Tag: social media marketing

The latest mobile marketing efforts from the social networking giant could include location tracking.

Sources with knowledge in the areas have revealed that Facebook currently has a team developing a smartphone geolocation app that will track user locations in order to help to boost the effectiveness and relevance of the social media experience on those devices.

The app is currently believed to be slated for a mid-March release for more than a billion users.

According to the sources – who have opted to remain unnamed as the company has yet to release the details of this geolocation project to the public – the main purpose of the app is to allow its users to be able to find friends who are nearby. Regardless of whether or not the app is actually open on the handset, it will still collect data for this and other purposes that are relevant to the application.

This geolocation app is only one of many features that Facebook is continually adding to its mobile experience.

The company may also be using the geolocation data that it receives through the app to be able to enhance the profitability of its mobile marketing efforts – which it has announced will be a primary goal for 2013. This would allow it to gain access to a tremendous amount of user location information, as there are currently over one billion people who use their mobile devices to access their Facebook accounts.

The geolocation information that will be gathered will present a considerable mobile marketing opportunity for the social network, as it will be able to sell ads based on the daily habits and the whereabouts of the app users. This could prove to be highly appealing to many companies who are seeking just this sort of opportunity to take advantage of the high tech benefits that m-commerce has to offer.

At the same time, many consumers and privacy advocates have already been raising concerns about the way that the company manages the personal data that it collects and this may only incense them further. They are not alone in their doubts of the social network’s management and protection of sensitive data, as it has also received the scrutiny of European and American regulators.

Facebook is not alone in this type of geolocation initiative, as both Google Inc. and Apple Inc. have already both created and implemented their own versions of location tracking.

UK continues to see major shift through mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is beginning to have a major impact on the United Kingdom business sector. Over the past year, mobile commerce has become a very prominent trend, with many consumers clamoring for the change to purchase products using their mobile devices rather than traditional means. Sage Pay, a provider of mobile commerce services, has released its third annual e-Business Report concerning United Kingdom businesses and their adoption of mobile commerce. The report shows that these businesses are beginning to consider mobile consumers as a very important demographic that cannot be ignored.

Report shows that businesses are beginning to focus on their e-commerce websites

The report surveyed some 1,500 online businesses throughout the United Kingdom. According to the report, less than a quarter of these businesses are developing their own mobile application, opting instead to focus on e-commerce websites. Approximately 73% are working to make their websites more accommodating of mobile commerce. These businesses are pushing to see higher levels of mobile traffic to their sites and provide consumers with more decisions during their shopping experience.

Mobile sales making up sizeable portion of activity

Those businesses that have dedicated applications catering to mobile consumers are seeing as much as 19% of their sales come from mobile devices. Sage Pay suggests that this is a sign that the mobile commerce market in the UK is beginning to expand. Consumers are feeling more comfortable engaging in mobile commerce as services become more secure and widely available. Many businesses have begun adopting mobile marketing campaigns that promote their commerce services, thus drawing even more attention to their mobile commerce endeavors.

Businesses becoming more accommodating of mobile consumers

As the UK continues to embrace mobile commerce, the business world is beginning to transform. Companies are beginning to take mobile consumers more seriously, adopting services that are align better with the demands of these consumers. They are also beginning to improve their mobile security measures in order to grow consumer confidence in mobile commerce. As mobile technology continues to grow in popularity, businesses have also begun adopting social media marketing as a powerful tool to get the attention of mobile consumers.