Retailers are boosting investments to optimise email and paid search marketing across various devices in efforts to capture and capitalise on mounting mobile traffic, according to new research.
A joint survey by the Shop.org/Forrester Research revealed that about 87% online retailers had already implemented or revealed plans to employ mobile email optimisation during 2013, while seven in 10 said they would work to improve paid search for smartphones and tablets.
Shop.org executive director Vicki Cantrell said that as consumer adoption of smartphones and tablets in the US reaches critical mass, retailers know that their marketing mix has to work optimally for all customer touchpoints now.
"Email has always been one of most effective customer retention vehicles in the market, so it’s no surprise to see retailers investing to make email engaging and relevant for the increasingly mobile consumer," Cantrell said.
About 28% of emails sent to consumers are reported to be initially opened via smartphones, retailers said.
Four in five (80%) of the surveyed retailers revealed plans to invest in email and search across all digital platforms during 2013.
During the year, about 40% of retailers would reportedly hire for open positions in marketing analytics, with 72% investing in video integration on their sites, while another 62% would spend on personalisation.
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Forrester Research VP and principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru said that retailers continue to optimise customer experience on their site and have made investments in A/B testing, product detail page enhancements, and personalisation mainstream.
"Going forward, however, we expect to see much more emphasis on checkout enhancements, as that is a key obstacle for direct transactions on mobile devices," Mulpuru said.
