Why It Is Now Critical To Build Mobile-Only Marketing Strategy With more than 50% of e-commerce customers in India are transacting on mobile, it is now critical to have a robust mobile marketing agenda.

This year, India overtook the US as the world's second-largest user of smart-phones (after China). This was also the year Reliance Jio added 160 mn users within a year of its launch. Add to that the government's planned investment of USD 75bn in road, rail and port connectivity programs and mobile commerce seems ready to take off in this country. According to the 2017 ASSOCHAM-Resurgent India study, Indian e-retail is expected to touch USD 17.52 bn this year.

Digital media consumption in India has already shifted towards mobile and other handheld devices. According to B L Mittal, founder, Sastasundar, more than 50% of e-commerce customers in India are transacting on mobile, hence, it is now critical to have a robust mobile marketing agenda.

Mittal has integrated his e-commerce process to be adaptable to any device and consumer preference. Customers can now transact on the platform via the website, mobile website or mobile app which is available on Android, iOS and Windows.

"It is hyper-critical for B2C businesses to have a mobile commerce driven strategy. We have seen an exponential growth in customer engagement and retention after we launched our mobile app, thus highlighting the importance of mobile-only marketing. For B2B businesses, it depends on the business model and target audience. For B2C it is absolutely a must," emphasised Mittal who now has 92% customer retention as re-ordering medicines on the app can be done with just one click. Also, the mobile app has been his major source of customer acquisition.

Crucial To Design Mobile-only Marketing Campaigns

However, there exist serious divides between the urban, semi-urban and rural demography of India. The state of connectivity with wire is in an extremely languishing state in the country except in the big cities. In this reality, wireless mode of connectivity will usher in the digital escalation in the country.

According to Dipanjan Purokayastha, Founder, Hyperxchange, an East India based business that sells refurbished premium phones, laptops and cameras - computing device for India has to be handy, long-lasting and inexpensive. "Smartphone is the only feasible solution, and our country will eventually shun the traditional computing system to espouse a mobile-enabled mode of operation. With smartphone being the gadget used by the mass, mobile marketing strategy becomes imperative. It, therefore, gets crucial for digital marketers to design mobile-only marketing solutions," he opined.

Reach Out To Users Where They Are

More and more Google searches now take place on mobile devices; Twitter users are accessing the net largely on mobile phones and mobile commerce is fast replacing e-commerce through desktop or laptops.

Hence, it is prudent to reach out to the users where they are, and it is anybody's guess now that they are on their smart-phones. By creating and delivering content that's easy to access, read and share with mobile phone users, you can market your products and services, very efficiently.

Dipak Agarwal, founder, Onex Solutions Private Limited, feels with more and more individuals getting smartphone-dependent, where their only digital access is through their phone, a mobile-first marketing strategy is the need of the hour. "We are fast switching to mobile phones to search, browse, engage in social media or carry out e-commerce deals. As the trend is seeing an upsurge and is going to dominate it is critical make the mobile user experience a marketing priority," he concluded.