Mobile Marketing Trends and Strategies
As consumers increasingly use their smartphones to make retail purchases both in-store and online, mobile payment apps are becoming ubiquitous. Savvy merchants know that following this and other mobile marketing trends will help them acquire new customers and keep them engaged.
These days, a full 87% of consumers have at least one fintech app on their smartphone, and 28% have three or more.1 The appetite for mobile is even greater in Asia, where 97% of consumers have downloaded at least one app.2
With each new app and productivity tool comes new opportunities for merchants to attract new customers from around the world—and new opportunities for the payment facilitators on which they depend.
Mobile commerce trends to watch and capture
Residents of countries that are leaders in emerging payments are shopping online and via mobile phones, relying on digital wallets, in ever-increasing numbers.
Globally, the use of digital wallets is growing. In fact, a majority of consumers (53%) have used a digital wallet in the past 90 days, while consumers in Asia continue to prefer this method, with 70% of consumers having used a digital wallet in the same time period.2
Consumer preferences for mobile wallets in-store are also gaining. One study reported that consumer use of mobile wallets for in-store transactions rose in the U.S. by 13%, in Australia by 14% and in Singapore by 18%.3
Among the top mobile marketing trends and strategies that are familiar to international consumers—and ones that brands can leverage to capture more traffic—include:
1. Social commerce
Social media sites with global reach now allow users to click directly through to a company’s website to “Learn More” or purchase a featured product. Some sites have even launched native in-app payment capabilities, making checkout more seamless and more immediate for customers all over the world. Web developers can offer merchants valuable advice when it comes to designing a mobile-optimized site.
2. Use of “Near Me” searches
Whether at home or while traveling, “Near Me” searches on web mapping platforms have increased rapidly in recent years. Consumers everywhere are curious about which local businesses can meet their immediate needs.
Make sure your business shows up on these platforms and that your profile and contact details (including web address) are complete.
3. Holistic value propositions to target mobile users
Some mobile search functions are designed to address consumers’ desires in a more holistic way. Instead of targeting a narrow category of goods and services, for example, these searches provide valuable information on dining, transportation, entertainment and even basic needs like nearby drugstores.
Online and mobile marketing strategies for retailers abound worldwide
While many businesses are prepared to welcome a customer at either a physical location or digitally (e.g., mobile or desktop), best-in-class retailers always consider how to reduce checkout friction by focusing on emerging payments and overall acceptance. Each of the channels should be considered and optimized:
1. Mobile payment adoption
If you haven’t made the shift to accepting digital payments from platforms like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, you could be missing out. Consumers continue to prefer convenient and fast ways to pay, including tap-and-pay and contactless. Indeed, Discover® Global Network reports a 154% increase in contactless transit volume globally in 2022 (year over year).4 And when given the choice, 51% of consumers prefer to make in-person payments using a contactless method of payment.2 To reach all these consumers, consider shifting your brick-and-mortar and digital point-of-sale (POS) acceptance toward contactless cards and digital wallets. Savvy payments partners can help you get there.
2. Social Payments and Chatbots
Large-scale social media platforms have given brands the ability to use chatbots to quickly engage consumers in a conversion-oriented conversation. This strategy could allow you to welcome customers to your brand faster and on channels they’re already accustomed to using—even before they visit your business online or in-person.
3. Optimize Local Search
Take advantage of the uptick in “Near Me” searches by ensuring that you’re pursuing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps customers easily find your business. And talk to your web developer about making your payment acceptance standards highly visible in your mobile presence.
4. Secure Remote Commerce (SRC)
Also known as Click to Pay, SRC is a payment technology based on EMV® specifications that gives consumers what they most want in a payment experience: security, speed, and convenience. Instead of shoppers entering card information for each new merchant transaction, that data is stored and tokenized by their card network and can be used wherever they see the Click to Pay icon.
5. Accept All Card Brands
Consumers actively seek businesses that accept their preferred way to pay, whether at home or traveling internationally. Your payments partner can upgrade your system to accept a variety of payment methods and card brands, so you can capture this international business. Discover® Global Network, for example, is expanding its global reach through a growing number of international network-to-network partnerships, so cards from around the world can be accepted.
Bringing best practices throughout mobile marketing
With mobile commerce continuing to rise around the globe, a forward-thinking, omnichannel strategy is essential. Successful retailers are prioritizing the need to stay visible to the mobile-centric shopper and aren’t shy about advertising the payment methods they accept. At the same time, payments partners who can help these merchants accept the full spectrum of payments available today—including mobile and contactless payments from every card brand—are winning new and repeat business.
- EMV® is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC.
- 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence. Custom survey commissioned by Discover, August 2022.
- 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, July 2022. “2022 Global Consumer Fintech Survey: Key Findings.”
- PYMNTS, September 2022. “How the World Does Digital.” Viewed 24 July 2023.
- Discover Global Network, Tableau transit contactless sales data.
The information provided herein is sponsored by Discover® Global Network. It is intended for informational purposes, and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.