Convertising the connected customer

IAB – Belgium’s Think Digital at The Egg in Brussels today…After a great edition last year, I came with high expectations and in the end I got what I’ve paid for: Convertising the connected customer as the big challenge for every company, advertiser, …. the next 3 to 5 years. We’re entering great times where customers have a different media consumption, use different devices and connect through new applications. As a company, organisation (and advertiser for shure) you need to know how this will affect your business.  I’m going to quote a tweet a saw during the day to prove my point : “heard a lot about second screens today while many companies still struggle to use/optimize just one screen” . In this quote lays the challenge for everybody in us….society is changing, media consumption is changing, …. but companies keep doing business as usual…Time to act, time to change, time to start “convertising”

QR code engages [updated - August 15, 2011]

You’ve seen them around probably….the 2D QR codes. If you’ve seen them, but wondered what they are all about? Well, that’s easy: through your smartphone camera and app you take a picture of the QR code.  This picture gives you access to more and information….marketeers discover new opportunities, and note that these QR code engage people to connect to the product of service.

USA Today had a good article on this lately, giving some really good examples on how QR tags can be used into everyday business, engaging consumers.

• Real estate agents are placing them on for-sale signs. This way interested buyers step up to the signs/house, scan the tag and receive extra information (including pictures, ….). This way people can make a better informed decision on how to proceed further.
• Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition is offering special, exclusive video of its models from QR codes placed throughout the magazine.
• Tim McGraw and Dave Matthews use these 2D QR codes that give access to free music videos and chances to sign up for their mobile fan clubs. A visit to Tim McGraw’s digital environment shows that they are definitely leading the way.
• AXA bank invites you into their televion add and lets you discover a new app.
  
• Pizza Express uses the QR codes together with a payment app: multichannel QR
  

Again this new and handy tool  is becoming very successful.  The use of the mobile code boosted with 700% in one year time…..watch out and engage!

PSFK on the future of mobile tagging – QR codes and how to use them in a mobile world

Pro’s and Con’s of the QR codes

Pro’s:

• Easy to use
• QR codes are trackable and can give some great information on the use
• Easy connection between online and mobile
• QR codes are cost effective

Con’s:

• It’s not augmented reality like Blippar or Layar
• You need a QR reader (although most of them are free of charge)
• Scanning a QR code can take a long time/process (that’s why most people use QR codes at home – see research)

Current research

[Update - April 4, 2011]
eMarketer has posted some research on QR Codes. Nearly 2/3 of smartphone users have seen QR codes and 1/3 has used them…QR is becomming bigger and bigger. Enticing and engaging through these QR codes is finally taking off

[Update - August 12, 2011]
Trough comScore datamine a set of new interesting figures on QR codes is ready for use! EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK) see increased QR code use. 9,8%  of the smartphone users admit to have scanned a QR code in June 2011. All together 10,7 mio EU5 people have used a QR code (US: 14 million – which means the total EU use of the QR code will be bigger then the US).
Remarkebly  57,4% of those users are scanning the QR codes at home! This is interesting to know, which means they are scanned through newspapers, magazines, even television….and not on the street (20%), in stores (17,8%) or supermarkets (17,2%). Althuogh the study doesn’t reveal insights on why people merely scan at home, I can guess why! (The availability of a good internetconnection through Wi-Fi, and the time to digg deeper into a topic will probably score high pionts!)

What’s the demographic profile of the QR code user?

• Between 18 and 44 years old
• mostly male (60%)
• higher income

Use of QR codes

[Update - June 14, 2011]
How to get the most out of QR codes!?

• Make it smartphone friendly, since most QR codes are scanned through smartphone you better make shure the content is smartphone friendly!
• Educate your customers on how to use teh QR code…let them feel the added value (you can work with a temporary promotion through the QR code)
• Show the free apps….QR app, Optiscan, NeoReader, … so people can scan your QR codes
• Create a VIP feeling when people use teh QR code (VIP access, discounts, ….)

[Update - March 4, 2011: I'm adding the cool infograph Mashable posted today....]
This infograph gives a good overview on how, who and when QR codes are being used.  It’s time we get into 2nd gear….a keep track with Japan. But then again, Japan is already ahaed when it comes to mobile thinking and consuming!]

Mobile will boost earlier than 2014!

Predictions only value that moment in time….but….we all know Mobile is the future. Predictions were that by 2014/2015 mobile web will have taken over the “traditional” web.  At this moment important people, like Google’s CEO (Eric Schmidt), see this evolution speeding up….which means 2014/2015 is not accurate…it looks like 2011/2012 will be the turning point for mobile web!

Off course the explosion of tablet (and even more with the new release of iPad 2) and smartphones sales are the motor behind this mobile shift.  We see youngsters with smartphones, business men with tablets and smartphones, and families with tablets….all adopting to the mobile world.  A few key elements and figures to make this point are:

• During the Super Bowl Game Chrysler was searched 102 times through the mobile web, compared to 48 desktop searches
• 78% of smartphone users, use their smartphone while they’re shopping (online retail – but certainly web influenced retail!)
• Content providers and platforms are investing in mobile Ad’s (to be ready!),and launching mobile adjusted services for the mobile devices. (f.i. Facebook bought Rel8tion and Beluga…pretty handy in a mobile environment)
• Mobile users are more active on social networks than desktop users
• ….

Can we stop this? NO! We need and will adapt to this new mobile world, where customers are smarter, better off and empowered!

More info on numbers of 2010: look at Mobile world in numbers
If you want to take a look at the mobile retail future be shure to check my mobile future page (in the flat education section).

We’re online!

77% of the Belgian people was online in 2010, where only 66% was in 2009….

Internet is penetrating very fast! If we look at Western European countries we see Belgian being average, where The Netherlands and Germany are still ahead with 92% en 86% access to the Internet.  What’s more interesting is to look into the Flat World habits of these people.  Apparently they go online daily to check and send mail (93%), or do PC banking (66%).  Almost 50% uses the internet to find news and educational applications, less popular are online video calls or phone calls.

These online connection was most of the time through a classical Internet connection at home, and only 15% was online through a mobile device (and 4% through their Smartphone). Wait and see….the next years where Mobile will gain a lot! This is an important shift, since we use our mobile device for more than just checking mail, or finding news….we buy through our Mobile device. If I look around me, I see most young people with a smart phone using it to go online, connect to social media, and probably start shopping soon!

Mobile World Congress – Integration on softwarelevel! [updated]

Mobile =near Future, but mobile needs its upgrade off course.

Since devices can handle a lot of flat world traffic, networks are getting better so connection is almost everywhere available….it’s time for the next step:
The software – update….The first signal on this new era was given by Nokia an Mircosoft, last week, when they announced they would make an integrated smartphone of the Nokia hardware knowhow, integrated with the microsoft software, and therefore developing an new mobile ecosystem! People have already called it  the cooperation of the losers….because both companies didn’t do well in the mobile world, where Apple and Google (with the Android platform embraced by Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson) are setting to lines!

And if we look at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (14 – 17 February 2011) we see a huge accent on mobile software. The Apps stores a making money big time, 15 billion dollar as predicted for 2011 (according to a Gartner study)…..

Android taking over the world!

1 out of 4 smartphones is running the Android system (when one year ago onolu 1 out of 25 was). Samsung was alraedy running Android, and will introduce an updated version of the Galaxy Tab in 2011 (price unknown). But the next big implementation of the Android platform will be the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the PlayStation Phone…runnin all major games, and is a SmartPhone! The market is open and will be a playing field for Google (Android), Apple (iOS) and Microsoft (Windows Phone)….but in the end consumer will win, and choose the best system for his personal use, interest and needs.

Mobile Internet Explorer 9 on its way

Microsoft will launch an new veriosn of Mobile Internet Explorer in 2011, and will run on Windows Phone 7. It will be equiped with Twitter, a copy/paste application, ….

If you ‘re at MWC…please inform us on what you think is the future of mobile!