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ABI: No Mobile Plan? It's Time To Get One

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Marketers, listen up: if you don't have a mobile marketing plan, it's time to get one.

According to ABI Research, consumers are ready and willing to receive marketing messages through their mobile devices. Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and the more affordable data plans, more people than ever are available through mobile marketing messages.

Recent survey data from ABI's Mobile Marketing Strategies practice indicate significant upticks in mobile consumer behavior that are important to marketers. According to a survey from February 2010, 27% of consumers clicked on a mobile ad, up 6% from December 2008. Similarly, people who use a search engine through their mobile devices also increased to 78% among the 2010 respondents from 78% in 2008.

"Not all mobile searches, of course, have a commercial intent," reads a white paper released Wednesday from the company. "Some are looking up facts, or seeking news sources. But others are intent on finding a product, a service, or a nearby location where a purchase is likely to happen within a relatively short amount of time."

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Even the use of more "traditional" advertising is up via mobile devices. According to ABI, 28% of 2010 consumers viewed a commercial while watching video, compared with 20% in 2008. "In the coming months, this will change as more marketers grasp the significance of this changing behavior, and move budgets into mobile -- especially those chasing a branding lift," according to the report.

Yet consumers are still a bit wary of location-based marketing promotions. According to the survey, 39% of 2010 consumers are interested in receiving location-based coupons or promotions through their mobile devices -- about the same as 2008.

"Smart marketers who can take advantage of knowing the immediate location of potential customers should quickly embrace this tactic," according to the report. "But, and we cannot stress this enough, proceed with appropriate caution and do not abuse the privilege. No one wants to become the BP of LB promotions."

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