What does the tablet market look like today?

• 20% of all mobile e-commerce sales comes from tablets
• 60% of tablet owners have purchased goods using a tablet
• Users spend on average 1 hr 35 minutes on their tablet daily
• Tablet users typically spend on average 10-20% more on their orders

With the growing ownership of tablets in the US, consumers are using their devices more to make purchases, which is likely to come as no surprise.  Their compact size make them easier to carry around than laptops and mobile like functionality means users can carry out straightforward tasks easily and practically anywhere, whether commuting to work or relaxing at home in front of the television.

Compared to smartphones, finding information, shopping and browsing are all much easier on a tablet.  The screen is larger making more information available and also making it easier to use websites that have not been mobile optimised.  Whilst ‘on the go’ users may use smartphones for quick, simple or distress purchases, tablet users have the luxury of browsing more freely without the frustration associated with smartphones.

So what does the future look like for mobile commerce?

The infographic forecasts that by early 2012 54m will own tablets.  It also suggests that this new category of shoppers will grow to account for 7% of all commerce in 2016 – with mobile commerce expecting to grow to $31 billion from $6 billion in 2010.

Compare the relaxed and convenient journey of the tablet e-shopper to that of the in store shopper, who faces traffic and  parking issues as well as crowded shops and till queues, and it will come as no surprise that consumers are happy to spend more time and money, online.

The infographic can be seen here.  Source: Mashable

This new initiative, which has been named  ‘Open to Export’, seeks to provide the necessary support and guidance needed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to expand internationally.  The two partners aim to provide a platform where for UK-based companies to collaborate and share export market opportunities and intelligence.

“UKTI is working with Yell to develop an online service called Open to Export which will provide SMEs with access to more information, advice and support from intermediary organisations like many of you here today.”

Said Prime Minister David Cameron, Speaking at the UKTI event “SMEs Exporting and Growth” in central London.

Open to Export  will provide a new online portal, which will be piloted through Yell’s eMarketplace, where local businesses, existing exporters and export industry suppliers can find, interact and transact with each other easily and effectively. It will also give SMEs access to the contacts they need to connect with, for support, when considering or wanting to export.

“Local businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and their success is key to getting the UK economy moving. By helping SMEs grow exports, we will see a significant boost to UK economic growth.Lord Green, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, welcomed the partnership.

This is the latest in a series of partnerships that Yell has set up this year, in their bid to transform the Group from their traditional roots of directory advertising, to leader in the eMarketplace for consumers and SMEs – helping them stay relevant in today’s market.

Mike Pocock, Chief Executive Officer of Yell Group, said: “This partnership is an important element of Yell’s strategy to become a leader in the emerging eMarketplace connecting SMEs and consumers locally. The ‘Open to Export’ platform is a model which Yell Group can extend across its geographies to help governments drive export growth for SMEs.”

Source: Yell Group takes strategic step with UKTI partnership to drive SME exports

Yell today raised fears that it could breach the terms of its £2.6 billion of loans as the Yellow Pages publisher admitted it is holding talks with banks in a bid to ease its debt burden before Christmas.

Chief financial officer Tony Bates said that Yell “is currently in full compliance with its covenants and expects to remain so for the remainder of this financial year”.

But he warned the covenants will get tighter in the run-up to 2014 when the debts mature. “It’s possible we’ll breach but it’s far from certain,” he added.

Yell’s bank covenants are based on the ratio between net debt and underlying profits which dropped by more than 10% to £231.4 million in the six months to September 30.

Half-year results showed growth in digital revenues failed to offset falling print sales as sales fell 12% to £787 million.

The group wants to renegotiate its convenants to create “more headroom” so that it can invest in new digital services such as building websites and managing e-commerce and internet search for small business customers.

Chief executive Mike Pocock said that it is only a matter of time before Yell axes its traditional phone-directory services even online, where sales have also been falling in the face of increased competition.

Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-24007523-yell-in-bank-talks-amid-fears-over-debt.do

Yell has also made a number of changes to the App design,to make it easier to access relevant business information.  Extra local business content is also displayed in addition to access to enhanced mapping with directions and bus routes.
For the Consumer

This means that consumers can now review online advertisers, helping them to  make better informed decisions; generate reliable feedback and them more easily connect and then transact with them

For the Local Business

This new App will help to bridge the gap between local suppliers and customers.  Yell believes that it will help drive sales leads, increase loyalty and create opportunities to improve satisfaction.  Social media also helps small businesses to manage their reputations.

This is another key focus for Yell as it continues to address the converging needs of SMEs and consumers.

Jason Smith, customer marketing director for Yell in the UK, claims that Yell’s App makes “it even easier and faster to find trusted information on local businesses and services in your local area.”

So if your new telephone directory has arrived and you’re wondering how to recycle your old directories – here’s one idea, if you have plenty of time on your hands!!

With over half a billion people accessing the mobile internet across the globe last year (with an estimated 19m million monthly mobile Internet users in the UK alone) there is no denying that this channel is rapidly picking up pace.

The article explains that at the very least, companies need to optimise their websites for mobile platforms, to avoid alienating their customers and leaving them easily accessible for competitors who are optimising their site.

This is something we have touched on several times in our recent blogs and can’t stress enough the importance of catering for this audience and their needs.  A simple check on Google Analytics will tell you how many visits are being made to your website via a mobile device.  The results may surprise you.

If the minimum isn’t enough for your business and you want to take the next step – the article suggests 3 mobile tools that are deemed critical in being competitive in the coming years:

1. Real Time Offers.  With social media, mobile and web consumer information all readily available, we can now deliver consumers real-time, personalised and relevant offers at the time they are most inclined to accept.
2. Geo-Targeting.  Real-time offers are more powerful when they are served in the right time and the right location.  Location-based mobile marketing allows business to offer consumers their services, serve adverts and provide promotions based on their location.
3. Personalistion.  The most important factor is relevancy and personlisation of the campaign. EU compliant mobile tracking technologies even allow marketers to measure consumption habits of the mobile users – which helps them to serve content that is timely and relevant.

Exciting and challenging, times ahead…..   Don’t let your competitors pass you by in the interim.  Get mobile today!

• More than 8 / 10 people in the UK are happy to receive a door drop leaflet if it is on a topic of interest to them (equivalent to 41.5 million UK adults who are open to receiving door drop leaflets). E.g:

80% of UK adults are happy to receive door drop leaflets from the retail sector at least once a month.  A quarter of adult consumers would even be happy receiving them a few times a week or more!

In comparison only 16% of UK adults re happy to receive a leaflet from the charity sector, 1 to 2 times  month.

• Certain kinds of door drops are retained and used by consumers – in some cases forming an integral part of the weekly routine of households e.g. leaflets advertising discounts at local supermarkets.
• 89% of UK adults remember receiving a door drop communication in the last 2 weeks, which is more than any other channel.  In comparison TV and Radio were 80% each.
• In most cases consumers prefer to filter through the door drops they receive to decide which to keep and which to throw away.   This contradicts the view that consumers perceive the channel as “junk” mail.
• 43% of respondents completely or somewhat agree that they have been pleasantly surprised  by  door drop leaflet they have received.

Making Door Drops Work

Relevance and interest are key.  The door drop must either hold something of value to the recipient – something that has an everyday practical relevance such as home consumption.

Or it needs to have a ‘local’ relevance, conveying information about events, council information, local developments, childcare information as well as (to an extent) restaurants & takeaways.

• When door drops are deemed relevant to the consumer it is more likely that they will be retained and acted upon.
• The door drop isn‟t appropriate for every kind of communication, but there are many areas where it is particularly effective.

About the research. The research was conducted by FreshMinds Research and surveyed 2008 adults across the UK as well as holding 27 qualitative interviews.

And thank you to everyone who donated for such an excellent cause – we couldn’t have done this without you!!

Turn that frown upside down

Any interaction between a company and a customer presents an opportunity.  The customer is already engaging with you – and in front of prospects.  If the feedback is negative, you have a fantastic opportunity to completely turn it around leaving the customer surprised, happy and even more willing to spread the word, but this time in a positive way.

It’s OK to make the occasional mistake

We’re not an army of machines – we’re only human.  That makes us all prone to making the occasional mistake.  But that’s ok – so long as we can admit and accept the problem and find a solution that we can tell the customer about at the same time.

On the other hand, the issue may have arisen at no fault of our own, but we still need to own it.  Especially if it’s not at the fault of the customer either.

Resolving an issue or complaint or simply responding to negative feedback can make customers more profitable in the long run.

This is because it:

• Helps you to build a strong relationship with them, based on trust
• This relationship will enourage customer loyalty
• Demonstrates your ability, proves your

Leave negative feedback on your business page

An interesting blog post, by Brent Coker, highlights a number of reasons why companies should actually keep any negative feedback on their social networking pages rather than deleting it all together.  Even if the problem or issue had been solved:

• A company will always have some unhappy customers on occasion.
• Responding to negative comments creates an opportunity to show everyone that you care.
• This leads to a greater feeling of trust, honesty, and genuineness towards your brand.

So to sum up, there’s no need to panic if you get negative comments, complaints or feedback on your social network pages. Instead you should see it as an opportunity to demonstrate to the world the personality behind the brand and build customer trust and loyalty.