As a marketer for your business, you need to be on top of all the digital trends out there. More precisely, you need to be on top of the mobile trends that are happening right now. With more people accessing the web through their phones, it creates more exciting marketing opportunities. Here are some of the trends you need to be aware of as a marketing expert.
- At Home Apps
As you would imagine, ‘at home’ apps have seen a huge boost in popularity over the last year. As people have been working from home, they have been using these apps to make their at home lives easier. For example, many have been using Uber Eats to bring them food directly to their door.
It’s not just food though, as people have been using apps to replace the activities they would normally do outside of the home. For example, exercise apps help those who can’t go to the gym, and finance apps are becoming more popular as people look to get control of their money. Fashion companies have their own apps too, that allow you to order directly from your phone.
Even as restrictions lift, we’re going to see an increase in ‘at home’ apps. Many have found them to be preferable to other services, and they’re certainly more handy as you keep them in the palm of your hand. If you want to reach customers with a service, then you’ll want to look at app development.
- AI Apps And Devices
‘AI feels like a futuristic concept, but you’re using it every day’ says Rubie Coffey, a tech writer for Last Minute Writing and Draft Beyond. ‘There are services like Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant, which are all examples of AI.’ They’re proving to be handy pieces of software for customers, allowing them to check the weather, order items, and search the net just with voice recognition.
Many like to use these AIs as they’re installed on their phones, and make many online tasks easier. For example, have you ever asked Siri where the nearest coffee shop was? It’s often quicker than pulling up Google and looking yourself. While they were seen as novelties in the past, these days many phone users can’t imagine having to use their phone without their AI assistant.
As they’re used, it helps the developers learn more about the user. As a marketer, you can use that data to help give your audience what they’re looking for. With that info, you can see what you can do to make the user experience better.
- Home And Mobile Syncing
You’ll have seen the rise of ‘smart home tech’ that’s allowing users to connect to their home, through their phones. For example, there’s a range of thermostats out there that let you set the temperature through your phone, so you can warm the house up before you get home. There’s also appliances, such as fridges, washing machines, and more that all use smart tech.
Home security is the biggest sector here, though. Through a camera and an app, you can monitor your home, no matter where you are in the world. This is something that many home owners are adopting. It’s great to be able to see who’s at the door before you even open it, and have a record of who has been by your home that day
With this in mind, you can look into how your products can become ‘smart’ products. There’s all kinds of ways home items can be linked to a phone, and their popularity is only growing.
- Location Based Tech
Location based tech is something that has been around for a long time. Download any new app, and chances are you’ll be asked to allow the app to be able to access your location. This allows many apps to give you the service they offer. Uber, for example, needs to be able to access your location in order for a driver to pick you up.
Pokemon Go was another huge app, that needed your location as it tracked you walking around in real time, as you played the game.
There are lots of ways location based tech can be used in marketing, too. Geofencing allows you to send offers to anyone who comes within range of a certain area. It’s great for brick and mortar stores, as they can send out offers to anyone who walks by.
- Augmented Reality
On the subject of Pokemon Go, the app let you explore your local area, overlaying popular Pokemon characters on the real world images on your phone. The game was a huge hit, as business expert Lorraine McColl from Research Papers UK and Writinity explains.
‘The game hit over 800 million downloads, and made over $1.2 billion total revenue. It still has thousands of active users even now. It’s clear that the augmented reality aspect of the game made it a must play.’
This isn’t the only place you’ll see augmented reality on your phone. You can use it on apps like Snapchat and Instagram, as they allow you to add face filters onto pictures.
Augmented reality has a lot of uses when it comes to sales and marketing. Restaurants, for example, can use it to display extra info about their menu items, when the user holds their phone camera over it. It’s also perfect for real time translation, perfect in hospitality sectors where all customers may not speak the same language. You can find ways to use augmented reality to improve the customer experience, and keep them coming back for more.
As you can see, the hottest mobile trends of 2021 are a mix of new tech, new ways of accessing services, and the building upon of existing mobile tech. With these new advancements, companies can take advantage of them and create experiences customers have never seen before. Look into these trends yourself, and see how you can use them in your own products.
Alex Dubinski is an experienced marketing expert, and currently writes for Lucky Assignments Bristol and Gum Essays. When he’s not working, he loves to read and write, enjoy good food, and travel.