The technology analysts predict that shopping through social media will start to be felt but right now its still at the embryonic phase.
The move towards social e-commerce will be led on sites such as Facebook, with more apps development taking place.
We will start seeing more and more products and services available for us to buy to catch up with our friends.
Retailers which are trying to understand this constant change in consumer technology will try to figure out all this to face increasing competition and where to invest their marketing dollars. The click to purchase will get consumers to click even further to get special mobile and online deals with discount codes and offers.
It will be important for retailers to keep pace with the fast pace at which new shopping channels are introduced. Integrating these channels will be the key to keep up with the competition driving repeat business and staying on top of the game.
Websites and email are still the top ways small businesses market online, but interest in newer tactics - including online video, mobile marketing and group deals - is up sharply for 2011.
45.5 percent of small businesses say they plan increased resources for online video, up from 28 percent in 2010. More than 36 percent say the same about mobile apps and advertising, up from 21 percent last year. Approximately 15 percent say group deals and social couponing sites like Groupon and LivingSocial are beneficial to business. They may not have the resources of big businesses, but things like online and social media help level the playing field,
Interest in using Facebook, Twitter and other social networks for business also is up considerably. While generating leads continues to be the top perceived benefit of social media, more businesses recognize the value of social media for improving the customer experience.
Mobile Social Media - A big part of a small business' mobile strategy should be social media. Social media has seen a huge growth over the past year, and services like Foursquare and SCVNGR helped that growth. It may be surprising, but there are more users on social networks than users of e-mail.
There are a lot of social media marketing options to choose from, but Facebook is by far the biggest social media player with more than half a billion users. Since many small businesses already have some type of Facebook presence, the launch of Facebook Places and Deals is even more of a reason for small businesses to create a mobile location-based loyalty program by offering specials and discounts, promoting upcoming events and sales to their customers.
Using location-based social media marketing to proactively deliver messages and reach potential customers based on their geographic locations enables small businesses to actively reach their customers, increase foot traffic and boost profits.
Mobile-Friendly Websites - As mobile traffic increases, it makes sense for small businesses to create mobile-friendly websites to ensure they don't miss out on mobile traffic and sales. Mobile and smartphone optimized web design will be the key to driving online sales. Now is the time for small local businesses to invest in designing a website for the mobile masses.
In the past, optimizing your website for mobile was a painful and difficult process. Now there are a slew of services that make creating a mobile formatted website easier. Check out Mofuse and Instant Mobilizer.
Simple Messaging System (SMS) a.k.a. Text Message Marketing - Text messaging is huge, with 73% of new mobile phone users saying that text messaging is the most important feature on their phone. In fact, the typical mobile phone user sends more text messages than they do phone calls.
By communicating with customers via text messages, small local businesses have an incredible opportunity to reach their customers with targeted special offers, coupons, news and event notifications. With text open up rates at 95%, text-based marketing is probably the most effectively way to get customers' attention.
With the mobile web estimated to overtake desktop Internet in usage by 2015, it's time for small businesses to get ahead of the competition and cultivate a great mobile website experience now.
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