• by Kim Ann King , May 27, 2008

All aboard! Recent announcements from major players gearing up their mobile strategies--from AT&T Mobile TV, Yahoo Go 3.0, to Google mobile image ads--confirm the mobile web is hot. And why not? With 75% of 237 million U.S. mobile subscribers able to access the Web, now is the time for successful mobile marketing. Add to this the rise of mobile analytics vendors, and you've got the perfect recipe to do serious business on the mobile web.

But wait, not so fast. Analytics isn't quite enough to ensure you are doing all of the right things in your mobile content and commerce offerings to turn browsers into buyers, viewers, or subscribers. To be sure, analytics give mobile web owners insight into their audience by tracking site performance metrics such as number of unique visitors, duration of visit, page performance, as well as traffic sources including search engines and online advertising. However, tracking isn't enough. Marketers also need to proactively test their content with a solution for multivariate and A/B testing specifically designed for the mobile market.

The good news is that it is possible to easily and effectively increase your mobile conversion rates with multivariate testing. In fact, mobile optimization using A/B and multivariate testing has been proven as one of the most effective and immediate methods to increase sales volume, improve conversion rates (whatever your mobile web goals are) and boost lead generation efforts.

Now here's the bad news: While there are many solutions available to test what works and what doesn't work on regular web sites, it is nearly impossible to do that with mobile content. That's because many mobile devices do not support JavaScript or accept cookies, making it impossible to use JavaScript-based testing solutions or cookies to track user behavior, leaving you unable to test and target these mobile device users. While that's not an issue with the iPhone, it is an issue with many of the more than 220 different commercially available mobile devices in the U.S.

What's a mobile marketer to do? To start, look for non-intrusive multivariate testing solutions that do not require JavaScript, cookies or intrusive site changes. To optimize your mobile web offerings, you'll want to test multiple variants of your mobile user's experience to understand what content delivers the optimal conversion rates--helping you persuade your mobile users to make purchases, register for new accounts, or adopt self-service functions.

When shopping for a mobile multivariate testing solution, keep these 10 criteria in mind to maximize your mobile content and commerce strategy:

1) A testing solution that does not rely upon JavaScript or cookies

2) No need to rely on IT or make site content changes

3) Ability to test static and dynamic content

4) Wizard-driven test campaign creation to easily launch complex multivariate tests.

5) Automated test scheduling

6) Unlimited content control and variations

7) Advanced segmentation and behavioral targeting

8) Deep interaction measurement to track user behavior

9) Real-time reporting and analysis

10) Web and mobile analytics integration

Bottom line: Continuously use controlled, scientifically sound testing methodologies to understand which mobile content or commerce offerings most effectively persuades and engages consumers, and then act upon the results. Simple, incremental changes often can yield the best results.