Holiday Shopping Season gets boost from Mobile & Social in 2009

A recent study published by Deloitte shows that 17% of adult shoppers say they will use social media in some aspect of their holiday shopping, and 19% will rely on their mobile phones. That means if you’re checking your list, you are likely being aided by through social and mobile media.

The survey — part of Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey, a poll of more than 10,000 adults in the U.S — says that of the nearly 1 in 5 plan to use social media sites. Of that group, 60% say they will do so to find sales, discounts, and coupons; 53% intend to use sites like MySpace and Facebook to research gift ideas, and 52% say they will check the wish lists of friends and family.

While young people certainly have greater amounts of social-media savvy than more grizzled consumers (52% of those in the 18-29 group will use social media to shop), interest is relatively strong among other age groups. In the 30 to 44 age bracket, 33% will use social media as a shopping tool, and in the 45 to 60 age group, 10% plan to do so.

Also revealed in this study is that of the shoppers who plan to use their smartphones, 55% say they rely on their devices for a mobile store locator, 45% to research lowest prices, 40% to find general product information, 32% to get mobile coupons and 31% to find reviews. And this year, 25% of consumers say they will also use their phone to make a digital purchase.

The Deloitte study also found strong interest in shopping online, with 22% of respondents vowing to shop primarily via the Web, and 44% planning to use coupons they find on the Internet. It also found plenty of evidence that consumers love the luxury of shopping through multiple channels. About 78% say they have made an in-store purchase after viewing the product at a store’s Web site, for example, and 65% have done the reverse — seen an item in-store, then gone home, done some more research and purchased it online.

These trends will play out as retailer rush to distribute and promote their iPhone Apps geared toward gift buying and to move customers toward signup of offers and specials throughout the holiday through us of proximity marketing and mobile alerts. The reality is that mcommerce is here.And QWASI helps get you there.

QWASI takes retail mobile.
Get started today. Call us toll-free @ 877-747-9274

October 30, 2009 in Blog   |   No Comments

Google Analytics adds Mobile Analytics to Reporting

According to Google’s blog, Google Analytics will now include reporting for mobile Websites and mobile apps with a new soon-to-be-released server-side code-snippet in the coming weeks.  This will allow Google Analytics to track traffic to your mobile website from all web-enabled devices, whether or not the device runs JavaScript.  The release is reported to support PHP, Perl, JSP and ASPX-based sites, and will be in addition to allowing users to track visits to their regular website coming from high-end, Javascript enabled phones.

In addition to expanded mobile reporting, Apple’s iPhone and Android mobile application developers can now track how users engage with apps. For Android devices, usage can be tied back to ad campaigns: from ad to marketplace to download to engagement. In the future, Google promises the ability to see breakout data on mobile devices and carriers in the new “mobile reports” area of the Visitors section.

While it has taken some time for this to be introduced, it certainly is a welcomed improvement. The ability to include Mobile Analytics to further help break out ROI and Campaign Response Rates will allow marketers to see the value of delivering converts through mobile communication and applications. Mobile publishers and advertisers using this solution will be thrilled to have these new Mobile Analytic tools at their finger tips.

QWASI offers advanced mobile analytics and mobile reporting so clients can have a complete view of the mobile ecosystem and their customers. Contact QWASI today for more information @ 877-747-9274.

October 22, 2009 in Blog   |   No Comments

QWASI powers interactive mobile media platform for Gas Station TV

Gas Station TV teams up with QWASI to provide mobile to it’s Toyota “Prius Neighborhood” ad campaign.

July 10, 2009 – QWASI, a leading mobile marketing and mobile commerce company providing cross-market interactive solutions, announced they were selected by Gas Station TV (GSTV) to power their interactive ad campaign for companies like Toyota. With a consumer base in over 800 major cities (including New York, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.), GSTV reaches consumers on-the-go – now with the power of mobile by QWASI.

As leaders in destination marketing and technology, GSTV can now provide their viewers with a social & mobile media platform from QWASI. Using QWASI’s Mobile Marketing Center, GSTV can provide advertisers with the tools to take their ad campaigns to the next level through the power of mobile marketing. In the same venue, consumers now have the opportunity to directly respond to ad promotions via text message as they view advertisements while pumping their gas.

Starting on June 15, 2009, GSTV and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. announced an ad campaign to promote a community based interactive program, the “Prius Neighborhood.” Through this program consumers can generate ads for local events and community happenings at-the-pump. GSTV incorporates text messaging to help further promote the message and cause.

“Gas Station TV is an extremely innovative out-of-home advertising channel. We look forward to working with them to further their “on-the-go” advertising efforts using mobile,” states David Geipel, COO, QWASI, Inc.

ABOUT QWASI
QWASI, Inc, is a leading mobile solutions provider of interactive applications for over 15,000 clients across the US utilizing SMS (text messaging), MMS, WAP, iPhone Apps and Mobile Chat. QWASI makes complexity simple with intuitive mobile marketing, mCommerce (mobile commerce), private label mobile search tools, click-to-chat, click-to-text, Mobile IM (MIM) applications, customized alerting and interactive property marketing services for Fortune 1000 business. QWASI powers several other platforms for clients including CellSigns, a wholly owned subsidiary, providing Real Estate Mobile Marketing and Mobile Agent, the only mobile search for real estate.

QWASI CONTACT
Patricia Scanlon, QWASI, 877-747-9274, patricia.scanlon @ qwasi.com

July 10, 2009 in Press Releases   |   No Comments