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Mobile Search The Next Big Thing
nnual mobile phone sales Up until now most advertisers
are predicted to hit 1 have been ignoring mobile as a
billion by 2009 and there marketing channel, according to a
are already 4 times as many new report by Forrester Research
internet-enabled phones in the called "Interactive Marketing
world than there are PC's. Channels to Watch in 2007." It
suggests that only 13 percent of
According to Dotmobi marketers use mobile text message
(www.dotmobi.net), one third of ads and only 11 percent bother
the global population are advertising on wireless
connected via mobile phones today application protocol (WAP) sites.
and approximately half are It seems clear that advertisers
expected to be using a mobile are waiting for evidence that the
Internet phone by 2008. An IPSOS market is there before deciding
survey suggests that 29% of to jump in themselves.
mobile phone users in the UK
searched for news and information Barrier and limitations to growth
on their handset during 2005.
Despite the huge number of people
The statistics are impressive and that have access to the mobile
will get any marketers pulse internet there are a number of
racing. But it does seem as if barriers to mobile web adoption.
we've been hearing about the For example;
potential of mobile search market
for some time, and yet very few 1. Cost and clarity - carrier
travel companies appear to be data plans can be expensive and
active in the mobile search space confusing compared to normal
and mobile e-commerce revenues internet access plans.
are still modest.
2. Screen Size - the limited
screen size of many hand sets than through mobile phones.
negatively impacts the user's
browsing experience. Mobile is the perfect advertising
platform
3. Ease of use - due to the
limited screen size there is an Despite these barriers to growth
increased number of clicks needed travel companies cannot afford to
to get to content. ignore the e-commerce and
marketing potential of this
4. Lack of content - there is a platform. All of the barriers to
'walled garden' approach to the growth outlined above will be
content offered by many mobile overcome over time as technology
network operators which means improves and network and content
that not all mobile users get providers adapt their services to
full access to content. facilitate the growth. The issue
is not really whether the mobile
Competition - the WiFi explosion search market will make an
impact, but how it will make an
Another factor that may have impact.
impacted on the growth of mobile
internet usage is the increasing In many ways mobile is the
availability of high-speed WiFi perfect advertising platform.
internet access in many public It's always with the consumer,
areas. Airports, hotels, bars, it's always on, it provides
libraries and commercial shopping personal profiling data, it
centres are increasingly offering provides location data, it's
WiFi, and it's often free. This interactive and it has multiple
has encouraged users to use billing options already built in.
laptops and PDA's to access the
internet while on the move rather At present the major bulk of
mobile searches are related to
ring tones, news, entertainment, Mobile marketing spend to reach
maps and directions, directory $11 billion by 2011
listings, local restaurants and
other local services. As many as A recent report by the telecom
60,000 UK users a day are division of Informa Group stated
checking train times on their that advertisers are expected to
mobile phones. spend a massive $11 billion on
mobile marketing by 2011.
Local search is clearly the Optimistic predictions like this
natural mobile advertising have compelled the major search
opportunity. Going forward, more engines to start making
complex searches and bigger significant investment in the
transactions will become viable future of mobile search
as technology advances and users themselves.
become more comfortable with
using their handsets for Google have predicted that their
searching. own mobile division, based in
London, will "become the biggest
In a recent Travelmole interview, driver of new business" for the
Nancy Lyndhurst, the product company.
manager for O2, said some of the
larger travel brands like Cathay Google has developed its own
Pacific, Accor Hotels and KLM are mobile search engine and has
already successfully marketing signed a number of deals to
with mobile technology. She also provide mobile search services to
cites the example of Lastminute major operator portals. Motorola
who received a £3,000 holiday have even agreed to add a
booking online from a customer dedicated "Google" button to some
using their mobile telephone. of its hand sets. LG, one of the
top 5 mobile firms in the world, will be bringing services to the
have announced that they will new mobile search space.
start to ship handsets pre-loaded
with Google services from this It's clear that the major search
month. properties, in partnership with
the phone manufacturers and
Yahoo has unveiled a new network services, are intent on
application called Yahoo Go driving the mobile search sector
Mobile which makes its various forward. With this kind of
services available on certain momentum there's no doubt that
phones. Not to be outdone, mobile search marketing will
Microsoft launched Live Search eventually become a major part of
for Mobile in February at the online marketing, it's just a
3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. question of when. Could 2007 be
the year of mobile search?
There are also a number of start
ups like Jumptap and Medio who
About the Author:
Mark Scriven is the M.D of Turismotec Ltd, a UK based search marketing agency that specialises in the travel sector. Turismotec publish a bi-monthly search marketing newsletter called etravel.success.
Read more articles by: Mark Scriven
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