MUMBAI: The internet population in India is growing at a healthy rate. With 400 million internet users in India, the medium has provided a huge canvass for marketers to reach out to their audience. But, what is witnessing an exponential growth is the mobile marketing.
The growth of consumer internet companies has also given an impetus to growth in internet users. If India is on the brink of attaining the magic figure of Rs 1 lakh crore in digital commerce, the availability of smart phones at cheaper rates coupled with low internet mobile tariffs have ensured that internet is within the reach of all.
With a huge population of young consumers hooked to the internet, the marketing and advertising fraternity has taken cognisance of the power digital advertising. In 2014, the market size of digital advertising was Rs 2,750 crore and if we are to take 30 per cent y-o-y growth, it will be over Rs 3,500 crore. Though it is still at a nascent stage, planners have woken up to the embrace the power of the digital medium.
IAMAI president Subho Ray says, “If the growth of digital commerce is anything to go by, planners will certainly spend more time understanding how to tap the hidden potential of the digital world. The phenomenon of online shopping is no longer restricted in the urban areas. If you look closely, internet users in rural India is growing faster than in urban India. The coming of age of payment banks and mobile wallets will encourage consumers to transact online. The point is, newspapers might not reach every village, but there is mobile connectivity in almost entire India and people out there are watching the world in their handheld device. It is just a matter of time that most brands will give a huge push for digital marketing.”
The Mobile Marketing Summit, to be held in Bengaluru on 18 December, 2015, will have industry doyens taking a closer look at the emergence of mobile marketing in India.
Acer CMO S Rajendran adds, “The Mobile Marketing Summit event always provides fascinating insights into the way mobile technology is bringing positive changes to how consumers behave and conduct their lives across all facets of their lives. This summit helps bring audiences one step closer to ideas and developments that are breaking new ground in the market. Some recent trends are quite revealing about the pace of change in this space: the adoption rate of mobile is twice that of the internet, three times that of social media, and ten times faster than PCs. Today mobile is becoming not only the new digital hub but also the bridge to the physical world. That is the reason why mobile will be transformative to entire businesses.”
Echoing Rajendran’s sentiments, Quikr CMO Vineet Sehgal echoes says, “80 per cent of our traffic comes from mobile and in that context it’s pretty clear that mobile marketing is no longer an experimental format but rather a crucial part of the mix for online businesses such as ours. Technological advances have made it possible for consumer touch-points via mobile to be personalized, location-based and hence extremely relevant which brings marketers immense opportunity.”
The Mobile Marketing Summit 2015 will have sessions like State of Mobile Marketing In India; Mobile First and Brand Marketing; Engaging with multi-screen users: Every advertisers’ challenge; How Brands are considering promotions through Mobile Medium; etc.
Speaking about multi screen users, Titan Company eCommerce head Alokedeep Singh added, “In a multi-screen world, mobile is becoming the primary/first screen for consumers to search, experience and shop online. In coming times, not only targeting users with relevant ads, push notifications etc, newer technologies like ibeacons, wearables will create endless opportunities for brands, marketeers.”
