Why 2023 is the Year of Mobile Holiday Marketing

$1.19 trillion.

That’s how much Salesforce predicts consumers will spend globally on online sales this holiday season.

It’s hard to even imagine numbers like that, but it just goes to show the importance of mobile marketing for your business – especially as we approach the holiday season.

So why is 2023 the year of mobile holiday marketing?

And how can recognizing this help you get the most out of your marketing efforts this year?

Let’s walk through it together.

1. People Are Constantly on Their Phones

According to a survey from Reviews.org, 56.9% of those surveyed said they were addicted to their cell phone.

While that’s obviously not a good thing, it does go to show that people do everything on their phones – from social media to research to shopping.

Recognizing this, you’ll want to make sure that you employ marketing channels and methods (such as SMS) that reach people where they’re actually looking, which is their phones.

How much attention are you paying to your mobile user experience? What channels are you employing to reach people on mobile? Are you taking advantage of SMS, social media, push notifications, and a mobile app?

2. Most Online Shopping Occurs on Phones

As mentioned in the last point, one activity that many users are involved with on their phones is online shopping.

Statista reports that in Q1 of 2023, “smartphones accounted for approximately 74 percent of retail site traffic worldwide and generated 63 percent of online shopping orders.”

Odds are, no matter what your business is, a large number of your sales come in from online mobile sales.

So make sure that your mobile shopping experience is friction-free.

Is it easy for people to shop on your website? Is it easy for them to find what they’re looking for? Is there anything in the checkout process that causes unnecessary friction? Have you explored alternative payment options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay?

3. Social Media Is More Popular Than Ever

Beginning with MySpace and YouTube in the early 2000s, the social media frenzy hasn’t died down.

In fact, it’s picked up steam, with more platforms than ever to choose from and everyone from elementary aged students to senior citizens having a social media account.

According to DemandSage, there are 4.9 billion social media users throughout the world.

And most of the time in the US, social media is accessed on mobile devices. (Statista suggests 83% of social media visits were made on mobile toward the end of 2019.)

What this means is that this holiday season, you need to take into account the reality of all of the millions of social media users, and think through how you can reach them as they’re scrolling through on their phones.

Are you engaging with the social platforms that your target audience frequents? Are you experimenting with what works and what doesn’t? Are you pursuing social ads and seeing what your audience best connects with?

4. Gen Z Is on the Rise

Gen Z-ers, those born at the turn of the 21st century, are just in recent years coming into adulthood.

This is a demographic of children, teenagers, and young adults who have grown up on smartphones and tablets. This group of people is a key demographic for many businesses – and are heavy phone users.

One study found that more than half of Gen Z-ers spend 9 hours or more per day on their phones.

So businesses trying to appeal to Gen Z need to keep top of mind that traditional marketing strategies may not find traction. A mobile-first approach is certainly the best way to go to reach these young people.

Are you keeping the Gen Z demographic in mind when planning your holiday marketing? Are you planning with a “mobile-first” mindset? Is there any way in which you may be neglecting the channels that Gen Z is most likely to be responsive to?

Are You Ready for the Mobile Holiday Marketing Season?

It’s clear that mobile is a key avenue (if not the main avenue) to pursue this holiday season. With how many are constantly using their phones, shopping on mobile devices, and using social media—and with Gen Z rising to prominence as a key demographic—we’d be remiss if we didn’t see the importance and prominence of mobile marketing. What are you doing to make sure you take full advantage of your mobile marketing opportunities for the upcoming holidays?

One effective element of mobile marketing is SMS. Want free access to chat with an SMS expert on how you could use the Mobile Text Alerts platform to get the most out of your SMS efforts? Get a free consultation here.