Marketing Warning: Don’t Forget the Tablet!

The way businesses sell has undergone a radical shift over the last years. Earlier, people were content with the old fashioned cold calling concept and it was considered the de-facto standard to win clients and increase market share.

With the concept of search engines and internet access, came the idea of online advertising and now businesses were forced to think of keywords that would optimize their positioning on search results – essentially, on the first page of results. So much so, that an entirely new industry of Search Engine Optimization developed.

However, this was not enough. By the time everybody was comfortable with adwords, “everywhere mobility” was the new paradigm and business had to adapt again. These days, people access internet everywhere, and a business’s ability to adapt to changing market dynamics is not essential, but critical to survival.

Even though smartphones is a constant “sexy”  buzzword, with literally hundreds of phones released in the market everywhere, it is the tablets that have managed to carve out a niche for themselves – they are small enough to be carried around anywhere, yet powerful enough for you to handle everyday tasks, including seeing and developing potential sales leads via a plethora of options. These devices give you the opportunity to be available wherever and whenever clients want. In fact, there is a good chance, that you are reading this article on a tablet, trying to figure out how to direct internet traffic to your website.

So why is the concept of tablets so important? Its larger screen size ensures that you can offer a higher level of interactivity, which was not possible with smartphones. Besides, research shows tablet users spend twice as much time on internet than their phone counterparts. Users basically want to do everything from one device – shopping to delivery address, and tablets provide that flexibility.

Economically, tablet traffic is converting into sales at par with desktops, and with the younger generation taking over, it is a given fact that desktops will likely decline from where they are now. Within tablets, however, Apple and Android devices are way ahead of their nearest rivals, Kindle and Windows. Tablet ownership has increased threefold over the last two years, and most of the tablets are used from the comfort of the bedroom. More importantly, half of all mobile commerce in the US was represented by tablets, even though the latter’s adoption is just half of mobile phones. Isn’t this an indication that the average purchase value from a tablet is more than that on the smartphone?

The best part is that you don’t need to burn a hole in the pocket to get started. Hunt around and you will come across a bundled package from your telecom operator who gives you a data package on a discounted rate with your favorite tablet.

In spite of all this, almost 98% of small sized businesses have not optimized their websites for use on a tablet. Not only this, many of them don’t even plan to do so. So, making sure your prospects see you on the tablet may give you the competitive advantage you have been looking for. Do take care of the following things:

Payment methods

you should facilitate payments through Paypal or other similar methods where the user does not need to get up to find his wallet. Your bank may also establish a partnership with you, much like payment gateways that are seen on desktop websites.

User experience

It is essential to note that tablets are typically used at the beginning of a shopping spree by clients, so you need to make sure that the first page of your website generates enough interest for the client to navigate through to other pages there.

Identify your customer

You need to be sure whether you want to sell your products and offerings from a brick and mortar store, or whether your website is the sole point of contact for the business. Compare how Amazon and Wal-Mart work, and you will realize the difference.

Comparison tools

Provide an interactive, easy to understand comparison tool on your tablet-optimized website to drive users into thinking why they should purchase from you and not others. You may just want to provide key differentiators that separate you from your competitors.

Apps to sell:

Yes, the ubiquitous app will help you have a permanent back-of-the-mind presence on the user. Every time he uses the tablet, he is likely to stumble upon your app and your mindshare increases, which will eventually convert into sales. Be sure to provide your offers and updates and contact information upfront through push notifications, so that users are aware of them in real time.

Apps for your own business: HootSuite is an app that many small business owners use to connect with their clients and suppliers through the use of social media. Expensify helps you keep a track of all business expenses. If you spend a little time on your tablet’s app store, you will see a lot of apps that you thought were not useful to you, but can bring new business.

In an ever changing world, it is important for everybody to adapt to the new environment and businesses are no different. You may have missed the bus early on, but it is not too late to adopt the tablet revolution and get on the bandwagon to get some more business. Remember, the more your customers think of you, the more likely they are to purchase from you.

 Are you making the most of tablet commerce?