Posts Tagged ‘mobile’

This Mother’s Day, Think Digital

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

Mother’s Day is this weekend, meaning you are probably going into panic mode about what to get the mom in your life. Why not go digital? Today’s moms have entered the digital age with full force, in the home and in mobile.

Forbes reports that nearly 70% of moms think technology makes them better. Marketers have begun to focus on moms specifically because they make up a large and influential demographic group. In fact, 90% of mothers use social media on a daily basis, a 20% increase since 2010 according to MediaPost. Moms are not just using social media because it is a fad. They enjoy a high level of engagement from family and friends. Mike Fogarty, the senior vice president and global publisher at BabyCenter, stated “Today’s mom is the most influential and social consumer you’ll meet.” They actually make up 32% of all online profits despite only being 18% of online users. Moms enjoy being active online, spending 6.1 hours per day surfing the web and shopping.

Even when it comes to the busiest of moms, they are still connected through their mobile devices. Social Media Today reports that 77% of moms follow 1 or more brands on social media, redeeming offers as they go. According to Marketing Charts, 83% of women in general are willing to give up their location on their mobile devices for $25 worth of in-store credit. Mobile moms can snag that credit too. With moms 28% more likely to use a tablet and 38% more likely to own a smartphone, mobile opportunities are endless for them and convenient, and that goes a long way. Now, 58% of them are more likely to make a purchase through a mobile device. Instead of pushing a screaming baby through a store, moms can make a purchase from the comfort of their couch as their child’s baby swing rocks away the tears.

Moms are embracing the digital age, so lend them a hand this Mother’s Day and go digital.

Tags: Digital, forbes, mobile, Mother's Day, Social Media
Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | No Comments »

Check Out the New Mobile Optimized BzzAgent.com

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Sharing opinions and recommendations about great products just got even easier for those of you who spend all your time on mobile devices.

BzzAgent just relaunched BzzAgent.com with a new responsive design approach so the site works better for Agents on any type of mobile phone. The site can now identify the device and browser you are using so it can adjust the page layout, images and navigation specifically for your phone. Talk about personal attention!

If you’ve spent any time surfing the web on your phone, you know most mobile sites are basically limited and watered-down versions of the real site. Considering we spend so much of our time on mobile devices, it’s not much fun. The new BzzAgent.com solves that by giving Agents on iPhones, Androids, Blackberries and Windows phones every feature of the desktop site.

Don’t forget, we still have an awesome iPhone app. It’s been a great success with Agents and it will continue to evolve. We know not everyone has an iPhone or wants to download an app, so now you have a choice.

If you’re not on one already, hop on your phone now and check it out: www.bzzagent.com.

Tags: mobile
Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | 4 Comments »

Mobile Phones at the Point-of-Purchase

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

New research from Pew Internet show just how important mobile phones are to shoppers when they are in the store about to make a purchase. Not only are consumers using their phones to compare prices at other retailers, they are looking up reviews of the products staring back at them from the shelf.

The report ”The Rise of In-store Mobile Commerce” Pew found that during the last holiday season, 52% of adult cell phone owners used their phone in the store to help make a purchase decisions. If you thought they were standing there banging away on their phones to text their kids in the food court, you might be surprised to see that they were actually conducting some serious point-of-purchase research. The study found:

24% looked up online reviews
25% gathered price comparisons (19% of them went ahead and bought the product online when they were in the store)

These shoppers tend to be younger (age 18-49), live in urban areas and have incomes above $50,000.

Online price comparisons are going to happen. As mobile sites get better and as new apps make price aggregation easier, this behavior is only going to increase. But it’s not always all about price. Pew’s data shows that as many people are looking up product reviews as are checking prices at Amazon or apps like myShopanion. But they’re not looking for ads and company websites. They are checking with friends on social networks and searching for product reviews from other customers to get the info they need to feel confident about a purchase. Building customer advocacy is one area where marketers can influence, and it should be a primary focus.

Filling the web with authentic discussion from customers about quality, efficacy and value is the best way to fight the price war you can’t always control. The story is even stronger when those discussions include photos of the product in use and demonstration videos.A study last fall from Web Liquid found that social media posts with photos had engagement rates higher than any other type of post.

We are encouraging our Agents to use mobile devices as often as possible to share product opinions and experiences. Some of our Agents, like busy moms, use smartphones as their primary connection to the web and their social networks. Having an iPhone app not only enables them to share detailed product experiences as it happens, it’s integration with the iPhone’s high-quality camera make it easier than ever to post the personal videos and photos of the product experience in the store and at home with their families. This is the kind of stuff that will get a product into the shopping cart.

Got the app? If not, try it here: http://www.bzzagent.com/pg/iPhone

Tags: iphone, mobile, study
Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | 1 Comment »

Agents Bzz About the New BzzAgent iPhone App

Friday, October 21st, 2011

If you haven’t heard or read our last post, BzzAgent recently launched an iPhone application.

So, why take our awesome website and make it easily accessible on a smartphone?

We knew our Agents would love to be able to easily share, post, and review their favorite products on the go, as they use and talk about them. Mintel confirms that four in 10 people use their cell phones when they are “out and about,” allowing them to upload pictures and videos, along with updating their status when away from home. Having the BzzAgent App allows our Agents to get even more specific about the conversations they have, as they happen.

Our Agents confirmed this after we announced the App. So far they seem love the ease and convenience of writing reviews and taking pictures on the go. We have had lots of Tweets, Facebook posts, and reviews for our App on the iTunes Site.

Let us know what you think. Download the free App at http://www.bzzagent.com/pg/iPhone

Tags: iphone, mobile
Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | 1 Comment »

Moms are Going Mobile

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Living constantly on the go is part of the job description for being a mom, but now moms are bringing their entire social network along for the ride.

You’d be hard-pressed to see a mom without a smartphone in her hand these days. New data from BabyCenter proves just how indispensable smartphones are. Moms are 18% more likely than average to have a smartphone and usage has jumped 64% in the past 2 years. Many of these women upgraded to a web smartphone as a direct result of being a mom. To them, the phone if their lifeline to the world beyond their kids.

“The majority of moms sleep with their cell phone next to their bed and more than half check their phone first thing in the morning and last thing before they go to sleep. You can’t say that about any other medium. Mobile isn’t just a media channel, it’s her constant companion that makes juggling easier. It makes her feel like a better mom.”

- Tina Sharkey, Chairman and Global President of BabyCenter.

It isn’t email that’s driving them to the phones – it is social media. Moms are 40% more likely than average to use their smartphone for social networking. In fact, their top 3 activities are:

1. Reading social newsfeeds (56%)
2. Updating status (54%)
3. Reading responses to posted questions (48%)

Forget the advertising power of Oprah and soap operas, moms spend twice as much time with smartphones than they do with television. Access to their personal networks is changing the path to the register. Moms are 15% more likely to use their smartphone when shopping so they can solicit opinions, research reviews and compare prices. As you can see in the chart below, moms have loaded their phones up with apps for shopping, coupons and product reviews.

Moms are the perfect example of how social media is evolving. Social media conversations are extending beyond the desktop and into every part of our lives. When access to our social networks is available whenever and wherever we are, every experience can be shared and every purchase decision can be discussed.

More on the BabyCenter report 21^st Century Mobile Moms is available here.

Tags: mobile, moms
Posted in Making BzzAgent Work | No Comments »