I’m not going to bore you by reiterating how “mobile” everyone is these days, how the vast majority of online adults in markets like the US, UK, South Korea, and more own mobile phones, or how mobile is so pervasive with 30 billion mobile moments happening every day in the US alone.

But I will say that mobile moments are the new battleground to win, serve, and retain customers. With mobile in play, consumers move from brand discovery to exploration to purchase in seconds. And they expect this experience to not only be possible – but positive. To deliver, mobile demands that brands adopt a new engagement model and new technologies. 

But finding a solution isn’t as clear as knowing you need one. The landscape is constantly changing. There is an overwhelming number of vendors. And wading through the industry jargon to understand what vendor solutions will actually do can be trying.  

We have heard these pain points loud and clear. And to help, Julie Ask and I have investigated the 12 most important mobile marketing technologies that you need on your radar this year in our latest report: TechRadar™: Mobile Marketing, Q1 2016 (subscription required). These technologies span your mobile needs from creating websites and apps, to grabbing consumer attention with ads, to engaging your customer with messaging, to the analytics to track success and optimize. Focused more on eBusiness than marketing? We have a report with 11 of the most important categories tailored to your needs: TechRadar™: Mobile Commerce, Q1 2016.   

In these reports, we outline what the vendor categories are, how the solutions help your business, the investment required to implement, and the market momentum of each. What are some key overall findings?

  • Enterprise and mobile point solutions go head-to-head to deliver. Marketing cloud solutions with clout are adding mobile capabilities, but investors are pouring millions into a budding landscape of mobile-first solutions. Don’t underestimate the potential of new entrants, especially in emerging categories, to take the lead in strategic and execution transformation. But who will win in the long term? Check out the report for our predictions.
  • Vendors cater to all maturity levels. Vendors are ready to help marketers at every stage of maturity. Some technologies in the equilibrium phase are table stakes for all marketers, and will help early-stage marketers build their mobile foundation. Others in the creation and growth phase are preparing to deliver on mobile leaders' integrated, real-time, and proactive strategies. The good news for all marketers? If the vendor’s capabilities outpace your own marketer maturity – tap into them to keep pace of best practices and innovation.
  • Some technologies are still waiting in the wings. Survival is a push-and-pull: in some cases, marketers identify a solution need and demand vendors execute; in other cases, vendors identify the need and hope marketers adopt it. Several categories we identified find themselves in the latter – meaning they didn’t make the cut this year, or if they did, we will be on the lookout to see them find their niche and fuel adoption this year.

Use this research to cut through vendor jargon, identify the best technologies for your strategic needs, make investment decisions, and know which trends to keep an eye on. Need help with your strategy to map these, too? Check out the Mobile Marketing Playbook to assess your current mobile maturity level and more.