ad analytics give you insight into your mobile web readers or visitors, and include data such as: how many clicked, what kind of device were they using, what carrier, where were they on the globe when they responded, etc.   Serving ads to mobile devices is more complex than on the desktop web.  There are a relative handful of device types and web browsers on the desktop, but for mobile there are nearly 5,000 different devices worldwide.

Google’s acquisition of AdMob clears up the question- Is Mobile A Separate Channel?– it is. 

They acquired this mobile ad leader so they can "bring new innovation and competition to mobile advertising, and will lead to more effective tools for creating, serving, and analyzing emerging mobile ads formats."    They see it as a new channel and you should too.

What Does This Mean To You?

Often people ask us – why can’t I just use the ads that are being served on my desktop website, or why won't my ads from the desktop show up on mobile?  Mobile is a separate channel and there is a distinct audience with a specific demographic profile that you will want to understand and address.   Why only get ad revenue from your desktop site when you can also design and host a mobile website that will give you advertising revenue for a new class of customers – your mobile audience.

It is time to make your site mobile and discover the newest channel for reaching a global audience - ready to experience mobile ads!

Some of you are wondering why we can’t just take your desktop site and squeeze it down real small so that people can see and do the same things on the mobile web.   As my grandmother used to say “you can’t put 10 pounds of sugar in to a 5 pound bag”. 

So where to you begin to think about mobilizing your site?

Start simple:  Think of 3 to 5 elements of your current desktop site that you would want on your mobile site.  Then consider the mode that your mobile viewer will be in.  What are the kinds of things that they will want  to do when they are ‘on the go’.  Is it comparison shop?  Find directions to your store?  See a sample menu or get your weekly ‘mobile in-store coupon deal’?

If you really don’t know where to begin to create a mobile website, here’s a tip: It’s highly likely that you already have mobile traffic that is trying to access your big, giant desktop site on the tiny screen.  What is it they are trying to do?

Start by asking your IT department to look at the log files of your desktop site and tell you where mobile traffic is going now.  It will give you enormous clues about where they go when they are mobile and hunting around your desktop site for functions. 

Once you figure out those 3 to 5 things that might make for a great mobile experience – test it out!

The good news is you don’t have to be a member of the IT department to build a mobile website now.  Creating and managing that site can be done by the marketing team by using mobile web tools like the MoFuse Premium platform.

Platforms like MoFuse make it simple enough that you can test and modify your mobile site very easily and for no extra cost.  Ask your customers, or "spy" on what they are doing today when they access your heavy desktop site with mobile devices – you’ll get a very good idea of where to start.

We get asked all of the time: Do I really need a mobile site? Or won’t the mobile phone browser just show my desktop website? Do I really need to develop a Mobile Website? (see answers below)

The best way to understand what happens when someone accesses the desktop version of your website on a mobile phone is to try it. Also try it on several different devices. You will quickly see that your desktop site probably looks unusable on every phone. The exception may be the iPhone, but consider people do not like to point, pinch and squeeze their way to your information!

Here is an example of a website for the Common Angels and what it looks like on a Blackberry. The left is their desktop URL typed into the mobile browser, the right is a MoFuse built site.

        

No Mobile site                MoFuse Site

Try this yourself, input their desktop based URL www.commonangels.com. On the right we built a site on the MoFuse for Business platform, a very simple site that took us less than 20 minutes. The MoFuse site is very basic but we made the website mobile friendly. Look at http://commonangels.bxs.mobi on your cellphone, it will help you to understand what we mean.

There will be no magic bullets to automate sites for mobile devices. You simply cannot automatically push (or 'scrape') the information from your desktop website to create a mobile friendly version, without some human design. Sites for mobile devices take rethinking, they also require mobile web tools that help manage your mobile website for all devices.

Answers from above:

No
A mobile handset browser will never perform magic with your desktop site. It cannot figure out what to place on that tiny screen with priority. Therefore I’m afraid you will need to build a mobile website. To create a mobile website it will take some rethinking of your mobile audience and what they need. The message and design should to follow the form… therefore consider what it will take to make your website mobile.

Yes
You need a mobile website. Juniper predicts 1.7 Billion people will be accessing the web with a mobile device by 2013. You need to be there so they can find you! The time is now to create your mobile customers to your brand.