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The mobile Internet and measuring mobile Internet activity are not new subjects. The debate circulating on the mobile Internet has been going on for several years now and countless articles have been written on this subject. Nevertheless, this sector is currently at a major turning point.

1. The mobile: an exponential development

There are two key factors behind the rapid development of the mobile economy.

First of all, there was the arrival of smartphones onto the market which are easily accessible by the general public, and which have a user-friendly ecosystem. The AppStore, Android Market, the Windows MarketPlace and their applications are tools which facilitate online searches and the consultation of the different types of content available. With the simple click of a button it is now possible to have information such as the latest news and weather, and to access social networks, games and much more. The fact that smartphones are easily accessible is the key reason which explains why a large part of consumers uses applications.

The second key factor behind the rapid development of the mobile economy is the wide range of affordable mobile tariffs that are available and which offer unlimited mobile Internet access. Today, the difference in price between a mobile contract which has Internet access and one which does not is very slight, if not non-existent. As a result, any user who has a telephone which is compatible with the Internet can become a mobile Internet user.

Three key figures illustrate the success of today’s mobile environment:

  • +143% smartphones sold in the first half of 2010 (source CFK – February 2010)
  • 20 million mobile Internet users in France in 2010 (2nd mobile Internet observatory – 2010)
  • In 2014 the mobile Internet will have overtaken fixed Internet (Morgan Stanley Bank – 2010)
  • 15 billion iPhone applications have been downloaded since 2008 (Source CNET France)

2. The mobile, the heart of any global communication strategy

This rapid and impressive development has led companies to integrating mobile sites and applications as part of their overall communication strategy. With this in mind it has become necessary to analyse data generated by mobiles as you would analyse data generated by any other traditional web site.

Mobile analytics measures the success of mobile campaigns, lets companies find out which content has been viewed, how many times a certain piece of content has been viewed, calculate ROI and much more to help them guarantee the success of their future campaigns. An application’s success is not only measured by the number of times it has been downloaded but rather according to the analysis which focuses on how the application is used.

The different content which is now available in the mobile environment has become increasing sophisticated and is forever evolving, and as a result m-commerce will develop considerably over the next few years. Integrating a mobile measurement solution should be planned at the beginning of any mobile strategy and is essential to measuring its performance. Applications, and in particular iPhone applications, must be tagged correctly as soon as a mobile strategy has been launched. If this is not the case, any modifications to be made to the tagging in place means that the application must be sent back to the AppStore which leads to an unacceptable loss of data and also wastes time (it takes anything from 1 to 3 weeks).

At the beginning of any project user-needs must be defined and a complete tagging guide be drawn up. Correctly implementing the tagging plan will allow companies to analyse their key data as soon as their application has been launched.

3. Specific analyses for mobiles

Mobile Analytics provides measurements which are specific to the mobile environment, and in particular analyses which are associated with mobile applications. It is important that the different content that you have to offer can be accessed by the largest audience possible and for this to be successful you need to make sure that your applications are compatible with the different smartphones available on the market. Information on the equipment used by mobile Internet users is just as important as the information relating to a simple web site. Data such as screen resolution, manufacturer, model, and firmware version are essential in ensuring the success of a mobile application and in facilitating your mobile Internet users’ browsing experience.

Operating system analyses for iPhone applications, available via Technology > Operating systems (OS)

The mobile is also the quickest channel which can be used for sending information to your target market thanks to SMS and PUSH notifications. A real-time mobile analytics tool is therefore necessary to monitor the immediate results of a mobile campaign which in turn will allow you to define the perfect time of day to launch any future campaign.

Tagging libraries exist for the different types of applications available and it would be a shame not to have the information that these libraries can provide. Mobile content today is as important as the content you place on your web site and you must be in a position to analyse the same data irrespective of the channel used for your target market.

It is also recommended to use the same measurement tool for both your web and mobile supports which will make it easier to compare data or combine data from both channels to analyse the results of your overall communication strategy.

As you can see, it is difficult to conduct online business nowadays without using the mobile, and as a result Mobile Analytics, as a communication support. Do you require any further information on any of the technical aspects mentioned? Why not read our post on tagging mobile sites and applications which summarises the different techniques used.

Have you already taken part in the launch of a mobile, site or application project? Did you have to confront any tagging and/or analysis problems? Would you like to share your experiences with us? The aim of the blog is to have your feedback and comments, which we will devote our time to and provide you with our expertise in our field.

Did you know?

What would the measurement of mobile applications be like if there wasn’t an application available allowing you to consult your data at any moment, whilst on the move?

 

 

 

Author

Sales engineer With a technical background in IT, Mathieu also has a Bachelor’s degree in “Technical sales engineering”. This double qualification means that Mathieu understands the different technical problems which exist in the field of Web Analytics, and today allows him to easily identify our customers’ needs. Mathieu joined AT Internet in 2008 as a Sales Engineer. He is in daily contact with all different types of customers (from those who have news sites to those with online shopping sites), and has a general overview of the challenges associated with online communication.

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