Annual Trends Survey 2012

Respondents Not Believing the Mobile Hype?
While 2012 has been dubbed the year of mobile by many, our survey says otherwise. Despite survey results from 2011 saying that respondents would increase their spending on mobile sites by 33 percent and on mobile apps by 28 percent, 38 percent of this year’s respondents said they don’t have a mobile marketing strategy.

What’s more, 53 percent don’t have a tablet marketing strategy, despite the medium’s rapid growth and heavy influence on purchasing decisions. However, 17 percent said they’re looking to hire a mobile expert for their mobile and tablet efforts going forward.

Of those that do have a mobile strategy, 23 percent say they use the channel to generate sales; 15 percent use mobile marketing to promote customer engagement; and 12 percent use mobile to drive web traffic. In the tablet marketing arena, 16 percent use tablets for generating sales and 11 percent use them to drive web traffic. Meanwhile, 12 percent use tablets to create customer awareness and 5 percent use them as a customer service tool.

A Good Year Ahead
Retail Online Integration readers are optimistic about their businesses in 2012, with 90 percent of respondents saying their company will meet its revenue forecasts this year. Hiring, on the other hand, is evenly split, with 50 percent of respondents planning to hire more staff this year and 50 percent not planning to. For those companies that are hiring, e-commerce marketing positions are their No. 1 priority, with 50 percent targeting this area for new hires.