Mobile Strategies 360 published recently the 10 most-read stories on the website in 2015. While all those stories were significant, the Mobile Strategies 360 editors decided to compile their own list of what we thought were the most important mobile stories of the year, either because of the news value or topic relevance, even if some did not garner as many eyeballs as the most-read stories.
Keep in mind, since Mobile Strategies 360 didn’t launch until June of 2015, some of these important mobile stories were published on our sister site, InternetRetailer.com.
The Mobile Strategies 360 editors picked the following seven stories as the top stories of 2015, listed in order of the date they were published:
In February, Google gave a two-month warning that it would change its mobile search algorithm to favor mobile-optimized sites. Websites that were mobile-friendly or easy to view and navigate on a smartphone, would be ranked higher in search results on smartphones. Many businesses took the warning to heart and updated their sites because they didn’t want their mobile traffic to slip.
2. Google will soon link to pages in Apple apps in mobile search results
Many businesses such as outdoor apparel retailer REI and laundry service app Washio started taking advantage of deep linking in 2015. Deep linking takes a consumer directly into the optimal page in a company’s app, assuming the consumer has the app on her phone. That connection into the app can be made from a link in a mobile email, mobile paid search result or mobile ad. Once she clicks, the link automatically opens the app for her and shows her the page related to the offer. Many companies offer a more roundabout route by directing a shopper to the mobile home page, even if she has the app. Google put its stamp of approval on this mobile-optimized way of navigating on a smartphone and said it would even allow this capability to open Apple apps in Google search results.
Apple didn’t just come out with a new iPhone this year, it also came out with a whole new device—the Apple Watch. The wearable device went on sale in April. Apple said early sales of the Apple Watch were higher than expected, though some analysts were disappointed with the sales volume. While consumers may not be immediately clamoring for the product, many businesses were quick to create an app to function on the smartwatch. In the Internet Retailer article QVC debuts TV shopping on the Apple Watch, Alex Miller, senior vice president, digital commerce at TV and online retailer QVC Group, says wearables are another way in which businesses can interact with consumers and push their content out to them.
“The Apple Watch features in our iPhone app enable customers to view Today’s Special Value and On Air products on their watch, and then push those products to the iPhone app; when they turn their iPhone on, it automatically opens the QVC app and automatically displays that product page,” Miller says.
4. The need for speed: How Fanatics scores mobile sales fast
Speed is essential for mobile sites. This article on sports apparel and gear online retailer Fanatics showcases how a fast mobile site can mean more dollars for business. “Real-time passion generates real-time demand,” says David Katz, senior vice president of product at Fanatics. “With the big spirit surrounding events there is a sense of immediacy and urgency. When people are buying on impulse or out of excitement the last thing you want to do is give them an experience that is slow or cumbersome.”
5. Beacons touch down at the University of Wisconsin’s football stadium
Beacons are small wireless transmitters that can send signals to smartphones via a business’s app. Target Corp., for example, is testing the devices now to send coupons to shoppers in physical stores based on their location. While beacons can be used in various capacities such as mapping, navigation, customer tracking and coupon distribution, the return on investment is not always clear. This article shows how beacons did in fact generate revenue for the University of Wisconsin, when the athletic department put 60 beacons in its football stadium to work with its Badger Gameday app. The stadium placed a beacon on a ramp to the upper seating deck. The beacon sent a message to fans who passed by to remind them that they can pay to upgrade their seat. The beacon saw a great response during the second home game, and the stadium sold 83% of its seat upgrades for that game through the alert, says Benjamin Fraser, director of external engagement for University of Wisconsin athletics.
6. Mobile ad-blocking software can mean big problems for retailers
Apple’s iOS 9 update released Sept. 16 allows consumers with newer iPhones to download software that will block advertising consumers would otherwise see when they visit websites via a smartphone browser. However, some apps are not only blocking ads, but also blocking tracking tools and causing mobile sites to display improperly. This article details problems certain businesses had, such as disabled A/B testing for retailer Diamond Candles, and what they are doing to fix the problems.
7. Consumers give Android and Samsung Pay a try
Mobile payments systems Android Pay and Samsung Pay both debuted in 2015, almost a year behind Apple Pay’s launch in October 2014. This article explains why consumers might be more inclined to test out Android and Samsung Pay now that more businesses accept contactless payment, and Apple Pay has broadened consumer awareness of paying by tapping a smartphone, instead of swiping a card or paying with cash.
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