Guest Series Part 3: What Goes Mobile?

By Leslie Belcher, President, Jesta I.S. Inc.

Ten years after national commercial platforms for mobile commerce were launched in the Philippines and Japan; they are slowly beginning to emerge in the North American market. Residents in rural parts of the Philippines and other developing nations routinely pay bills through their smart phones, while people in Japan and Europe can buy products as well as train and airline tickets using their mobile phones.

The accelerated growth of mobile commerce, combined with the acuity of location-based applications makes it possible for direct response retailers to use the mobile channel for locally targeted mass marketing. One estimate, according to Mobile Marketer, puts worldwide mobile phone connections at 4 billion; while another by Neustar and SMS Mobile Marketing predicts that mobile revenue in the United States will reach $3.3 billion by 2013. SMS text messages dominate mobile advertising in markets like the U.S today, but coupon to phone and location based marketing are emerging.

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