Author: Dan Gendro

The social network is currently testing out advertisements placed on mobile web pages for a considerable expansion.

The largest social network in the world is using its Facebook Audience Network (FAN) in order to test new mobile ad placements on smartphone friendly web pages according to recent reports issued by AdExchanger.

The initial reports of this new mobile marketing effort has said that the placements are being made with almost 10 publishers.

Prior to this recent mobile ad placement strategy, FAN had been used for placing advertisements in smartphone apps. In the last quarter of 2015, there was a reported $1 billion run rate achieved by FAN. Therefore, by adding mobile web pages on top of the placements that are already being added to apps, there could be a considerable opportunity for Facebook and advertisers, alike.

Among the firms to test out the new mobile ad placements is the social publisher called Diply.

That publisher is testing out the mobile marketing strategy in a closed beta test. This was confirmed officially by Facebook by way of the AdExchanter report. This latest step in mobile advertised is believed to be the most recent move that Facebook is taking in order to provide advertisers and marketers with an alternative to using AdSense through Google.

By heading in this direction, it means that Facebook’s FAN will gain access to a full new range of publishers that are looking for new opportunities in mobile marketing. This could potentially present a threat to the market share held by smartphone ad network operators that have already established themselves such as Apple, Google, and Millennial Media (owned by AOL).

FAN was first launched two years ago when Facebook acquired LiveRail. Last year, it was upgraded in order to be able to include native video, greatly changing the nature and scope of this advertising path.

As FAN starts to make its first mobile ad steps into the smartphone optimized web, it has also been speculated that Facebook could start to shake up the current situation in desktop media, as AdSense is currently very established there as the leader but where alternatives have been attempting to chip away at that vast advertising share.

The mobile payments space failed to find mainstream success in 2015

Last year, mobile payments managed to gain momentum, but failed to become mainstream. Several companies, including Apple, Google, and Samsung, introduced new mobile payments services in 2015, but interest among consumers has been somewhat limited. Indeed, these consumers opted to use an existing platform provided by PayPal to spend their money on their mobile devices. While mobile payments may not have gone mainstream in 2015, this could change this year, as new services become available and companies begin offering better benefits to consumers.

Many consumers remain concerned about the security of mobile payments

One of the reasons that consumers have been avoiding mobile payments is because they are not convinced of its overall security. In the past few years, major retailers have reported major data breaches, which lead to the financial information of consumers being compromised. This has sown fear among consumers, who believe that mobile payments services may be exposed to exploitation. As such, they have shied away from services, despite the availability of new technology that ensures the protection of consumer information.

Consumers want to see more value from the services that they use

Another problem that consumers have with mobile payments is that they do not see the benefit that services offer. While many services also function as a type of digital wallet, they do not consider the ability to store financial information valuable. Being able to take advantage of special deals being offered by retailers has added more attraction to certain mobile payments services, but consumers want more out of the products that they are using.

Supporting loyalty programs and improving security features may ensure the mainstream success of mobile payments

Companies involved in mobile payments may need to ensure that their services offer a worthwhile experience while also being able to keep consumer information safe. These companies will also have to show more support for loyalty programs, which have become quite popular among consumers. In doing so, these companies may be able to find more success in the mobile payments space in 2016.