WHY BUSINESS MUST EMBRACE MOBILE PLATFORMS

IN THE last year, smartphone ownership in Australia has nearly doubled. That’s a key statistic for everyone in business.

Three out of four Australians now do not leave home without their mobile device, according to the latest data from Google and Ipsos Media CT.

The joint study revealed that smartphone penetration had jumped to 52 per cent in the past year, up from 37 per cent last year.

It also discovered that 23 per cent would rather give up their television than their smartphone.

Google also found that smartphones have rapidly become critical shopping tools, with 94 per cent of respondents having researched a product or service and 28 per cent having bought a product on their device.

However, less than 20 per cent of Australian businesses have a mobileoptimised website, according to Google Australia head of mobile ads Jason Pellegrino (pictured).

“Not having a mobile-optimised website means giving a bad experience to one-infour customers,” he says.

“It is like opening a Westfield store and deciding to remove signposts, not letting people know what the products are, hiding the checkout and allowing competitors to walk onto your floor and talk to the customers.”

Pellegrino believes businesses should follow Google’s example by ramping-up their mobile strategies.

“We have been very clear and made statements to the effect that we are a mobile business. Products, such as Google Plus, were developed for the mobile first, or released at the same time as PC platforms,” he says.

“Companies need to think about their mobile customers first. We have Google tools and information available to help small businesses move on with their smartphone strategy.”

He encourages businesses not to feel bogged down by the complexities of mobile technology.

“A lot of businesses are thinking through their mobile strategy, but a lot of it involves very complex issues,” he says.

“It is not as hard as you think. Do not get caught up trying to solve the impossible.”