According to the company’s research into FTSE 100 companies, only 7% employ a ‘head of mobile’ or ‘mobile strategist’. “Mobile is a fairly new channel compared to the internet and it seems it’s still very much finding its feet,” explained Eric Lemaréchal, co-founder and COO of Mobile Distillery. “It’s great to see that 7% already recognise the importance and potential of this channel but there’s much more that can be done across the board to demonstrate the benefits coherent mobile strategies can bring to marketing, sales and customer service.”
“In the current economic climate businesses need to be accessible to customers and explore new ways of interacting with them to sustain their competitive advantage,” continued Lemaréchal. “For the mobile to be an effective business channel it requires C-level attention and clear delegation to make it work.”
“It took brands and businesses 15 years to grasp online, and they cannot afford to wait a similar period before taking the mobile channel seriously,” said Nick Lane, chief analyst at leading mobile research company mobileSQUARED. “At least 5% of a company’s online traffic is already being generated from a mobile device, and that figure will only increase. Mobile is too powerful a medium for businesses to ignore and should now look to have a head of mobile if they haven’t already employed someone in that position.”
“As the UK’s top echelon of business, it’s down to these FTSE 100 companies to lead the way in the adoption of innovative ideas such as mobile,” concluded Lemaréchal. ”For the mobile channel to be taken seriously these corporations need to dedicate well-identified resources with a mandate to drive the opportunity forward – and catch up with the more nimble smaller businesses out there.”