PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Artisan, creator of the industry’s first Mobile Experience Management (MEM) platform, today released research results underscoring the importance of mobile apps in retail marketing and mobile commerce. The results also highlight retailers’ mobile investment and growth intentions for 2013.
In a survey of 200 retail executives responsible for mobile marketing and/or mobile commerce strategy, the majority of respondents said they expect significant mobile commerce growth in 2013 and view mobile apps as a top channel for engaging with consumers.
Survey highlights include:
- 56% of respondents plan on putting more resources into developing and implementing their mobile marketing/commerce strategies in 2013 than they did in 2012
- 84% of respondents strongly agree or agree that they expect to see mobile commerce grow at a faster rate in their organization than online commerce did
- 71% of respondents strongly agree or agree that native mobile apps will become the single most important touch point for engaging with their consumers in the next 1-3 years
- 72% of respondents strongly agree or agree that investing in a native mobile app experience is one of their top three priorities in 2013
- 66% of respondents strongly agree or agree that enhancing a native mobile app is more important that enhancing a mobile optimized website
“Mobile apps represent a significant engagement and revenue opportunity, and this survey shows that retailers are intending to invest even more resources in making them an effective part of the overall marketing and sales strategy in 2013," said Bob Moul, CEO, Artisan. "The timing is ideal. The combination of consumer demand and new Mobile Experience Management platforms that enable real-time optimization means mobile apps have the potential – for the first time – to make a substantial impact in the retail market."
Anticipating a surge of consumer activity in 2013, the majority of retailers say they plan to invest greater resources in mobile marketing and commerce strategies this year. Fifty-six percent of survey respondents said they would spend more in 2013 compared to 2012, while 37 percent said resource investment would remain the same. Only seven percent stated they would invest fewer resources in mobile marketing and commerce than they did in the previous twelve months.
Retailers are also convinced that the ramp-up period for mobile commerce will be shorter than it was for e-commerce. Nearly half of survey respondents (49 percent) said they strongly agree with the statement that they expect to see mobile commerce grow at a faster rate in their organization than online commerce did. An additional 35 percent said they agreed with the statement, while only four percent disagreed.
For more information on Artisan, please visit www.useartisan.com. Additional survey results, as well as a description of survey methodology and respondent demographics, can be found below.
Respondents are Managing Multiple Native Apps
Survey participants stated the number of native mobile apps they have to manage as:
- 16% have 2-4 native apps
- 16% have 5-9 native apps
- 22% have 10-15 native apps
- 24% have 16-20 native apps
- 18% have more than 20 native apps
Generally, respondents from larger companies have more native apps than those from smaller companies:
- 28% of respondents from organizations with an annual revenue between $51 million and $99 million have 10-15 native apps
- 42% of respondents from organizations with an annual revenue between $100 million and $499 million have 10-15 native apps
- 71% of respondents from organizations with an annual revenue between $500 million and $999 million have 16-20 native apps
- 87% of respondents from organizations with an annual revenue of $1 billion and above have more than 20 native apps
Respondents were asked what capabilities for managing their native apps they would like to have that they do not currently. Participants were allowed to check all answers that applied.
- 67% said they would like capabilities to personalize the user experience
- 60% said they would like capabilities to collect user analytics
- 55% said they would like capabilities to implement A/B tests
- 53% said they would like capabilities to enable promotions
- 46% said they would like capabilities to make changes in real-time
Native Apps Are a Top Priority
Participants responded to how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the following statements:
I believe that native mobile apps will become the single most important touch point for engaging with my consumers in the next 1-3 years:
- 38% strongly agree
- 33% agree
- 22% somewhat agree
- 5% disagree
- 2% strongly disagree
Investing in a native mobile app experience is one of my top three priorities for 2013:
- 37% strongly agree
- 35% agree
- 21% somewhat agree
- 6% disagree
- 0% strongly disagree
Enhancing a native mobile app is more important than enhancing a mobile optimized site:
- 33% strongly agree
- 30% agree
- 24% somewhat agree
- 11% disagree
- 2% strongly disagree
My organization needs to have a native mobile app to stay competitive:
- 47% strongly agree
- 30% agree
- 17% somewhat agree
- 6% disagree
- 1% strongly disagree
Survey Methodology and Respondent Demographics
Two hundred retail executives responsible for mobile marketing and/or mobile commerce strategy were interviewed online February 4th through February 16th, 2013. The following is a breakdown of how many respondents work for organizations with annual revenues of $50 million or greater:
- 27% of respondents were from retail organizations with an annual revenue between $51 million and $99 million
- 32% of respondents were from retail organizations with an annual revenue between $100 million and $499 million
- 20% of respondents were from retail organizations with an annual revenue between $500 million and $999 million
- 21% of respondents were from retail organizations with an annual revenue of $1 billion and above
Respondents were from the following retail verticals:
- Computer/computer equipment/consumer electronics (30%)
- General merchandise (18%)
- Other (17%)
- Clothing and accessories (12%)
- Music, videos, books (6%)
- Food and beverage (5%)
- Sporting goods and hobbies (4%)
- Furniture and home furnishings (3%)
- Office supplies (3%)
- Motor vehicles and parts (1%)
About Artisan
Artisan is the creator of the industry’s first Mobile Experience Management platform. Artisan significantly accelerates the path to user engagement and creates new opportunities for business growth. By bringing the capabilities of online Customer Experience Management and Web Marketing Optimization to the mobile app world, Artisan helps organizations drive mobile adoption, retention, conversion, and revenue. Artisan is venture-backed by FirstMark Capital and is proudly located in Old City Philadelphia.