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How to Write a Market Research Plan (+ Free Template)

Chris martin, how to lay the foundations of customer salience.

So, you’ve decided to pursue the Customer Salience strategy, embedding a customer-centric culture in...

Emily James

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A market research plan, similar to a brief, is a vital document that details important information about your market research project. Though it is often an overlooked step of the market research process , an effective plan is often a critical factor in determining whether or not your market research efforts are successful.

Why? Because a well-thought through plan, more so than objectives alone, can be a vital instrument in focusing your investment. It ensures you know, ahead of the commencement date, the timeline, budget and desired outcomes from the project. It can even be used as a tool for receiving quicker sign-off from management when embarking on a new venture.

But it’s also important to remember that the research plan is not just for your team. To make full use of this document, it should be written in a way that can be distributed to agency partners as well – ensuring that your insight team and specialist partners are all working towards the same goal.

Tips for Crafting a Successful Plan

The first rule of writing a successful market research plan is to keep it short. The perfect length is between 1-2 pages, but as an absolute maximum try to ensure that it never exceeds 3. This will give you enough space to explain the background, scope and practicalities of the project while ensuring it is concise enough to be read in full. Throughout these few short pages, the tone of your plan should be informative. Remember that you are outlining information that you already know.

Write in a way that holistically encompasses all aspects of the project. Throughout the duration of your scripting, data collection, analysis and reporting stages of your project you should always be referring back to this document in order to remain focused. As any researcher knows, one of the biggest challenges in any research project is staying true to your original objectives.

With both exploratory and confirmatory research alike, new information is likely to arise which may spark other ideas or bring light to previously unknown issues. Remember these, but set them aside for further investigation at a later date. Travelling too far down the rabbit hole is the quickest way to overspend and under deliver on your original goal.

The 10 Elements of the Best Research Plans

First, let me preface this with a reminder: every project is different. A long term co-creation community will have different needs and requirements to a customer feedback survey or ad testing project. However, despite this – it is important to give equal consideration to all projects, and plan each with the same high degree of meticulous care. With this in mind, these are the 10 key aspects we recommend that all research plans should include:

1. Overview

Use this first section to outline the background to the problem that you are attempting to solve. Include background information on the business to provide context, as well as the circumstances that have led to the need for research. Overviews should be limited to 200 words at most, with most of the word count dedicated to the business circumstances & challenges surrounding the research.

2. Objectives

Arguably the most important aspect of the entire document, objectives should be in bullet point format. List 3-5 of the decisions or initiatives that the research will inform – this will become the remit of the project. Below are a few examples of both well and poorly written objectives:

Well written research objectives:

• Understand the channels in which our customers are most comfortable shopping, in order to decide which should be prioritised in the 2017 Q1 budget
• Develop an active co-creation community that contributes 2 user-generated product improvements for testing to the R & D team per month
• Learn what is leading to an increase in customer churn so that a new retention strategy can be put in place within 12 weeks

Poorly written research objectives:

• Survey 1,000 potential customers to find out how our products can be improved
• Develop a panel of employees that are able to provide answers to research questions on an ad-hoc basis
• Learn how our company is perceived in comparison to competitors and how we can stand out in the marketplace

3. Deliverable outcomes

This section acts as a list what you expect to be produced at the end of the project. This can include, but is not limited to: a target number of responses you expect to receive, descriptions of how the data should be presented and the extent to which the data will be used to inform future decisions. In long term projects such as panels or communities, this may include a target for the amount of decisions that research is expected to inform and/or a pipeline for new ideas in exploratory studies.

4. Target audience

Different to sample, your target audience describes the population that you wish to research. This can be defined by a number of factors depending on the nature of your project. Some of the most common include: demographics, psychographics, life stages and company/ product interaction.

5. Sample plan

The sample plan should be used to indicate the amount of participants you wish to research, as well as a breakdown of each group. This will be affected by the choice to use qualitative, quantitative or multi-method approaches, as well as the estimated size of the target population.

6. Research Methods

List the different research methods that you plan to use in your project. This will be used by your team and agency partners to ensure that the insight you need comes from the most appropriate tools. Be sure to include any non-traditional methods you plan to use as well – it’s important that your team are aware of how data will be captured, even if it is being gathered by an experimental technique.

7. Timeline

These usually take the form of a Gantt chart, but can vary depending on the scope and length of your project. Try to break down tasks as much as possible but be wary of dependencies within your chart. Be sure to schedule enough time in case some research tasks over-run or response rates are lower than expected.

Perhaps the most dreaded aspect of any research plan, budgeting is never easy. But by providing a breakdown of costs and outlining which elements of the project require most investment, a well-planned budget can be a benefit rather than a hurdle.

9 & 10. Ethical and Further considerations

Finally, you should outline any ethical/ other considerations or issues that may arise throughout the course of your project. Whether these are as simple as a conflict of interest or a concern about supplier relationships – this is your chance to address any problems that may arise before they do.

Free Market Research Plan Template

Use this link to download our   free market research plan template . The template comes complete with each of the sections outlined above, with instructions on usage and tips on how to make the most out of it. Currently available in .docx format, please email   [email protected]  if you have any problems with the download.

What do you believe should be included in a successful market research plan? Share your advice with us in the comments below and join the conversation.

About FlexMR

We are The Insights Empowerment Company. We help research, product and marketing teams drive informed decisions with efficient, scalable & impactful insight.

About Chris Martin

Chris is an experienced executive and marketing strategist in the insight and technology sectors. He also hosts our MRX Lab podcast.

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What is mobile market research? The beginner's guide

Mobile market research is helping brands worldwide understand their consumers better than ever before. But as powerful as this new approach is, many advertisers have yet to try it for themselves. For those looking for an introduction, this article will set you at ease with the entire world of mobile market research.

What is mobile market research?

Mobile market research is a research method that uses mobile devices to collect data around consumer preferences, behaviors, and more. The rapid rise of smartphone usage, both in the US and abroad, has made mobile research methods a practical and powerful alternative for advertisers looking to understand consumer trends. Statistica estimates that the total number of smartphone users in the United States is  294M as of 2021  — and  projects that number to break 300M in 2022 , which would account for 91% of the country. As mobile usage continues to grow over the coming years, more advertisers will leverage mobile research to inform their strategies.

The benefits of mobile market research

Advertisers have long depended on market research to develop effective branding strategies, campaign messaging, and more. While traditional approaches like phone surveys will remain useful for many brands for years to come, mobile market research methods will increasingly become the standard for advertisers. The approach’s unique advantages — like high engagement rates, data accuracy, and audience coverage — will drive more and more advertisers to rely on it.

• High engagement:  Because mobile market research uses the consumer’s mobile device, it reduces the friction involved in the traditional research process. Consumers don’t have to be at any particular place or time to participate. They just have to have their smartphone or tablet in hand and the ability to tap the screen a few times. This low barrier to entry means advertisers using this method can significantly increase the study’s engagement rate — especially if the market research rewards consumers for their feedback.
• Accurate results:  Because mobile devices enable easy, rapid, and contextually driven interactions, this approach to market research can generate much higher quality data. Broad areas of interest can be addressed through incremental, rapid-fire questions — driving up the thoroughness of the response data. In other words, this approach enables advertisers to glean complete, credible, and timely data from their target audience.
• Comprehensive audience coverage : Because mobile devices are ubiquitous, mobile market research allows advertisers to access an enormous audience. The average US adult spends almost  four hours a day on their mobile device  – while the average 18 to 34 year old only watches TV for a  little over 90 minutes a day . Mobile devices  now regularly outstrip desktops  when it comes to internet usage. And as noted above, soon, over 90% of the country will be mobile-enabled. In short, mobile research opens up a consumer landscape of unprecedented size.

Key features of mobile market research

Mobile devices provide a remarkable amount of flexibility and power in market research. Listed below are some of mobile market research’s most compelling features.

• Gather in-the-moment feedback.  Whether it’s while a consumer is using an app or during a live event, response collection using mobile devices can occur in the middle of an experience. This feature is critical for advertisers to understand the consumer perspective during the “ magic moment ,” and the market research mobile app approach is also key for mobile app developers.
• Use location-sensitive triggers.  Advertisers can set surveys to deploy based on the GPS data from a consumer’s mobile device. This feature provides a high degree of control over the timing of feedback gathering. Advertisers could use this feature to gather data during an experience, like a marketing event, or until a consumer has had time to process their reaction. The latter option, known as “negative fencing,” is ideal for generating more thoughtful responses.
• Get multimedia responses.  From text to video, modern   smartphones have made it easy for consumers to express themselves using a range of mediums. This means advertisers can receive consumer feedback in numerous ways, enriching their research data.
• Collect in-depth consumer ethnographies.  The use of mobile devices also means advertisers can get consistent, long-term data on consumer preferences. Research participants can record their thoughts in a daily journal, notebook, or another format, giving advertisers a wide-angle view of their target audience.
• Compensate consumers instantly via in-app rewards.  Because mobile research can be naturally integrated into the mobile gaming experience, consumers can be highly motivated to engage with a survey for an in-app reward .  This approach to the survey rewards app strategy boosts both the response quality and the likelihood that actual consumers are generating the data.

Top mobile market research tools

Now that we’ve reviewed the benefits and features of mobile market research, let’s explore some of the top market research apps: MobileVoice®, Rival Technologies, and Zinklar.

• MobileVoice ® :  MobileVoice ®   is a mobile market research platform that gives advertisers access to over 50M consumers from 16 countries across 20K apps — the largest mobile panel on the market. Leveraging the power of the value exchange model via in-app rewarded surveys, MobileVoice® generates quality survey responses from qualified respondents at any scale required. Our platform also gives you complete customizability when it comes to survey construction, enabling you to uncover a wealth of insight into consumer behavior, preferences, and demographics.
• Rival Technologies:  Rival  is a mobile market research platform with solid consumer engagement rates and flexible feedback formatting. It delivers an average response rate of 64% and a recontact rate of 41%, meaning advertisers with niche audiences can derive quality market data by using it. Rival also allows advertisers to collect text responses and video testimonials, providing them with an array of qualitative and quantitative data to generate research findings.
• Zinklar:   Zinklar  is an automated survey platform that enables advertisers to get regular feedback from target mobile consumers. Used by brands like Disney, L’Oréal, and KFC, Zinklar allows advertisers to collect and analyze response data in real-time, accelerating their ability to adapt to market conditions. In addition, the platform supports the use of both external and internal information sources during the analysis process. This gives advertisers a more holistic perspective on the available data, enhancing the quality of their insights.

How to start your mobile market research journey

Mobile market research is transforming how everyone from app developers to  DTC brands  learns about their audiences. Using this approach, advertisers can get faster, better, and more consistent data on their consumers, helping them take their initiatives to a whole new level. To start seeing the power of mobile consumer insights firsthand,  reach out  to get a consultation with our team of experts. Our research solution, MobileVoice ® , reimagines the market research experience by combining the survey and reward in-app, and our partners have found it produces the highest quality feedback data possible.

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How to conduct mobile app market research? Full expert guide

So, you’ve decided to build a mobile app. 

You’ve got a brilliant idea and you’re dying to get down to work. 

But, did you conduct market research first? Building a mobile app without doing proper market research is like building a house without laying out the foundations first. 

In-depth market research is essential for the success of your app.

In this article we’ll show you why and walk you through all the steps to successful market research.

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is mobile app market research?

Mobile app market research is the process of gathering and analyzing information about a market you want to target with your app.

Market research is a key part of product discovery and will help you find opportunities in your target market.

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You’ll be talking with our technology experts.

Most importantly, it will help you identify your target audience , i.e. the people who are likely to buy and use your mobile app.

This will help you validate your idea , position your product, and get to a product-market fit.

And once you’re done with market research, you’ll know:

• The size and growth dynamics of your target market
• How your competitors position their products
• Which features you should prioritize
• How you can position your product

And that’s exactly what you need to know to build a successful app.

Types of market research

Next, we’ll cover the different types of mobile app market research.

Primary and secondary market research

Mobile app market research can be broadly categorized into 2 main categories – primary and secondary market research.

Here’s a quick explainer of their differences:

source: Qualtrics

Primary market research is research you do yourself and involves collecting original data directly from your potential users.

It includes methods like:

• User interviews
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires
• Observation-based research

Secondary market research, on the other hand, is when you use and analyze data collected by other sources .

This includes:

• Company reports
• Industry reports
• Whitepapers
• Government-collected data

Using both types is essential for successful mobile app market research.

Primary research gives you firsthand, specific information about your target audience and their needs.

And secondary research helps you understand (and take advantage of!) industry trends and dynamics in your target market.

Qualitative and quantitative market research

Other than primary and secondary research, you can also differentiate between qualitative and quantitative market research.

So, what’s the difference between the two?

In the simplest terms, qualitative research deals with non-numerical data while quantitative deals with numbers and statistics.

Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that – here’s a detailed overview of the differences between the two:

Qualitative market research is all about understanding your target users’ behavior and preferences.

And it gives you detailed insights into their motivations and pain points, which will help you find ways your app can solve them.

It includes research methods like:

• Observational studies

On the other hand, quantitative market research is about collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns in user behavior .

It gives you measurable statistical data you can use to make data-driven decisions about your app.

Some top qualitative methods you should use are:

• Review scores

You need to use both types if you want a comprehensive understanding of your target audience and target market.

And that’s the only way to build an app that can succeed in the market.

Why is app market research so important?

First of all, the app industry is huge. 

In 2023 alone, users downloaded more than 257 billion apps and games.

And, on average, a 1000 new apps are added every day to both the App Store and Google Play .

source: Statista

You don’t want to rush in there without a plan or strategy, right?

This happened to the taxi app Hailo .

Hyped up from their success in the United Kingdom, they tried to break in to the U.S. market.

However, they made a fatal mistake – they didn’t properly research the characteristics of the U.S. market.

source: Apptunix

You shouldn’t make the same mistake – that’s where market research comes in.

Market research will give you valuable inputs, like:

• Your audience’s pain points
• Industry trends 
• The psychology of your potential users 
• Your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses

Next, we’ll show you exactly how to do market research for your mobile app.

4 key steps to conduct mobile app market research

Here, we’ll guide you through the 4 key steps you need to follow for successful market research.

1. Prepare for your market research

Good preparation is half the battle won. Grab a piece of paper (or open a Google doc) and write down these questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• Is it a wide customer base or a more niche one?
• What is the goal of your app?
• Which user problems does your app solve?

Also, try to imagine the day-to-day issues your users come across.

Make sure you always have your users’ pain points on your mind and how your app can solve them.

This is especially important if you’re building fintech or health apps because the user’s well-being depends on them. 

Next, you need to sketch out your app’s business model:

• Will your app be free or will you go with a “try before they buy” approach?
• Do you want to monetize it with in-app advertising or in-app purchases?
• Do you want to go with a paid model?

As you can see, you have plenty of business models to choose from. It may feel overwhelming, but when you’re done with the research, you’ll be able to successfully monetize your app.

Also, you should do a SWOT analysis of your app – SWOT stands for S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities and T hreats.

It’s a popular technique that’ll give you a bird’s eye view of your app and will serve as a good roadmap.

Finally, you should write all this down and later compare it with findings from your research. 

2. Conduct the research using these methods

Next, let’s dive headlong into research – we’ve selected a few top research methods you should use during market research.

One of the primary market research methods you should use are surveys.

Here, you give a series of questions to a predefined group of people to gain valuable information. 

Surveys are a highly effective and easy way to step into your potential users’ shoes.

Give users open-ended questions at the beginning and narrow them as you go.

But, don’t go too narrow. Those questions aren’t useful because they won’t give you conclusive answers. 

Your surveys should be tailored to your target audience and you need to make sure you send them out to the right people.

So, don’t rely on feedback from friends or coworkers – they’ll be very biased and skew your research results.

You can easily create surveys with tools like:

• SurveyMonkey
• Google Forms

But, make sure they’re not too long – the sweet spot is 7-10 questions and 10-14 minutes to complete it.

Also, you should give users an incentive to complete the survey.

This can be exclusive access to your app, a discount or something else with added value.

Social media listening

Nowadays, people live on social media – 62% of the global population uses some form of social media.

So, it should be no surprise that social media is a treasure trove for market research – which is where social media listening comes in.

Monitoring relevant social media content is essential in conducting market research.

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It will help you gain insight into how users communicate with your competitors and their pain points.

So, if you’re developing a gaming app, check out relevant Discord servers or if you’re working on a fitness app, check out fitness groups on Facebook.

You should also use social listening tools like:

• Sprout Social

Social media listening isn’t just perfect for analyzing your target audience, but your competitors, too – we’ll touch on that later.

Collecting relevant data

Market research is pointless without relevant data.

That’s why your sources should have trustworthy, fresh and relevant data.

Luckily, collecting that data is much easier with online tools like:

• Sensor Tower
• Business of Apps
• Google Trends

Sensor Tower is a digital intelligence and analytics tool with a treasure trove of data about a wide variety of markets.

Statista is a platform with a lot of up-to-date data and statistics about various industries and countries.

Business of Apps is an excellent source of not only app data but also news, podcasts and insights related to the app industry.

Finally, even a simple and free tool like Google Trends can be helpful during market research.

source: Google Trends

It’s a great tool for comparing search trends all around the world.

So, if you’re wondering which countries are the best user base for your app, you can find that out with just a few clicks.

And if you don’t have time to browse around, you can subscribe and get data about trending topics and searches.

3. Analyze your competitors

We’ve all heard the saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”.

And the same goes for market research – this is where competitive analysis comes in.

It will help you get a clear picture of industry trends and consumer behavior.

First, you need to determine who your competitors are – since they’re already operating in your niche so it shouldn’t be difficult to find them.

Then, you need to gather as much information as you can and find answers to these questions:

• Are they privately or publicly owned? 
• What’s their business model? 
• Who are their users?
• What problems does their app solve for users? 
• What are their app’s features? 
• How much revenue and profit did they make last year? 
• What’s their marketing strategy?

Tools like Apptopia or Determ will make collecting this data much easier.

Then, you need to analyze your findings, identify any gaps in their business model, and find out how your app can be better than theirs.

Also, it’s useful to do a SWOT analysis of your competitors.

This way, the differences between your app and your competitors’ product will be crystal clear. 

Also, don’t focus just on direct competitors , or ones similar or the same as you.

Widen your horizons and do an analysis of various companies – big and small.

You’ll gain lots of valuable insights from their approach to business, users or competitors. 

4. Apply the results to your mobile app

Wait, there’s still work to do. 

Take all your findings, compare them with your notes and incorporate them into your app. 

If something doesn’t add up, or you realize you’ll have to make some changes, don’t feel bad – it’s a normal part of the app development process.

And it’s better to find mistakes in the initial stages of development than later on.

So, what should you do next?

Group your findings in a spreadsheet and make sure you include:

• Your buyer persona 
• Competitive analysis
• Industry trends and general overview
• Your price model

Along with your findings, make sure to include all the relevant data you’ve collected from outside sources. 

Then, compare them to the notes you took before the beginning of your research.

You can compare the findings on your customers with your own description of the ideal user and ask:

• Are there any gaps?
• Do their preferences align with your business plan?
• Does your app solve their pain points?

For example, if you’ve found that your potential users only download free apps, you won’t decide on a paid model.

And if you’re satisfied with the results, congratulations! You’ve completed your market research.

How to conduct market research for your mobile app: summary

Effective market research is the key to building a successful mobile app – it gives you the information you need to make informed decisions about your app’s development.

With that in mind, here’s a summary of the key steps you need to follow to conduct mobile app market research:

• Prepare for your market research
• Conduct the research using these methods: surveys, social media listening, collecting relevant data
• Analyze your competitors
• Apply the results to your mobile app

So, there you have it – now you’ve got everything you need to successfully do market research for your mobile app.

Important tips for conducting mobile app market research

We asked our product manager, Boris Plavljanic, to share his most important tips for mobile app market research.

And here’s what he had to say:

1. Identify your target audience

Identify your app’s intended users and understand their demographic details, behaviors, preferences, and the challenges they face. This will allow you to tailor the app’s features and your marketing efforts and effectively address their needs. Boris Plavljanic, Product manager at DECODE

Getting this one right is key if you want to build an app that can actually meet your users’ needs – and it’s key for its long-term success.

2. Analyze your competitors

Check out the top apps in your niche. Look at their strengths, weaknesses, the feedback they get, and their unique features. Doing this can reveal market gaps and highlight opportunities for you to stand out. Boris Plavljanic, Product manager at DECODE

Standing out from your competition is the best way to establish yourself in your target market. And you can’t do that without analyzing your competitors first.

3. Get direct feedback from potential users

Use surveys and questionnaires to get direct feedback from potential users and ask them about their preferences, challenges, and the features they want. Also, you should talk to small groups of potential users or do individual interviews to get deeper insights. Boris Plavljanic, Product manager at DECODE

Getting direct feedback from your target audience is the only way to build a truly user-friendly app and succeed in a crowded market.

Mobile app market research: FAQs

Most importantly, it will help you identify your target audience, i.e. the people who are likely to buy and use your mobile app.

Why is mobile app market research important?

Mobile app market research is important because it will help you:

• Identify your target market and target audience
• Position your product
• Get your app to a product-market fit
• Identify gaps in the market

Which types of market research should I use?

You should use:

• Primary market research – research you do yourself by collecting original data
• Secondary market research – using and analyzing data collected by other sources
• Qualitative market research – non-numerical data, used to understand users’ behavior and pain points
• Quantitative market research – numerical and statistical data, used to identify patterns and make data-driven decisions

Need market research for your app?

So, you have a great app idea but don’t have the time for in-depth market research and product discovery?

Luckily, you’re in the right place.

We can help you do in-depth market research for your app, validate your idea, and then build your app from scratch.

If you want to learn more, check out our product discovery process and feel free to reach out – we’ll set up a quick call to discuss your needs in more detail.

Ivan Kardum

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Mobile Marketing: 12 Powerful Strategies & the Ultimate Guide [2024]

Mobile marketing is a powerful component of digital marketing and businesses of all sizes, across all industries, can benefit from a great mobile marketing strategy!

Mobile devices are everywhere – more than 90% of the global population uses mobile phones, and more than  83.72% of the global population owns a smartphone . When it comes to internet access, more than 70% of users access the internet on a mobile device, increasing to over 90% in some regions.

Marketing campaigns that are optimized specifically for mobile devices offer unique advantages. They’re cost-effective, easy to execute, and can fit seamlessly into your existing marketing efforts.

Mobile marketing strategies like text message marketing also boast incredibly high open and click-through rates, and location-based mobile marketing provides a level of contextual relevance that few other marketing channels can match.  

So, what are the best mobile marketing strategies to use and how do you create a successful mobile marketing plan for your business?

Today, we’re going to cover what mobile marketing means, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and then show you some of the best mobile marketing strategies, examples, and expert tips to create a successful mobile marketing plan for your business!

Let’s jump right in!

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What is Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy that uses multiple channels to engage consumers on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. The channels used in mobile marketing include SMS, MMS, email, social media, content marketing , mobile responsive websites, apps and push notifications.

Mobile marketing is one of the most effective methods to use. It offers unique advantages in that messaging is immediate, precisely timed and targeted, and can be location-specific and highly personalized.

In terms of reach, there are more than 6.5 million smartphone users globally, and by 2025 three quarters ( 72.6%) of all internet users will be accessing the internet via smartphone . In the USA,  85% of consumers own a smartphone , which they check more than 50 times a day!

TLDR – MOBILE MARKETING IS:

Mobile marketing is a form of multi-channel digital marketing aimed at connecting with consumers via their mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets. Main channels include SMS, MMS, email, social media, content marketing, mobile responsive websites, apps, and push notifications.

Mobile Marketing Channels

Any channel that a consumer can access from their phone or tablet can be used for mobile marketing, however, the main channels used specifically in mobile marketing are:

SMS or Text Messages

SMS or text message marketing is a quick and easy way for consumers to receive notifications, updates, personalized promotional offers, and time-sensitive deals.

Text/SMS marketing reaches consumers wherever they are, no matter what they’re doing, and the open rates are incredibly high – close to 100% within the first 20 minutes!

Push Notifications and In-app Messaging 

For businesses with an app, when users opt-in to receive notifications you can send them offers, suggestions, notifications, and reminders to their home/lock screen, whether they’re currently using the app or not. Done right, push notifications can be a powerful mobile marketing strategy!  

In-app messages do not require an opt-in from users, so messaging can reach your entire user base. This makes in-app messaging great for gathering information, establishing preferences, and letting users know about additional offers available to them.  

If your app has an inbox, you can use it like you would use email marketing for longer and more in-depth communication. App inboxes provide a wealth of analytics data while allowing you to control the content in messages even after they land in the inbox. That means you can further personalize offers and improve the user experience.

• Mobile Optimized Email Marketing

Email marketing is not mobile-specific, but as the majority of smartphone users access their email from their phones, it’s essential that your email marketing is optimized for mobile. Content created with mobile in mind, mobile responsive website design, and branded mobile apps make it super easy for email recipients to go directly to your site and take the desired action!

TLDR: 3 MAIN MOBILE MARKETING CHANNELS

Most digital marketing channels can be optimized for mobile but the main mobile-specific channels are:

• Text Messages or SMS Marketing
• Push Notifications and In-app Messaging

Mobile Marketing: Advantages and Disadvantages  

Advantages of mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing offers some unique advantages that make it a highly effective component of digital marketing:

1. Easily Accessible to a Large Audience

Reaching your audience via their phones is an immediate, real-time form of contact, which reaches the majority of all internet users, instantly.

As of 2022, globally there are more than  6.5 million smartphone users, which is projected to rise to over 7.6 million by 2027 . In terms of mobile access to the internet,  72.6 % of all internet access will via smartphone by 2025  – that is three-quarters of all internet users!  

And that is just smartphones. It does not include those using tablets and other mobile devices.

In terms of SMS or text marketing, a uniquely mobile marketing channel, the  open rates are as high as 98% , which is another reason mobile marketing is such an effective marketing method.  

2. Highly Cost-effective Marketing

Mobile marketing is one of the most diverse and cost-effective ways to reach your audience. This comes down to several factors:

• Your existing content and messaging can easily be re-purposed and optimized for mobile
• Screen sizes are smaller, which means the new content you create for mobile is inherently smaller and simpler, which takes less time and costs less money
• Precise targeting and location-based marketing allow you to focus your marketing efforts on the right segments of your audience, reducing wasted ad spend
• Mobile-only channels like push notifications, in-app ads, and SMS or text marketing are some of the cheapest channels available

The bottom line is that mobile marketing is both effective and cost-effective compared to other marketing techniques in terms of ROI.

3. Mobile Marketing Allows You to Make the Most of Location and Personalization

People carry their phones with them all the time, wherever they go. One of the biggest benefits of mobile marketing is that you can reach your audience with relevant communication, no matter where they are.

Location-based marketing lets you gather a great deal of information about your audience, including their habits, preferences, purchase history, and current location.

This information is hugely valuable for precise targeting, and highly personalized marketing. You can then reach the right segments of your audience, with the right offers, at the right time and in the right place!

4. Mobile Marketing is Immediate and Allows for Instant, Impulse Transactions

People use their phones when they’re bored or killing time, which presents a great opportunity for sellers. In the same way that items on the side of the check-out line at the grocery store catch your attention while you wait, mobile marketing can reach people when they’re looking for something of interest and have nothing else on their minds.

In a sense, it capitalizes on boredom and entices people to make impulse purchases almost as a form of entertainment. Aside from maybe social media marketing, there are precious few marketing channels that let you do this!

5. Sharing, Referrals, and the Potential for Viral Campaigns

Everyone loves to share things with their contacts, especially if they’re interesting/entertaining or offer something of value.

Mobile marketing makes everything highly shareable, which increases the odds of informal referrals between customers.

It also creates the potential for your content to go viral, gaining attention and spreading brand awareness at zero cost to you.

IN SHORT, THE UNIQUE ADVANTAGES OF MOBILE MARKETING ARE:

• It is easy to reach a very large number of people because almost everyone uses a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet.
• Many mobile marketing channels are free or low-cost and easy to deploy.
• It is ideal for leveraging location-based marketing techniques to their full advantage.
• Mobile marketing allows for fine-grained targeting and a high level of personalization.
• Communication is immediate so it can be precisely timed.
• Mobile marketing reaches people on the go, in situations where they’re looking for entertainment or something of interest, which drives impulse purchasing.
• Content viewed on mobile devices is highly shareable, which increases the chances of referrals and customer advocacy, as well as the odds of your campaign going viral.

Disadvantages of Mobile Marketing

While mobile marketing offers great advantages, there are also some pitfalls to be aware of when you’re planning your mobile marketing campaigns:

1. Immediacy Means There is No Wiggle Room to Fix Errors

Mobile marketing is by nature an immediate/real-time method of communication. If you make a mistake in your message, there is no time to fix it before the recipients see it, and sending out an error followed by a correction notice is hardly the first impression you want to make!

2. Easy Sharing and Viral Potential Can Backfire

The potential for your content to be shared far and wide very quickly is great in the right context. In the wrong context, however, it can be a huge liability. If your content is being shared and circulated for reasons that reflect poorly on your brand, it can do a lot of damage to your brand reputation, which is difficult and expensive to remedy. Make sure all your content is carefully thought through and will land as intended before you send it to anyone’s mobile phone! 

3. Costs to the User

While some mobile marketing channels, like email and SMS marketing, can be some of the most cost-effective marketing for you, they might be costing your audience in terms of data or text message charges. This is something to keep in mind when you formulate your mobile marketing plan and choose the strategies you will use to reach different segments of your target market.

4. Limited Accessibility for Non-Smartphone Mobile Users

The majority of your target audience will be using smartphones but there will still be a segment that is not using smartphones and won’t be reached via mobile marketing channels that require internet or data usage. In the USA, it is estimated that 80% of mobile phone users have a smartphone, while 20% do not. Remember to factor this into your strategy and focus on SMS/text marketing for those without smartphones. 

IN SHORT, THE UNIQUE DISADVANTAGES OF MOBILE MARKETING ARE:

• Instant messaging means there is no wiggle room to fix mistakes so every piece of content and every message needs to be on point, every time.
• Easy sharing and viral potential can backfire if your audience is sharing your content for reasons that reflect badly on your business.
• Unlike most other digital marketing methods, mobile marketing can carry a cost for your audience in the form of mobile data or text message charges.
• Not everyone who owns a mobile phone owns a smartphone so some mobile marketing channels will not reach those users, even if they’re in your target audience.

Right, now that you have an idea of the unique opportunities mobile marketing offers, and the potential pitfalls to look out for, let’s take a look at some of the best mobile marketing strategies to consider:

12 Mobile Marketing Strategies & Examples in 2024

1. responsive website design that is optimized for mobile.

Your website, marketing content, and ads all need to be  optimized  for mobile. That is a step further than just ‘mobile friendly’ and it means having a highly responsive website, that is designed with mobile use in mind.

A mobile-optimized website ensures a great customer experience for those browsing on their phones and any other mobile device. It also increases conversion rates and lowers bounce rates.

There are several ways to optimize your website, such as using mobile-specific platforms, using HTML5, and ensuring that the site is adaptive and responsive. Your content also needs to be created with mobile in mind and made to be easily digested, as well as scale easily and load quickly.

Take a look at this short video by HostGator for a quick breakdown of what it means to optimize your website for mobile:

While this can be a little too much on the technical side for many, some  great mobile marketing agencies offer everything you need, including web development and design for mobile, and creative content production .

2. Mobile-friendly Content and Copy

As we noted above, mobile optimization is not limited to your website infrastructure. Using content that is mobile-friendly is important too!

Here are some tips to ensure that your content is mobile-friendly:

• Use high-quality images, videos, and GIFs. Mobile content needs to be visually engaging and interesting.
• Copy needs to be short, concise, and to the point. Use short sentences, break up paragraphs with headings and sub-headings, and use ordered and unordered lists for any content that can be skimmed.
• Use large fonts (size 14px or bigger), as small font sizes are hard to read on a small screen.
• Add alt text, image names, and captions to all media so that viewers can see what it is if it’s taking a while to download on a slow data connection, or if their browser does not automatically load media.
• Most people watch videos on mute, so adding subtitles is essential to get your message across even with the sound off!   

3. Opt-In (and Opt-Out) Forms

In digital marketing, especially email marketing, it is best practice to get permission from recipients and make sure that they have a way to opt out too. Mobile marketing is no different!

Opt-in forms on your website, emails, and any other form of communication you use will grant you permission to contact people AND help you grow your email and SMS lists.

You can use a simple pop-up or you can use something more complex, like a lead-magnet offer with a free resource download in exchange for an email address or phone number.  

Similarly, having an opt-out option is critical. If someone knows they can opt-out, they’re more likely to give you their contact info. They’re also more likely to remove themselves from your email or SMS lists, which saves you doing it for them when they’re no longer responsive.

Regularly purged contact lists have higher open rates and CTR, which improves things like email reputation and deliverability.

4. SMS/Text Message Marketing

When it comes to mobile marketing campaigns, SMS marketing, and text blasts are really effective. They’re highly cost-effective, and SMS has close to a 100% open rate!

Text messages are great for time-sensitive offers and leveraging a sense of urgency. According to Tatango,  90% of marketing text messages are opened within just 3 minutes , and 99% are opened within the first 20 minutes.

To make the most of your text/SMS marketing, include opt-ins and opt-outs and use coupons – digital coupons, like a discount code or a link to an exclusive offer, are used more than coupons from any other marketing channel.

5. Paid Social Media Ads

Social media marketing has become a leading marketing channel and it’s great for mobile marketing, with  76% of users accessing social media using a mobile device .

Include social media ads in your social media and mobile marketing plans, and do some A/B tests to determine which platforms perform the best for your brand.

Ads are simple way to target specific segments of your audience with highly relevant offers. They’re also effective for spreading awareness of your brand and gain followers for your social media profiles.

6. GIFs and Video Content

Mobile marketing strategies work best when they’re coupled with interactive visual content like GIFs and videos. People expect mobile content to be easy to digest and entertaining. No one wants to read pages and pages of text on a small screen!

Video marketing has become a cornerstone of almost all forms of digital marketing, especially on social media.

Video is especially useful for reviews and educational content on products and services. Almost 75% of people prefer watching a video over reading a guide when learning about a new product.

Incorporating video and GIFs into your mobile marketing plan and social media strategy increases engagement, holds attention for longer and makes your content more memorable. It also makes it easier to digest and more entertaining for your audience.

7. Location-based Marketing Techniques

Location-based marketing techniques, such as  mobile targeting, geofencing, and geotargeting , are invaluable mobile marketing strategies.

Check out this short video by John Arnott for more on the basics of geofencing and other location-based marketing techniques:

Leveraging real-time location data provides insights into customer behavior and preferences that you can use to fine-tune your targeting and provide highly personalized offers.  

For brick-and-mortar businesses and businesses with apps, location-specific search results help you reach people close by and make the most of the convenience factor.

For mobile marketing in e-commerce, brands that provide location-based offers, like free delivery within a specific area or products that need to be delivered quickly like food, will benefit from location-based marketing.

8. Voice Search Optimization

In addition to voice searches on mobile phones, as of 2022, it is projected that  more than 50% of homes use a voice smart speaker , and the trend is increasing rapidly.

This is important for marketing because, according to  Invoca , 43% of the people who own a voice-enabled device use it to shop. Of those, 51% use voice search to research products, 22% make purchases directly through the voice search and 17% use it to reorder items.

People also use voice search for location-specific recommendations, like local restaurants , store locations, and services. Most voice searches lead to a phone call to the business they found, website visits, and in-store visits, which makes voice search an important driver of actual sales, not just traffic.

9. In-app Support to Improve Customer Experience

Customer experience is everything. Providing great customer service, support, and an effortless experience doing business with you will improve customer retention, drive repeat purchases, and increase customer lifetime value.

It will also increase the chances of customers referring their friends and family to you, advocating for you online, and sharing their positive experiences with your brand on social media.

A lot goes into providing a great customer experience but when it comes to mobile marketing strategies, you can use in-app messaging and support to make each customer’s experience that much better.

In-app support through live chat on your website or in your business’s mobile app is a convenient and immediate way to communicate with your customers. The easier it is for them to contact you and get a quick answer and an easy solution to their problems, the better!  

10. Push Notifications

For businesses with a mobile app, push notifications are a great way to send notifications, and time-sensitive offers and keep users updated on your latest promotions. When users opt-in to push notifications, those notifications will appear on their home screen and not only when they’re in the app itself.

Push notifications are also useful for cart abandonment and re-engagement messaging. To make the most of your push notifications, use quick and easy elements like buttons and quick links, and keep messaging short, fun, and engaging with emojis and other visual elements.    

11. In-App Messaging

Unlike push notifications, users do not need to opt-in to receiving messages to your app’s message inbox. This means every user will automatically get these messages and you can use them for automated communications like onboarding, setting preferences, marketing promotions, and upselling additional products or features.

12. Personalized Mobile Marketing Campaigns

Personalization is key in digital marketing, especially in email and mobile marketing. In fact,  75% of consumers  are  more likely  to buy from a retailer that uses their name and makes recommendations based on their purchase history.

One of the best things about mobile marketing is just how personalized and precisely targeted your marketing can be!

Mobile user data can help you to create highly personalized offers, using location data, interaction/purchase history, and some basic demographic information that is easy enough to gather when people opt-in to your mobile marketing channels.

Mobile Marketing Plan: 3 Steps to Get it Right

While the mobile marketing strategies we listed above are all highly effective, not every strategy will be appropriate or practical for your specific business.

That is where your mobile marketing plan comes in. A good mobile marketing plan sets out the roadmap and overall strategy for your mobile marketing, including the channels and strategies you will use, and how you will tie mobile-specific marketing into your overall marketing mix.

When you’re putting your mobile marketing plan together, these three steps will set you up for success:

1. Select and Prioritize the best Mobile Marketing Strategies to Use

Choosing the right combination of strategies to use comes down to your business model, and where and when you want to reach your audience.

Consider your marketing goals and objectives and how mobile marketing can help you reach them.

Look at the marketing channels you’re already using and see where you can use mobile marketing to strengthen different channels, like social media, or fill gaps, like location-based marketing, to round out your overall marketing efforts.  

Create robust customer personas and identify where and when they’re using mobile devices, and how best you can meet their needs. Are they bored and scrolling on social media? Are they looking for the nearest solution to an urgent need? Are they driving or are they at home?

From there, you can determine which strategies will be the most effective and which ones will be the easiest to implement. Start with those, and you can add on more (and cut back on any that do not show results!) as you progress.

2. Consider Your Budget and Make the Most of Free or Low-cost Mobile Marketing Strategies

One of mobile marketing’s biggest advantages is how cost-effective it is! Make the most of that by choosing free strategies, like claiming your location on Google and other location-specific listings, or low-cost strategies like text message marketing.

You should also leverage all the information available to you to hone in on personalization and precise targeting to reduce any wasted ad-spend and increase your ROI.

Factoring the costs, and potential savings, into your mobile marketing plan will help you develop a plan that is sustainable and makes the most of whatever budget you have available.

3. Optimize Your Current Marketing Channels for Mobile

Take all your existing marketing channels and optimize them for mobile – especially your website, search ads, email, and social media marketing.

You can leverage the benefits of mobile marketing simply by making what you’re doing already mobile-friendly. This is the simplest, easiest way to get going with mobile marketing, even if you do not have the resources to start new campaigns specifically for mobile.

In addition to making your website responsive and mobile-optimized, look at your content and messaging and finesse them to work for mobile and small screens.

Starting small and building up slowly also allows you to gather information and populate lists before you branch out into new mobile marketing strategies.

Even simple things like adding an opt-in for an SMS list to your marketing emails and on your website can get the ball rolling.

TLDR – 3 KEY STEPS TO TAKE IN A GREAT MOBILE MARKETING PLAN:

• Step 1: Choose the best mobile marketing strategies to use and prioritize them
• Step 2: Focus on free and low-cost mobile marketing strategies to begin with
• Step 3: Optimize all your existing marketing channels for mobile

Final Thoughts on Mobile Marketing Strategies

Mobile marketing is a powerful component of digital marketing, which cannot be overlooked. It is inexpensive, can easily be incorporated into your overall marketing strategy, and is highly effective.

When you use the right combination of mobile marketing strategies and formulate a good mobile marketing plan, you can reach your target audience, anywhere, at any time, with highly relevant, contextual, and personalized marketing content.

Today, we have covered some of the best mobile marketing strategies and examples, as well as three essential steps to take when you’re creating your mobile marketing plan.

Which strategies will you use first?  

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a mobile marketing strategy.

Mobile marketing strategy refers to multi-channel methods used in digital marketing to engage consumers on their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Mobile marketing channels include websites and ecommerce stores, email, SMS/text marketing, MMS, social media, and mobile apps. Check out the full guide for more on the best mobile marketing strategies to use in your mobile marketing plan.

How do I start a mobile marketing strategy?

Start by developing a comprehensive mobile marketing plan, which includes the most relevant and accessible mobile marketing strategies for your business. Start by optimizing all your existing marketing channels for mobile, and then branch out into free and low-cost strategies like location-based marketing and SMS or text marketing. Read the full guide to learn more about mobile marketing strategies and where to begin.

What is a mobile marketing plan?

A mobile marketing plan is the roadmap and overall strategy you will use to guide your various mobile marketing campaigns. It sets out the different strategies or techniques you will use, the order in which to deploy them and how they tie into your overall marketing plan. A good mobile marketing plan emphasizes targeting, personalization and location-based information. Read the full guide for tips on how to develop a successful mobile marketing plan.

Act.On: 5 Ways Mobile Marketing is Affecting Social Media

Bankmycell: 2024 Mobile User Statistics

Crazy Egg: How Mobile Optimization Affects your Conversions

CNBC: Nearly Three-Quarters of the World Will Use Just Their Smartphones to Access the Internet By 2025

G2 Learn Hub: 46 SMS Marketing Statistics Your Customers Wish You Knew

Invoca Blog: 34 Voice Search Stats Marketers Need to Know

Marketo: Mobile Marketing Strategy Pdf

Plexure: The Power of Location-Based Marketing

Statista: Number of Smartphone Subscriptions Worldwide 2016 – 2027

Tatango: SMS Marketing Statistics

Techjury: 67+ Revealing Smartphone Statistics for 2024

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How to Conduct Mobile App Market Research

Mobile app development is exciting. New entrepreneurs and established businesses alike are always eager to bring their app ideas to life.

But before you rush into development, there are a few things you need to do first.

Mobile app market research is arguably the most important step for any project. It helps validate your ideas and lays the foundation for every other stage of mobile app development. No matter what type of app you’re building, mobile app research cannot be overlooked.

Continue below to learn more about mobile app research, the importance of market research, and the best market research strategies for mobile app development. 

What is Mobile App Market Research?

Mobile app research is the process of understanding your target market, competitors, industry, and current market trends. Market research is the first step of every mobile app development project. 

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Mobile app market research helps validate your app idea and ensures your app is addressing existing market needs. 

Conducting mobile app research requires data collection and analysis. In some cases, you can pull data from existing sources. Other times, you’ll need to conduct unique research on your own. Most of the time, market research is a combination of these two approaches. 

Mobile app research aims to answer the following questions:

• Is there a market need for your application?
• Who is your target market, and what are their preferences?
• What competitors and obstacles are you faced with?
• Does your mobile app have a unique differentiator from the competition?
• Do you have a viable mobile app business model?
• How can you create an optimized marketing strategy?

When you’re sourcing information from existing sources, you’ll want to stick with trustworthy and authoritative references like Statista, Pew Research Center, Gallup, Google Trends, and similar sources. 

You can also refer to our Mobile App Statistics Guide for general information about smartphone users, industry trends, and other data related to mobile technologies.

Original research is typically conducted through focus groups, interviews, customer surveys, and observation.

Why is Mobile App Market Research Important for Mobile App Development?

Every successful mobile app starts with quality market research. 

Without thorough mobile app research, you’re essentially just guessing whether or not people actually want your app. This could prove to be a very expensive guess if you go through the entire mobile app development process only to discover there’s no market need for your product.

You can save a ton of time and money by simply validating the idea first—before you start writing code or hiring a development team. 

Market research also helps you identify competitors and obstacles on your path to success. 

For example, let’s say you have an app idea for a free video sharing platform, making it easy for anyone to share and watch videos from their smartphones. Users can create their own profiles, like videos, follow content creators, and write comments on videos. 

Great idea, right? Well, this idea basically just described YouTube.

Market research would help you identify this, and you’d likely decide not to directly compete with the largest video hosting platform on the planet. 

Instead, your market research could help you pivot your original app idea to target a different market niche. Maybe you still want to create a video hosting application, but you want it to be specifically for online education. 

Market research helps you better understand your customers. You’ll find out who they are, along with their wants and needs. You might think that your target audience wants to use your mobile app. But market research will help validate or disprove your hypothesis. 

Then you can lay the foundation for your mobile app features, brand positioning, and app marketing strategies based on your findings. 

Types of Mobile App Research

It’s much easier to perform market research when you break everything down into categories. 

Market research for mobile app development can be segmented into two phases—primary research and secondary research. We’ll take a closer look at each of these stages below.

Primary Research

The first thing you need to do is conduct in-depth market research on your users. 

Define your target market and find as much information as you can about them. Start with generic information, habits, likes, dislikes, wants, and needs. Then narrow that research even more, specifically related to their behavior with mobile applications.

Your primary research should also consider the latest technology trends and how the current market landscape works with your business model. 

These initial steps are crucial, as this early market research ultimately guides you through the entire mobile app development process.

Your findings here will help you determine whether or not to target certain users. You can also frame certain components of your mobile app based on this early market research.

For example, let’s say you want to create a real estate app. The initial idea might be focused on prospective home buyers. 

But after conducting your primary research, you could discover a lack of market need for this type of product. Maybe the market is too saturated, or maybe the app’s goal didn’t meet the needs of your target audience.

If you’re an expert in the real estate industry, you still might proceed with the app creation. Only you’ll pivot to an app that addresses the needs of real estate agents instead. 

Then the app’s features will be based on meeting the needs of your new target audience.

Secondary Research

The second step is your sales and marketing strategy research. 

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By now, you’ve already validated your idea and decided it’s worth moving forward. You just need to take your existing research and get more information on how you’re going to reach your target audience.

You’ll use this information to create a marketing plan, optimize social media accounts, prepare ad copy, and other things that will ultimately speak to and attract your target market. 

What does your target user base respond to? How can you market your mobile app accordingly to pull on those strings?

Your secondary research will help shape your branding and market positioning within your niche.

For example, let’s say you’re creating a B2B smartphone app designed for other businesses. Rather than simply branding yourself as a project management tool, your secondary research can help define your market positioning as an application for productivity improvement.

This type of positioning would likely be more aligned with the problems your target audience is trying to solve. 

Best Strategies for Mobile App Research

Everyone’s market research will look a little bit different. But there are some proven strategies specific to mobile app development that will help steer you in the right direction:

Mobile App Idea Validation

The first thing you need to do is validate your mobile application idea. 

If there’s not a market need for your app, then there’s no reason to proceed with the remaining steps for market research. You might need to head back to the drawing board and rethink your idea.

Discovering that there is not a market need for your app isn’t a bad thing. Lots of people are disappointed when they hear this news. But you should be happy that you didn’t pour money into a project that wouldn’t deliver a return on your investment. 

Instead, you can take what you’ve learned during the validation stages and use that to frame new ideas. 

To validate a mobile app idea, you need to get out there and start talking to people.

Run customer focus groups. Conduct interviews. Send out surveys. 

Do everything you can to get as much information as possible about your idea and how it does or doesn’t meet the needs of prospective users. 

Identify Your Target Audience

Narrowing down your app’s target market must be another primary area of focus for your market research.

All too often, we hear things like, “my app is for everyone” or “my app is great for women of all ages.” That’s not specific enough.

You need to define more specific characteristics, like:

• Marital status
• Highest level of education
• Personality traits
• Lifestyle choices

With mobile app development, you also need to see if your target audience prefers some mobile devices over others. 

For example, if you discover that 90% of your target market uses iPhones, you may not necessarily create an Android app for the Google Play Store right now. You could focus your efforts specifically on Apple devices and make an iOS app.

When you’re doing market research on your target audience, it’s important to remember that you’re not excluding other users or other people who might be interested in your app. But your primary focus and efforts will be surrounding your target market. 

Conducting Competitor Analysis for Mobile Apps

Researching the competition is an absolute must for mobile app development.

It’s rare to see mobile apps today that are 100% unique. There’s a good chance that at least a few other apps on the market do something similar to yours.

Your job is to identify those competitors. Find out what they’re doing well, and find out where their apps fall short.

You can use this information to your advantage and create an app that fills the gap with your competitor’s shortcomings.

Even if you think those players have a head start because they already have apps available for download, you have a faster path to development by avoiding the same mistakes that they did.

Eventually, you need to figure out how you’re going to stand out from the competition. 

What’s your differentiation factor? Why should someone download your app over another app that does the same thing?

This could be related to your marketing strategy, feature differences, different target users, or all three. 

SWOT Analysis

Many of you might already be familiar with a SWOT analysis. It’s an acronym that stands for:

• Opportunities

There are dozens of great use cases for running a SWOT analysis in different business situations, and market research is definitely one of them. 

Get together with your team and assess all of your findings from both the primary and secondary research. Now write out everything that comes to mind for each of these categories.

• What is your advantage?
• Where are you vulnerable?
• Are there specific niches, users, or features that are open for a new market need?
• What competitors or external market factors could hurt your app?

At the end of the day, a SWOT analysis helps prepare you for mobile app development and your mobile marketing strategies. By becoming more aware of yourself and the market as a whole, it also helps you stay ahead of the competition.

Final Thoughts

Mobile app research is key to the success of mobile apps.

If you need help with market research, schedule a free consultation with BuildFire. 

As part of our full-service app development solution, we assist with this part of the process. We’ll help you run a competitive analysis, so you have a better understanding of your market. Our team will also provide expert guidance with app strategy sessions to ensure your app is meeting your business goals.

More from the blog

33 creative ways to promote your app for free (app marketing strategy), the 5 ways to build a mobile app, what to expect from a mobile app development platform, 8 steps you must take before starting mobile app development, how much does mobile app development really cost, 5 hidden costs of software you need to anticipate after you launch, the definitive guide to mobile app design, mobile app download and usage statistics (2021).

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How to Create a Market Research Plan

Before starting a business, you want to fully research your idea. A market research plan will help you understand your competition, the marketplace and more.

Table of Contents

While having a great idea is an important part of establishing a business, you’ll only get so far without laying the proper groundwork. To help your business take off, not only do you need to size up the competition, but you also need to identify who will buy your product, how much it will cost, the best approach to selling it and how many people will demand it.

To get answers to these questions, you’ll need a market research plan, which you can create yourself or pay a specialist to create for you. Market research plans define an existing problem and/or outline an opportunity. From there, the marketing strategy is broken down task by task. Your plan should include objectives and the methods that you’ll use to achieve those objectives, along with a time frame for completing the work.

What should a market research plan include?

A market research plan should provide a thorough examination of how your product or service will fare in a defined area. It should include:

• An examination of the current marketplace and an analysis of the need for your product or service: To know where you fit in the market, it’s important to have a broad understanding of your industry — covering everything from its annual revenue to the industry standards to the total number of businesses operating within it. Start by gathering statistical data from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and BMI Research and consider the industry’s market size, potential customer base and how external factors such as laws, technology, world events and socioeconomic changes impact it.
• An assessment of the competition: By analyzing your competitors, you can discover strategies to fill market gaps. This involves identifying well-known competitors and noting trends they employ successfully, scrutinizing customer feedback about businesses in your sector, such as through online reviews, and understanding competitors’ product or service offerings. This knowledge can then guide the refinement of your own products or services to differentiate them from others in the market.
• Data about customers: Identify which segment of potential customers in your industry you can effectively target, considering their demographics — such as age, ethnicity, income and location and psychographics, including beliefs, values and lifestyle. Learn about the challenges your customers face in their daily lives and determine how the features and benefits of your offerings address their needs.
• The direction for your marketing in the upcoming year: Your plan should provide a clear roadmap for your marketing strategies for the next year, focusing on approaches to distinguish your brand from competitors. Develop marketing messages that resonate with and display empathy toward your target market and find ways to address customers’ needs and demonstrate value.
• Goals to be met: Outline goals your business would like to achieve and make these goals clear to all employees on your team. Create goals that are realistic and attainable while also making a meaningful impact on the business’s growth. Consider factors including your target number of products or services, the expected number of units to sell based on market size, target market behavior, pricing for each item and the cost of production and advertising.

How to create your market research plan

Doing business without having a marketing plan is like driving without directions. You may eventually reach your destination, but there will be many costly and time-consuming mistakes made along the way.

Many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe there is a big demand for their service or product but, in reality, there may not be, your prices may be too high or too low or you may be going into a business with so many restrictions that it’s almost impossible to be successful. A market research plan will help you uncover significant issues or roadblocks.

Step 1. Conduct a comprehensive situation analysis.

One of the first steps in constructing your marketing plan is to create a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis , which is used to identify your competition, to know how they operate and then to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Step 2: Develop clear marketing objectives.

In this section, describe the desired outcome for your marketing plan with realistic and attainable objectives, the targets and a clear and concise time frame. The most common way to approach this is with marketing objectives, which may include the total number of customers and the retention rate, the average volume of purchases, total market share and the proportion of your potential market that makes purchases.

Step 3: Make a financial plan.

A financial plan is essentia l for creating a solid marketing plan. The financial plan answers a range of questions that are critical components of your business, such as how much you intend to sell, what will you charge, how much will it cost to deliver your services or produce your products, how much will it cost for your basic operating expenses and how much financing will you need to operate your business.

In your business plan, be sure to describe who you are, what your business will be about, your business goals and what your inspiration was to buy, begin or grow your business.

Step 4: Determine your target audience.

Once you know what makes you stand out from your competitors and how you’ll market yourself, you should decide who to target with all this information. That’s why your market research plan should delineate your target audience. What are their demographics and how will these qualities affect your plan? How do your company’s current products and services affect which consumers you can realistically make customers? Will that change in the future? All of these questions should be answered in your plan.

Step 5: List your research methods.

Rarely does one research avenue make for a comprehensive market research plan. Instead, your plan should indicate several methods that will be used to determine the market share you can realistically obtain. This way, you get as much information as possible from as many sources as possible. The result is a more robust path toward establishing the exact footprint you desire for your company.

Step 6: Establish a timeline.

With your plan in place, you’ll need to figure out how long your market research process will take. Project management charts are often helpful in this regard as they divide tasks and personnel over a timeframe that you have set. No matter which type of project management chart you use, try to build some flexibility into your timeframe. A two-week buffer toward the home stretch comes in handy when a process scheduled for one week takes two — that buffer will keep you on deadline.

Step 7: Acknowledge ethical concerns.

Market research always presents opportunities for ethical missteps. After all, you’ll need to obtain competitor information and sensitive financial data that may not always be readily available. Your market research plan should thus encourage your team to not take any dicey steps to obtain this information. It may be better to state, “we could not obtain this competitor information,” than to spy on the competitor or pressure their current employees for knowledge. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with simply feeling better about the final state of your plan and how you got it there.

Using a market research firm

If the thought of trying to create your own market research plan seems daunting or too time-consuming, there are plenty of other people willing to do the work for you.

Pros of using a market research firm

As an objective third party, businesses can benefit from a market research firm’s impartial perspective and guidance, helping to shape impactful brand strategies and marketing campaigns. These firms, which can help businesses with everything from their marketing campaigns to brand launches, deliver precise results, drawing on their expertise and experience to provide in-depth insights and solutions tailored specifically to your company’s needs. 

Even more, working with a market research firm can elevate a brand above the competition, as they provide credible and unique research that is highly valued by the media, enhancing brand credibility and potentially increasing website traffic, social media shares and online visibility.

Cons of using a market research firm

Although hiring a firm can provide businesses with tremendous results, certain downsides can lead a business toward the do-it-yourself route. Most notably, market research firms can be a costly expense that some businesses can’t afford. However, businesses that can allocate the funds will likely see a positive return on investment, as they are paying for the expertise and proficiency of seasoned professionals in the field.

Additionally, finding the right market research firm for your business’s needs can take some time — and even longer, ranging from weeks to months, for a market research firm to complete a plan. This lack of immediate results can be detrimental for businesses that don’t have the time to wait. 

Market research firms can charge into the thousands of dollars for a market research plan, but there are ways to get help more affordably, including:

• Outline your plans carefully and spell out objectives.
• Examine as many sources as possible.
• Before paying for any information, check with librarians, small business development centers or market research professors to see if they can help you access market research data for free.
• You may think you’ll need to spend a hefty sum to create a market research plan, but there are plenty of free and low-cost sources available, especially through university business schools that will guide you through the process.

Miranda Fraraccio contributed to this article. 

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Mobile Marketing Strategies (2023)

Artem Dogtiev | July 13, 2023

Today, about 7 billion people in the world carry a mobile phone in their pocket. From a modest debut with several hundred apps back in 2008 to about 2 million in 2023 – Apple’s App Store has gone a long way and the Google Play store by Google tops this number with its staggering 2.9 million. The mobile landscape isn’t limited to apps – the bulk of websites have a mobile version and when it comes to online search, for any search query Google search’s algorithm is tuned to return a set of links for mobile-friendly web pages.

We live in a mobile world. Businesses always follow their customers and hence the world economy-wide shift to mobile as the prime channel to reach existing and potential customers. As a new channel, mobile has brought huge advantages and challenges to brands. On one hand – mobile devices are deeply personal and always inches away from being used, on the other hand – the screen size is smaller than a desktop one and the inception of social media launched the ultimate competition for people’s attention. All this goes to underscore the fact that a mobile marketing strategy is a staple of any brand’s success.

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In this article, we want to highlight the most robust mobile marketing strategies for businesses to adopt and build their success with. The first up is the website optimization for mobile.

Mobile-friendly websites

Today mobile apps are ubiquitous, with several million apps between Apple’s App Store and Google Play from Google, they’ve become a must-have channel to connect with consumers. Yet, given how many commercial websites are online, it’s not feasible to actually develop an app for all those websites.

When people are looking for a product or service to buy and see your website in the search results, you need to make sure that by clicking on your site they get the best experience of interacting with your brand on a website optimized for mobile devices. The whole website should be built on the principle of a responsive design , so the site visitors can navigate around with ease and get out of your mobile-friendly website as much as they would get from a mobile app built for your brand. Strictly speaking, a native mobile app always provides a better experience than its mobile-friendly web equivalent but it is possible to keep both experiences close enough to satisfy your customers.

Source: iStockphoto

Once you develop a mobile-friendly version of your website, you need to make sure all content available on your site is also optimized for mobile devices.

Featured Mobile Marketing Companies

Finally, from your brand’s visibility perspective, you need to consider that websites optimized for mobile devices are ranked higher by the Google algorithm. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re losing to your competitors no matter how good your product or service is, you just don’t get as much visibility as they get.

From websites optimized for mobile to mobile apps that deliver the best mobile experience to your existing and potential customers.

Mobile apps

Along with a mobile-friendly version of your website, your brand needs a mobile app designed either for both iOS and Android mobile operating systems or, if you experience financial constraints, a cross-platform app that it’s cheaper to develop but it isn’t capable to take advantage of all features available to native apps.

With billions of smartphones in use and millions of mobile apps developed for a wide range of functions, people expect to be able to communicate with brands via mobile apps. With the right strategy, a mobile app can be your best tool to build and elevate your brand.

A well-designed and built mobile app can function as a shopping cart for your product and services, a source of information about your brand, a communication channel, and a means for educating your customers about your products or services.

Next up is social media marketing which is a staple of any digital marketing strategy. And, because all major social media sites have gone mobile or were launched on mobile in the first place years ago, social media marketing on mobile devices is crucial for your brand.

Social media marketing

Social media marketing strategies go two-fold: running paid campaigns to meet various objectives for your brand and influencer marketing campaigns to leverage influencers’ authentic relationships with millions of followers to meet the same objectives.

The bulk of the mobile time is spent on top social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (a video sharing and video content consumption platform with a strong social component), and Facebook (despite its recent growth stagnation it is still one of the leading mobile destinations for two billion peoples worldwide). This long-term trend made social media marketing very attractive for brands – you get to run ad campaigns in places where it’s well established that people spend most of their mobile time.

As of writing this article, the most efficient social media advertising platforms for brands to take advantage of, are Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Ads, and third-party advertising platforms that offer running ad campaigns on these platforms.

With influencer marketing , you can introduce your brand on mobile devices with the help of influencers or creators who know how to present it in a way to resonate with their followers.

From today’s most popular online medium to such venerable tech as SMS or texting.

SMS marketing

Despite the tremendous proliferation of social media and instant messaging, SMS technology (texting) is still in use with no signs to be put on the shelf any time soon.

Among all strategies mentioned in this article, utilizing the SMS tech is the only mobile marketing strategy that allows you to tap hundreds of millions of feature phones that are still in use and can be the marketing vehicle for your brand.

To take advantage of SMS for your brand, there is a number of marketing services that offer SMS as one of the channels to deliver ads for your brand. As a standalone tool SMS marketing isn’t capable to deliver enough to move the middle for your brand but as an extra channel to use among others can be effective. SMS or text marketing requires text creatives and overall planning to deliver a consistent set of messages to persuade your potential customer or retain/re-engage existing ones.

Switching from the tech of the early 2000s to the current gold standard of mobile messaging – Push Notifications.

Push Notifications

Push Notifications is a technology introduced by Apple back in 2009 to deliver short messages to iOS app users when that app doesn’t run in the foreground. They may serve a variety of purposes including delivery notifications, discounts, location-based messages, reminders, and more.

Assessing the whole set of mobile marketing strategies presented in this article, it should be noted that push notifications are the best example of what mobile can deliver for your brand. It’s a direct communication line with people who use your product and, used in conjunction with another mobile technology such as geofencing, can be really powerful.

To leverage push notifications tech for your brand, you need to open an account with one of the Push Notifications services , build your messaging strategy and always measure KPIs for push notification-sending campaigns.

Transitioning to the mobile marketing strategy which is deeply connected with push notifications – location-based marketing.

Location-Based marketing

One of the core hardware features of any modern smartphone is the capability to determine its location and this feature is widely used in many mobile apps. Applying this capability to mobile marketing, it’s possible to introduce your product or service at a specific location and at a specific time. This is the way to make it relevant and increase the level of engagement of existing or potential customers. There are many examples of location-based marketing strategy implementation but we’ll mention just a few.

Google Search results tailored to a specific location, provided by a mobile user’s smartphone, is the most vivid example of how brands can benefit from location-based ads. Another highly efficient application of location-based tech is Geofencing – a location-based technology that allows sending push notifications to mobile users once they reach a certain area, and good examples of brands that use this tech are Uber, Starbucks, Volvo, and Burger King.

To tap location-based marketing potential for your app you need to partner with such well-established push notifications platforms as OneSignal ,   CleverTap , Airship , MoEngage , or others. These platforms, based on the users’ profile information can deliver multiple messages about your brand at a specific location to significantly increase their relevance.

From location-based messaging to voice search optimization.

Voice Search Optimization

One of the hallmarks of today’s information search technology is using Machine Learning algorithms to input search queries with a human voice. The market is booming with success stories of Apple’s Siri, Google’s Ok, Google, Amazon’s Alex, Microsoft’s Cortana, and others. On many occasions, mobile users prefer to use their voice instead of typing a search query, because it’s quicker and, in some situations, is the only option.

Strategically, one needs to think about voice search not as a replacement but as an add-on to regular search query-based search. It’s capable to generate traffic for your website or app in situations when smartphone users simply can’t type in a search query.

To optimize your website or an app voice search-wise, you need to factor in what voice queries virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa, or others can comprehend and perform a proper search based on that audio queries. The recent introduction of ChatGPT AI vastly expands voice search capabilities and opens up new ways for mobile marketers to leverage voice search.

Shifting from one new mobile marketing channel to another, from voice search to Augmented Reality.

Augmented Reality Ads

AR, aka Augmented Reality, technology is based on using a smartphone or tablet’s camera and sophisticated software algorithms to project static or dynamic images in live video to create an illusion of their presence in real life.

Since this technology was introduced – and picked up by mobile marketers – several years ago, it has come a long way. Today complex dynamic AR objects are created to advertise brands as standalone virtual ads or in conjunction with offline advertising, take listen to the Business Of Apps podcast episode to learn more about AR in marketing.

To create an AR ad for your brand you can use various online tools and the one that is really easy to use and it’s capable to create stunning AR ads is the one from Meta to compose Instagram AR ads .

Switching the gears – from Augmented Reality to Artificial Intelligence.

Ad Creatives & Analytics with AI

This year, the brainchild of the OpenAI team, ChatGPT debuted as a standalone service on the web and, once one of its biggest funders Microsoft biffed up its search engine Bing with it, it became also a part of its iOS Bing app and the ultimate chatbot on Skype. Today more and more online services, and corresponding mobile apps, got ChatGPT incorporated into the core service they provide.

This technology has the potential to change the online search landscape profoundly and hence it’s time to build a mobile marketing strategy that leverages the power of AI. Artificial Intelligence tech like ChatGPT demonstrates a great potential to increase mobile marketing performance and productivity. Using ChatGPT in your mobile marketing operations, it’s possible to significantly speed up ad creatives production and bring ad campaign analytics to the next level.

Top Mobile Marketing Companies

Practically speaking, you can start using ChatGPT built into Microsoft’s Edge browser right away and keep your eye on marketing automation tools you already use since in the near future they will be augmented with this AI tool as well.

Switching from Artificial Intelligence tools to live streaming, which was shown to be an effective mobile marketing strategy in the Chinese market .

Live Streaming

The Live Streaming technology allows businesses to cut costs on building physical stores and introduce products directly to their future customers right from a storage facility. Live streaming sessions don’t require expensive equipment and can be arranged with a simple set-up of a smartphone, a steady cam, and a stable Internet connection.

Source: Adweek

Live streaming allows not only cuts costs but speeds up your product introduction to potential customers – as soon as your products are delivered to your storage facility they are ready to be sold on the spot. The process doesn’t require special software and can be arranged via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube as a standard video stream, with all benefits of instant interaction with views via built-in chat capabilities. Your live-stream viewers can assess the products your sales representative presents and place an order online.

From the cutting-edge mobile marketing strategy to quite well-established one – Opt-in and Opt=out online forms.

Opt-in and Opt-out online forms

Opt-in forms are yet another example of applying well-established online web marketing strategies to mobile marketing. Just like with the web, the form’s function is to collect information from leads, such as phone numbers or email addresses.

Applying this mobile marketing strategy, you can build a database of prospects for your product or service, which is essential for any business to have because of the well-known ratio between expenses necessary to find new clients to existing ones. Two golden rules to remember for online forms – it’s always better to opt-in your leads, meaning to ask their permission to be added to the list as opposed to all the way around and always provide an option to unsubscribe from your emails.

From a technical stand, creating mobile forms for your product or service requires setting up an account with a mass-mailing service such as MailChimp or ActiveCampaign.

Final Thoughts

Given the abundance of mobile tech throughout all branches of e-commerce, mobile marketing strategies are an essential component of a marketing strategy for any product or service. Applying a combination of some of the strategies outlined in this article, businesses can tap the power of a mobile marketing channel to reach new customers, retain existing ones and increase revenue. The choice of specific strategies should be defined by the product or service and its user profile.

Market Research for a Business Plan: How to Do It in a Day

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Whether it’s your first time using market research for a business plan or this isn’t exactly your first rodeo: a quick refresh on the topic can do no harm.

If anything, it’s the smart route to take. Particularly when you consider modern-day market research data can be obtained quicker than ever – when the right tools are used.

Today, I’m going to explain exactly how to conduct market research for a business plan, and how to access that key data and juicy intel without hassle.

The importance of market research in business planning

They say knowledge is power, and where your rivals and your market are concerned, there’s nothing quite like it. By looking at things like consumer behavior , the competitive landscape , market size, and the digital strategies of others; companies at any stage in their lifecycle can stay relevant, maintain a competitive edge, set strategic direction, and experience growth. Doing periodic market research also helps businesses develop a deeper, more informed understanding of a market, its audience, and key players. If you’re seeking financial backing, doing market research is essential to show credibility and build confidence in your plans.

How to conduct market research for a business plan

Good market research for a business plan should be contextualized with information about your company, its goals, products, pricing, and financials. Sounds like a lot of work, right? Read on to learn how to conduct all the market research for a business plan you’re going to need – quickly, using the most up-to-date data there is. I’ll show you how to:

• Understand your audience
• Identify target personas
• Size your market
• Research the competition
• Discover your unique sales proposition
• Define marketing priorities

Before you start, make sure your business planning document includes the following 10 headings:

This format is considered best practice, so I’ve indicated the specific sections that each element of your market research fits into.

Sound good? Then let’s get started.

1. Understand your audience

What it is – A target audience is a social segment of people who are likely to be interested in your products or services. It’s a snapshot of your target customer base, sorted by certain characteristics. It’s also known as audience demographics and can contain data like age, gender, location, values, attitudes, behaviors, and more.

Where to use this market research in a business plan – Demographical data can help determine the size of your market, which slots into the executive summary, marketing plan, market sizing, and financial sections of the plan. What’s more, when you use it to identify groups of people to target, it can also be used in the products and services, competitive research tools , and SWOT analysis sections.

Bonus: Audience demographics can also help you develop stronger branding by choosing imagery that appeals most to your ideal customers.

How to do a quick audience analysis

Similarweb Research Intelligence gives you the ability to view almost any industry in a few seconds; you can also create a custom industry based on specific players in your market.  Here’s how to see relevant audience demographics in a market. For this example, I chose the airline industry.

View typical audience relevant to your sector with gender and age distribution, along with geographical data . You can see which companies are experiencing growth and at what rate. Audience loyalty is also key to understanding how people behave, if they tend to shop around and what search terms they use to discover sites in any niche.

Read more: Learn more about how to do a demographic analysis of your market’s audience .

2. Identify target personas

What it is – An audience or target persona is a typical customer profile. It starts with audience demographics, and then zooms into a much deeper level. Most organizations develop multiple target personas, based on things like pain points, location, gender, background, occupation, influential factors, decision-making, likes, dislikes, goals, ideals, and more.

Pro Tip: If you’re in B2B, your target personas are based on the people who make purchasing decisions, not the business itself.

Where to use this market research in a business plan – Creating target personas for your business shows you know whom you’re targeting, and how to market to them. This information will help you complete market sizing, product or service overview, marketing plan , and could fit into the competitive research section too.

How to create a buyer persona in five steps

Guesswork does not equal less work – there’s no place for shortcuts here. Your success depends on developing the most accurate representation of who your customers are, and what they care about.

1. Research: If you’re already in business, use market research surveys as a tool to collect information about your customers. If you’re a startup or pre-startup, you can use a platform like Similarweb to establish a typical customer profile for your market. Don’t forget to use mobile app intelligence and website analytics in tandem to build a complete picture of your audience.

Pro Tip: Secondary market research is another good source of intel for startups. You might be able to find published surveys that relate to your products or market to learn more.

2. Analysis: Here, you’re looking to answer key questions to fill in the blanks and build a complete picture of your ideal customer. Tools like Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence, Google Analytics, and competitors’ social media channels can help you find this out. Typical questions include:

• Where is your audience coming from?
• What channels do they use to find your site?
• Do they favor access via mobile site, app, or desktop?
• What are their demographics? Think age, job, salary, location, and gender.

3. Competitive market research: This shows you what marketing channels, referral partners, and keywords are sending traffic to businesses similar to yours When you combine this data with what you learned in sections 1 + 2, you are ready to build your personas.

4. Fill in a buyer persona template: We’ve done the hard work for you. Download a pre-made template below .

Further reading: The complete guide to creating buyer personas

3. Size your market

What it is – Market sizing is a way to determine the potential size of a target market using informed estimation. This is how you find out the potential revenue and market volume applicable to your business . There are three key metrics: total addressable market (TAM), service addressable market (SAM), and service obtainable market (SOM).

Where to use this market research in a business plan – Knowing how big the slice of the pie you’re going after is crucial. It can inform any goal setting and help with forecasting too. This data can be used in your executive summary, marketing plan, competitive research, SWOT analysis, market sizing, operations, and financial sections.

Further reading: How to do market sizing shows you how to calculate the TAM, SAM, and SOM for your business.

4. Research the competition

What it is – Competitive landscaping shows who you’re up against and how your offering stacks up vs others in your space. By evaluating rivals in-depth and looking at things like features, pricing, support, content, and additional products, you can form a detailed picture of the competition.

Where to use this market research in a business plan – The information you gain from performing a competitive analysis can transform what you offer and how you go to market. In business planning, this market research supports the executive summary, product or service overview, marketing plan, competitive research, SWOT analysis, and operation sections.  

How to do competitive landscaping

Using the industry overview section of Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence, competitor research is made quick and easy. Access key metrics on an industry or specific players, then download raw data in a workable excel file or get a PNG image of charts in an instant. Most data can be downloaded via excel or as an image and included in the resource section of your plan.

Here, you can see a summary of a market, yearly growth, and top sites. A quick click to industry leaders shows you market leaders and rising stars. Select any name for a complete picture of their digital presence – use this to spot potential opportunities to gain a competitive advantage.

Read more: See how to do a competitive analysis and get a free template to help you get started.

5. Discover your unique sales proposition

What it is – Not all businesses have them, and that’s OK. A unique selling proposition (USP) is something distinctive your business offers but your rivals don’t . It can be anything that’s unique to a product, service, pricing model, or other.

Why it’s useful – Having a compelling USP helps your company stand out in a market. It can make your business more valuable to a customer vs the competition, and ultimately help you win and retain more customers.

Where to use this market research in a business plan – Your USP should be highlighted in the executive summary, the product and service overview, and the SWOT analysis.

How to find your USP

Unless you’ve developed a unique product or service, or you’re planning to sell to the market at a lower-than-average price point, you’re going to have to look for some kind of service differentiator that’ll help you stand out. In my experience, the quickest way to discover this is through competitive benchmarking. Here, I’m talking about evaluating your closest rivals to uncover things they’re not doing, or looking for gaps that your business can capitalize on.

A competitive review of their site should look at things like:

• Customer support: do they have live chat, email support, telephone support, etc.?
• Content: do they produce additional content that offers value, free resources, etc.?
• Offers: what promotions or offers do they run?
• Loyalty or referral programs: do they reward loyalty or referrals?
• Service level agreements: what commitments do they make to their customers?
• Operations: consider delivery methods, lead times, returns policy etc.
• Price promises: what satisfaction or price promises do they offer, if at all?

Go easy on yourself and create a basic template that details each point. Once complete, look for opportunities to provide something unique that nobody else currently offers.

6. Define marketing priorities

What it is – A detailed plan showing how you position and market your products or service. It should define realistic, clear, and measurable goals that articulate tactics, customer profiles, and the position of your products in the market.

Where to use this market research in a business plan – Relevant intel you uncover should inform the marketing plan first and foremost. However, it can also be used in the SWOT analysis, operation, and financial sections.

How to do it – with a market research example

Using the marketing channels within Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence, you can short-cut the lengthy (and often costly) process of trial and error when trying to decide which channels and activities work best.

Let me show you how.

Using Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence, I can hone in on any site I like, and look at key marketing intel to uncover the strategies they’re using, along with insights into what’s driving traffic, and traffic opportunities.

In less than 60 seconds, I can see easyJet’s complete online presence; its marketing and social channels, and a snapshot of every metric that matters, like referrals, organic and paid ads, keywords, and more. Expand any section to get granular data, and view insights that show exactly where key losses, gains, and opportunities exist.

You can take this a step further and add other sites into the mix. Compare sites side-by-side to see who is winning, and how they’re doing it. While this snapshot shows a comparison of a single competitor, you can compare five at any one time. What’s more, I can see industry leaders, rising players, and any relevant mobile app intelligence stats, should a company or its rivals have an app as part of their offering.

Best practice for market research data in business plans

When doing any type of market research , it’s important to use the most up-to-date data you can get your hands on. There are two key factors for data are timeliness and trustworthiness.

For any market, look for data that applies to any period over the last 12 months. With how fast markets evolve and how quickly consumer behaviors change, being able to view dynamic data is key. What’s more, the source of any data matters just as much as its age.

To emphasize the importance of using the right type of data in a business plan, here’s some timely advice from SBA commercial lending expert and VP of Commerce National Bank and Trust, Steve Fulmer. As someone who, in the past 15 years, has approved approximately $150 million in loans to SMBs; his advice is worth paying attention to.

“ For anybody doing market research for a business plan, they must cite sources. Most new or small businesses lack historical performance data, which removes substantial confidence in their plans. As a lender, we cannot support assumptions in their business plan or their projections if their data hasn’t come from a trustworthy source.”

Wrapping up…

Now you know the six ways to do market research for a business plan, it’s time to knuckle down and get started. With Similarweb, you’ve got access to all the market intel you’re going to need to conduct timely, accurate, and reliable market research. What’s more, you can return to the platform anytime to benchmark your performance , get fresh insights, and adapt your strategies to focus on growth – helping you build a sustainable business that can withstand the test of time.

How do I do market research for a business plan?

By using Digital Research Intelligence tools like Similarweb, you can quickly conduct audience research, company research, market analysis, and benchmarking from a single place. Another method is secondary market research, but this takes more time and data isn’t always up to date.

Why does a business plan need market research?

Doing market research for a business plan is the quickest and easiest way to validate a business idea and establish a clear view of the market and competitive landscape. When done right, it can show you opportunities for growth, strategies to avoid, and effective ways to market your business.

What is market research in a business plan?

Market research in business planning is one of the most powerful tools you can use to flesh out and validate your company or its products. It can tell you whether there’s a market for your product, and how big that market is – it also helps you discover industry trends, and examine the strategies of the rising stars and industry leaders in detail.

by Liz March

Digital Research Specialist

Liz March has 15 years of experience in content creation. She enjoys the outdoors, F1, and reading, and is pursuing a BSc in Environmental Science.

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How to Develop A Market Research Plan

• Market Research

Market research can often get de-prioritized. Yet, having an effective market research can be a game changer for your marketing strategy.

Take the time to craft a goal-oriented market research plan . This will ensure that your team focuses on high-value initiatives. These initiatives will either give you a leg up on the competition, strengthen your connection with your audience, or both.

But what does a effective, goal-oriented market research plan look like? We’ve compiled dozens (if not hundreds) here at Alchemer, and these are what we’ve found to be key drivers of success.

4 Common Market Research Areas

Most market research surveys are conducted to gain insight about the target audience and ways to expand market reach. Here are some common market research types:

Brand Awareness: Brand awareness studies measure consumers’ awareness of your product or service.

These surveys are usually anonymous. They ask consumers how familiar they are with a brand. They also inquire about which familiar brands consumers recall for a particular product or service. These studies often include questions about buying behavior (usage, convenience, attributes, price, etc.).

Brand awareness studies will help you determine your brand’s relative position in the marketplace. They will also reveal where your competitors may have an edge.

Target Audience: You can’t afford to target everyone. Knowing who your target audience is will help you craft relevant messages that resonate with them. By focusing on those who are most likely to purchase from you can prioritize your marketing spend and get the best possible ROI.

Customer Acquisition: To acquire new customers, you need to understand what makes them tick. Surveying your ideal customers can help you learn how and why they chose your brand. This knowledge allows you to acquire more customers like them.

Customer Retention: As marketers, we know that it is cheaper to retain current customers than acquire new ones. Conduct market research to measure customer satisfaction, increase customer loyalty, and drive up those retention numbers.

What Market Research Can Tell You

Knowing these common subjects of market research is a great place to start. However, you also need a strong understanding of what you hope to learn by the end of the process.

A well-designed market research survey can help you determine whether you need to:

• Enter a new market
• Launch a new product or service
• Promote brand awareness
• Optimize your marketing campaign
• Improve customer service
• Change messaging perception of your product or service
• Adjust price points
• Change your product packaging or delivery method

Once you’ve identified your objectives, it’s time to start creating the plan itself.

5 Success Tips for Market Research Surveys

These are our top five tips for giving your market research the best chance for success.

1. Define Your Marketing Challenge

The first step to designing a good market research plan is to define your need. What issue do you want to address? What do you hope to achieve? Set a survey goal to keep your market research focused on the decisions you are trying to make.

Conduct a qualitative study first to identify pressing issues or test a hypothesis before proceeding. Distribute this exploratory market survey to a focus group, or conduct a phone or personal interview.

Social media has become increasingly popular for gauging people’s interest. It is also a great way to engage your audience on a specific topic. You can post a short survey or a one question poll to quickly test your hypothesis before conducting a full study.

2. Craft Your Survey Questions Carefully

With your market research goal in mind, you are ready to design and build your survey questions.

Since you have already completed the exploratory phase, most of your questions should be quantitative. Quantifiable data will give you data you can act on. You can use a few qualitative questions but keep these to a minimum to avoid survey fatigue and abandonment.

Only ask questions that are relevant to your objectives. Asking the wrong questions will result in misleading answers that in turn will lead to poor business decisions.

Knowing how to ask a question is just as important as what to ask. Avoid leading questions and be aware of sensitive questions that some respondents may find too personal or offensive. Keep your questions simple, specific and direct.

3. Distribute Your Research Survey to the Right Audience

Before you start collecting data, consider the sample size needed for a statistically sound conclusion. Also, determine the distribution method to reach your target audience.

Market Sample Size

It is not realistic to think that you will be able to survey your entire target population, but you do need an adequate percentage and a representative cross-section of your consumer base.

Adjust the sample size for variations in your target population. You should also adjust it to find statistically significant differences between subgroups in the sample. You can read more about the intricacies of these types of analysis survey sample size here.

Survey Distribution Method

Choosing the right distribution method to collect your data is important. The distribution method determines which audience you can access. Additionally, different modes introduce different forms of bias.

Carefully consider your target audience and then find the best channel for reaching them.

For instance, if your target audience is an older demographic group, social media or internet channels might not be the best options. Consider alternative distribution methods that better reach this audience. Direct mail, phone, or personal interview may be the best option for reaching this audience.

If your audience is young and active, social media, email invitations, and mobile surveys might be effective options. A survey embedded on your website could also work well. Consider using other distribution methods to expand your survey’s reach. For example, include QR codes or web addresses on receipts, newsletters, and printed brochures.

4. Review Your New Market Research Data

Before you report and share your results, there are several steps you should take to review and prepare your data.

Clean your survey data:

Consider cleaning your survey data to locate any low-quality responses that could distort your conclusions.

Identify and weed out responses that have straight-line, Christmas tree, red herring, and/or outlier patterns.

Keep an eye on completion times as well. People who finish considerably faster than average may not be giving the questions their full attention.

Analyze your data:

Analyze the data to determine if your questions were answered in the format you expected. Unusual trends could indicate a problem with the question or question type.

If so, you may need to discount the question or run another study related to the learning objective.

Segment your data:

Filter your report by population segments. This will help you determine if the ratio accurately represents the demographics of your audience. If not, you may need to adjust the weight of your responses.

You can also segment your data by learning objective so that you can identify trends and patterns.

Report your results:

It’s time to highlight and share your findings! Consider data visualizations such as pie charts, bar graphs, and infographics that help to visually convey your message.

These visuals can drive home your data without requiring your audience to read each individual response.

5. Make Data-Driven Marketing Decisions

Armed with your market research data, you can confidently make sound marketing decisions. You can proceed with new campaigns confidently. You will have connected directly with your audience and can now create relevant messages.

Plan Your Next Online Market Research Survey

Budgeting and planning your market research can save you time, effort, and money in the long run. This approach ensures that you target the right audience, invest in the right sectors, and deliver the right branding message.

A well-designed marketing plan allows you to make tactical and strategic business decisions with confidence. So start planning your next market research survey!

Discussion: How often to you conduct a market research study? Share how your organization has benefited from them!

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9 Key stages in your marketing research process

You can conduct your own marketing research. Follow these steps, add your own flair, knowledge and creativity, and you’ll have bespoke research to be proud of.

Marketing research is the term used to cover the concept, development, placement and evolution of your product or service, its growing customer base and its branding – starting with brand awareness , and progressing to (everyone hopes) brand equity . Like any research, it needs a robust process to be credible and useful.

Marketing research uses four essential key factors known as the ‘marketing mix’ , or the Four Ps of Marketing :

• Product (goods or service)
• Price ( how much the customer pays )
• Place (where the product is marketed)
• Promotion (such as advertising and PR)

These four factors need to work in harmony for a product or service to be successful in its marketplace.

The marketing research process – an overview

A typical marketing research process is as follows:

• Identify an issue, discuss alternatives and set out research objectives
• Develop a research program
• Choose a sample
• Gather information
• Gather data
• Organize and analyze information and data
• Present findings
• Make research-based decisions
• Take action based on insights

Step 1: Defining the marketing research problem

Defining a problem is the first step in the research process. In many ways, research starts with a problem facing management. This problem needs to be understood, the cause diagnosed, and solutions developed.

However, most management problems are not always easy to research, so they must first be translated into research problems. Once you approach the problem from a research angle, you can find a solution. For example, “sales are not growing” is a management problem, but translated into a research problem, it becomes “ why are sales not growing?” We can look at the expectations and experiences of several groups : potential customers, first-time buyers, and repeat purchasers. We can question whether the lack of sales is due to:

• Poor expectations that lead to a general lack of desire to buy, or
• Poor performance experience and a lack of desire to repurchase.

This, then, is the difference between a management problem and a research problem. Solving management problems focuses on actions: Do we advertise more? Do we change our advertising message? Do we change an under-performing product configuration? And if so, how?

Defining research problems, on the other hand, focus on the whys and hows, providing the insights you need to solve your management problem.

Step 2: Developing a research program: method of inquiry

The scientific method is the standard for investigation. It provides an opportunity for you to use existing knowledge as a starting point, and proceed impartially.

The scientific method includes the following steps:

• Define a problem
• Develop a hypothesis
• Make predictions based on the hypothesis
• Devise a test of the hypothesis
• Conduct the test
• Analyze the results

This terminology is similar to the stages in the research process. However, there are subtle differences in the way the steps are performed:

• the scientific research method is objective and fact-based, using quantitative research and impartial analysis
• the marketing research process can be subjective, using opinion and qualitative research, as well as personal judgment as you collect and analyze data

Step 3: Developing a research program: research method

As well as selecting a method of inquiry (objective or subjective), you must select a research method . There are two primary methodologies that can be used to answer any research question:

• Experimental research : gives you the advantage of controlling extraneous variables and manipulating one or more variables that influence the process being implemented.
• Non-experimental research : allows observation but not intervention – all you do is observe and report on your findings.

Step 4: Developing a research program: research design

Research design is a plan or framework for conducting marketing research and collecting data. It is defined as the specific methods and procedures you use to get the information you need.

There are three core types of marketing research designs: exploratory, descriptive, and causal . A thorough marketing research process incorporates elements of all of them.

Exploratory marketing research

This is a starting point for research. It’s used to reveal facts and opinions about a particular topic, and gain insight into the main points of an issue. Exploratory research is too much of a blunt instrument to base conclusive business decisions on, but it gives the foundation for more targeted study. You can use secondary research materials such as trade publications, books, journals and magazines and primary research using qualitative metrics, that can include open text surveys, interviews and focus groups.

Descriptive marketing research

This helps define the business problem or issue so that companies can make decisions, take action and monitor progress. Descriptive research is naturally quantitative – it needs to be measured and analyzed statistically , using more targeted surveys and questionnaires. You can use it to capture demographic information , evaluate a product or service for market, and monitor a target audience’s opinion and behaviors. Insights from descriptive research can inform conclusions about the market landscape and the product’s place in it.

Causal marketing research

This is useful to explore the cause and effect relationship between two or more variables. Like descriptive research , it uses quantitative methods, but it doesn’t merely report findings; it uses experiments to predict and test theories about a product or market. For example, researchers may change product packaging design or material, and measure what happens to sales as a result.

Step 5: Choose your sample

Your marketing research project will rarely examine an entire population. It’s more practical to use a sample - a smaller but accurate representation of the greater population. To design your sample, you’ll need to answer these questions:

• Which base population is the sample to be selected from? Once you’ve established who your relevant population is (your research design process will have revealed this), you have a base for your sample. This will allow you to make inferences about a larger population.
• What is the method (process) for sample selection? There are two methods of selecting a sample from a population:

1. Probability sampling : This relies on a random sampling of everyone within the larger population.

2. Non-probability sampling : This is based in part on the investigator’s judgment, and often uses convenience samples, or by other sampling methods that do not rely on probability.

• What is your sample size? This important step involves cost and accuracy decisions. Larger samples generally reduce sampling error and increase accuracy, but also increase costs. Find out your perfect sample size with our calculator .

Step 6: Gather data

Your research design will develop as you select techniques to use. There are many channels for collecting data, and it’s helpful to differentiate it into O-data (Operational) and X-data (Experience):

• O-data is your business’s hard numbers like costs, accounting, and sales. It tells you what has happened, but not why.
• X-data gives you insights into the thoughts and emotions of the people involved: employees, customers, brand advocates.

When you combine O-data with X-data, you’ll be able to build a more complete picture about success and failure - you’ll know why. Maybe you’ve seen a drop in sales (O-data) for a particular product. Maybe customer service was lacking, the product was out of stock, or advertisements weren’t impactful or different enough: X-data will reveal the reason why those sales dropped. So, while differentiating these two data sets is important, when they are combined, and work with each other, the insights become powerful.

With mobile technology, it has become easier than ever to collect data. Survey research has come a long way since market researchers conducted face-to-face, postal, or telephone surveys. You can run research through:

• Social media ( polls and listening )

Another way to collect data is by observation. Observing a customer’s or company’s past or present behavior can predict future purchasing decisions. Data collection techniques for predicting past behavior can include market segmentation , customer journey mapping and brand tracking .

Regardless of how you collect data, the process introduces another essential element to your research project: the importance of clear and constant communication .

And of course, to analyze information from survey or observation techniques, you must record your results . Gone are the days of spreadsheets. Feedback from surveys and listening channels can automatically feed into AI-powered analytics engines and produce results, in real-time, on dashboards.

Step 7: Analysis and interpretation

The words ‘ statistical analysis methods ’ aren’t usually guaranteed to set a room alight with excitement, but when you understand what they can do, the problems they can solve and the insights they can uncover, they seem a whole lot more compelling.

Statistical tests and data processing tools can reveal:

• Whether data trends you see are meaningful or are just chance results
• Your results in the context of other information you have
• Whether one thing affecting your business is more significant than others
• What your next research area should be
• Insights that lead to meaningful changes

There are several types of statistical analysis tools used for surveys. You should make sure that the ones you choose:

• Work on any platform - mobile, desktop, tablet etc.
• Integrate with your existing systems
• Are easy to use with user-friendly interfaces, straightforward menus, and automated data analysis
• Incorporate statistical analysis so you don’t just process and present your data, but refine it, and generate insights and predictions.

Here are some of the most common tools:

• Benchmarking : a way of taking outside factors into account so that you can adjust the parameters of your research. It ‘levels the playing field’ – so that your data and results are more meaningful in context. And gives you a more precise understanding of what’s happening.
• Regression analysis : this is used for working out the relationship between two (or more) variables. It is useful for identifying the precise impact of a change in an independent variable.
• T-test is used for comparing two data groups which have different mean values. For example, do women and men have different mean heights?
• Analysis of variance (ANOVA) Similar to the T-test, ANOVA is a way of testing the differences between three or more independent groups to see if they’re statistically significant.
• Cluster analysis : This organizes items into groups, or clusters, based on how closely associated they are.
• Factor analysis: This is a way of condensing many variables into just a few, so that your research data is less unwieldy to work with.
• Conjoint analysis : this will help you understand and predict why people make the choices they do. It asks people to make trade-offs when making decisions, just as they do in the real world, then analyzes the results to give the most popular outcome.
• Crosstab analysis : this is a quantitative market research tool used to analyze ‘categorical data’ - variables that are different and mutually exclusive, such as: ‘men’ and ‘women’, or ‘under 30’ and ‘over 30’.
• Text analysis and sentiment analysis : Analyzing human language and emotions is a rapidly-developing form of data processing, assigning positive, negative or neutral sentiment to customer messages and feedback.

Stats IQ can perform the most complicated statistical tests at the touch of a button using our online survey software , or data from other sources. Learn more about Stats iQ now .

Step 8: The marketing research results

Your marketing research process culminates in the research results. These should provide all the information the stakeholders and decision-makers need to understand the project.

The results will include:

• all your information
• a description of your research process
• the results
• conclusions
• recommended courses of action

They should also be presented in a form, language and graphics that are easy to understand, with a balance between completeness and conciseness, neither leaving important information out or allowing it to get so technical that it overwhelms the readers.

Traditionally, you would prepare two written reports:

• a technical report , discussing the methods, underlying assumptions and the detailed findings of the research project
• a summary report , that summarizes the research process and presents the findings and conclusions simply.

There are now more engaging ways to present your findings than the traditional PowerPoint presentations, graphs, and face-to-face reports:

• Live, interactive dashboards for sharing the most important information, as well as tracking a project in real time.
• Results-reports visualizations – tables or graphs with data visuals on a shareable slide deck
• Online presentation technology, such as Prezi
• Visual storytelling with infographics
• A single-page executive summary with key insights
• A single-page stat sheet with the top-line stats

You can also make these results shareable so that decision-makers have all the information at their fingertips.

Step 9 Turn your insights into action

Insights are one thing, but they’re worth very little unless they inform immediate, positive action. Here are a few examples of how you can do this:

• Stop customers leaving – negative sentiment among VIP customers gets picked up; the customer service team contacts the customers, resolves their issues, and avoids churn .
• Act on important employee concerns – you can set certain topics, such as safety, or diversity and inclusion to trigger an automated notification or Slack message to HR. They can rapidly act to rectify the issue.
• Address product issues – maybe deliveries are late, maybe too many products are faulty. When product feedback gets picked up through Smart Conversations, messages can be triggered to the delivery or product teams to jump on the problems immediately.
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Marketing research on Mobile apps: past, present and future

• Review Paper
• Published: 08 November 2021
• Volume 50 , pages 195–225, ( 2022 )

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• Lara Stocchi 1 ,
• Naser Pourazad 2 ,
• Nina Michaelidou 3 ,
• Arry Tanusondjaja 1 &
• Paul Harrigan 4  

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We present an integrative review of existing marketing research on mobile apps, clarifying and expanding what is known around how apps shape customer experiences and value across iterative customer journeys, leading to the attainment of competitive advantage, via apps (in instances of apps attached to an existing brand) and for apps (when the app is the brand). To synthetize relevant knowledge, we integrate different conceptual bases into a unified framework, which simplifies the results of an in-depth bibliographic analysis of 471 studies. The synthesis advances marketing research by combining customer experience, customer journey, value creation and co-creation, digital customer orientation, market orientation, and competitive advantage. This integration of knowledge also furthers scientific marketing research on apps, facilitating future developments on the topic and promoting expertise exchange between academia and industry.

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Introduction

Mobile apps, or apps in short, have been defined as the ultimate marketing vehicle (Watson, McCarthy and Rowley 2013 ) and a staple promotional tactic (Rohm, Gao, Sultan and Pagani 2012 ) to attract business ‘on the go’ (Fang 2019 ). They yield great potential for customer engagement due to specific characteristics (e.g., vividness, novelty and built-in features, see Kim, Lin and Sung 2013 ), supporting one-to-one and one-to-many interactions (Watson et al. 2013 ) and facilitating exchanges without time or location-based restrictions (Alnawas and Aburub 2016 ). In essence, apps translate communication efforts into interactive customer experiences heightening cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses (Kim and Yu 2016 ). For example, apps support value-generating activities such as making purchases and accessing information (Natarajan, Balasubramanian and Kasilingam 2017 ). Accordingly, apps offer firms multiple opportunities to achieve marketing objectives, influencing and shaping the customer journey (Wang, Kim and Malthouse 2016a ). Overall, apps also allow firms to realize a digital customer orientation and to attain competitive advantages through the provision of superior customer experiences (Kopalle, Kumar and Subramaniam 2020 ).

Over the last decade, the popularity of apps continued to increase (currently, there are more than 2.87 million apps available, Buildfire 2021 ) and, although apps’ growth has gradually slowed down, they remain at the heart of digital marketing strategies, impacting economies worldwide (Arora, Hofstede and Mahajan 2017 ). For instance, in the US, apps drive about 60% of digital media consumption (Fang 2019 ) and 90% of the top 100 global brands offer one or more apps (Tseng and Lee 2018 ). Apps also generate significant economic results thanks to attaining prolonged media exposure and consumer spending. For example, the TikTok app generates over one billion video views every day (Influencer Marketing Hub 2018 ; Iqbal 2019 ) and has attracted $50 million in consumer spending last year, on top of advertising revenues (Williams 2020 ). The global health and financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic further illustrates the pivotal role apps play in facilitating business survival and reigniting customer experiences—see the instance of the Zoom app, which generated $2.6 billion revenue in 2020 (Sensortower 2020 ).

An increase in academic research on apps has matched their growth in popularity. Marketing is no exception to this trend; however, it lacks a state-of-the-art integrative review , which hinders the advancement of this field of inquiry. Integrative reviews offer new insights as a result of synthesis and critique, and are crucial for new knowledge generation (Elsbach and van Knippenberg 2020 ). Importantly, integrative reviews form the basis for justification or validation of established knowledge (MacInnis 2011 ); they also “identify new ways of conceiving a given field or phenomenon” (Post, Sarala, Gattrell and Prescott 2020 , p.354). Moreover, in addition to their substantiative theoretical contribution, integrative reviews typically facilitate the exchange of knowledge between academia and industry. Based on this reasoning, the present study has two research objectives. The first objective ( RO1 ) is to synthesize existing research on apps to sharpen scholarly understanding of their key role in marketing and customer experiences. To do so, we review established findings through the theoretical lens of the customer journey (Lemon and Verhoef 2016 ), which we modify and extend to establish conceptual links with digital customer orientation , market orientation and competitive advantage . As illustrated, the factor that connects these concepts and explicates apps’ relevance to marketing is value (including value co-creation ). The second objective ( RO2 ) involves offering a series of directions for future research based on priority knowledge gaps. The ultimate goal is to define future research paths for marketing scholars, while promoting knowledge and data exchange between academia and practice.

Comprehensively, this study constitutes the most extensive attempt in the marketing literature to integrate and review the full breadth of publications on apps and significantly differs from existing reviews (e.g., Ström, Vendel and Bredican 2014 ; Nysveen, Pedersen and Skard 2015 ). In particular, we synthesize 471 bibliometric sources, maintaining a clearer delineation between mobile technologies in general vs. apps. Our review also covers all types of apps and includes a unified conceptual framework—two further limitations of prior attempts (e.g., Tyrväinen and Karjaluato 2019 ; Mondal and Chakrabarti 2019 ).

Review approach

In line with past studies (e.g., Groenewald 2004 ; Mkono 2013 ), we used a semi-inductive approach to integrate and review marketing knowledge on apps. Specifically, as appropriate when reviewing fields that are not yet stabilized (Roma and Ragaglia 2016 ), we first conducted a bibliometric analysis to identify relevant sources, mapping the overall knowledge field via quantitative assessment of authors, references and citations (Culnan et al. 1990 ). We followed the same procedure as Samiee and Chabowski ( 2012 ), which begins with identifying keywords. In this regard, we drew upon extant literature on apps (e.g., Mondal and Chakrabarti 2019 ) to collate sources, which contained in the title, abstract or keywords any of the following terms: mobile application(s), mobile app(s), mobile phone application(s), mobile phone app(s), smartphone application(s), smartphone app(s), and apps(s). This selection aligns with past studies (e.g., Radler 2018 ) and reflects synonyms of apps used in real life. We also narrowed down the bibliometric data to sources with a clear marketing focus by screening for terms such as marketing , consumer or customer in the title, abstract or keywords. At times, this approach resulted in the inclusion of sources outside the confines of marketing research (e.g., technology and information system and/or management). Following a similar protocol to others (e.g., Wang, Zhao and Wang 2015 ; Mondal and Chakrabarti 2019 ), we located all sources from the Scopus database, concentrating on articles published in the last two decades—a timeframe, which captures seminal studies and more recent research. The second step of the review process involved screening all bibliometric sources to identify recurring themes and established findings. Following recent guidelines for developing insightful reviews (Hulland and Houston 2020 ), this intuitive review step also entailed locating and examining additional bibliometric sources not included in the initial data frame. The Web Appendix describes all sources examined (471) and a full-length bibliography.

Superordinate theoretical lens

To present the outcomes of our integrative review, we modify and expand the scope of the customer journey by Lemon and Verhoef ( 2016 ). This framework is applicable to different consumption contexts and simplifies the complexity resulting from seemingly disconnected theoretical bases. Moreover, it serves as a useful basis to understand and manage customer experiences . Customer experiences combine cognitive, emotional, behavioral, sensory and social aspects related to distinct consumption stages and touchpoints (see Verhoef, Lemon, Parasuraman, Roggeveen, Tsiros and Schlesinger 2009 ; Becker and Jaakkola 2020 ). In relation to apps, McLean, Al-Nabhani and Wilson ( 2018 ) highlight that the experiential (or journey) factor has been neglected thus far. This knowledge void is surprising, since apps are considered catalysts of ‘new’ customer experiences due to being a unique source of customer value . Nonetheless, apps call for critical modifications of Lemon and Verhoef’s ( 2016 ) framework, as follows.

First, we synthesize research across three journey stages: pre-adoption , adoption and post-adoption. Footnote 1 The pre-adoption stage concerns customer experiences and decision-making before app adoption, which shape consumer predispositions toward the app. In more detail, this stage captures the theoretical links between positive consumer attitudes, individual characteristics and the intention to download, adopt or use the app; it also includes firm/brand-initiated strategies to enhance consumer predispositions. The adoption stage includes customer experiences inherent to the continuation of the consumer decision-making process past initial predispositions, which signal app download and use . Experiences arise from firm/brand-initiated strategies and associated consumer reactions; they also originate from consumer characteristics likely to impact the choice of an app. Moreover, this stage includes activities that signify adoption such as using the app (e.g., mobile shopping). The post-adoption stage involves all customer experiences following adoption and resulting from ongoing app usage such as stickiness —i.e., the intention to continue using the app and frequency of app usage (Racherla, Furner and Babb 2012 ); and engagement (e.g., Kim et al. 2013 ; Wu 2015 ; Fang 2017 )—i.e., “a customer’s voluntary resource contribution to a firm’s marketing function, going beyond financial patronage” (Harmeling, Moffett, Arnold and Carlson 2017 , p.312). This final stage also includes relevant outcomes for the app and for the brand behind the app such as brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

In line with Lemon and Verhoef’s ( 2016 ) assumptions, we contend the distinction between the three customer journey stages to be conceptually and practically fluid. Specifically, the adoption and post-adoption stages are blurred by a seamless feedback loop , since the decision-making process underpinning app adoption is likely to start from pre-adoption predispositions, and to be re-lived during activities that signify adoption whilst also shaping crucial post-adoption outcomes. However, for practical purposes, we distinguished bibliometric sources related to each stage by focusing on the focal concept or key dependent variable discussed in each source. For instance, we considered studies on intentions to adopt the app for pre-adoption; studies on app usage were examined for the adoption stage; and studies on stickiness and engagement were reviewed in relation to post-adoption.

A second modification of the original framework concerns the touchpoints. In more detail, we integrate brand-owned and partner-owned touchpoints , which are designed, managed and controlled by the firm and/or other partners (e.g., developers and app stores) due to the unique business model of app stores (Jung, Baek and Lee 2012 ); and consumer-owned and social touchpoints , which are out of the firm’s direct control, highlighting the extraordinary level of direct consumer involvement with apps through seamless feedback mechanisms—e.g., through customer ratings and reviews. Based on apps’ ubiquitous nature (Tojib and Tsarenko 2012 ), we also consider these touchpoints as “ always-on” points of interaction with a pervasive impact across all stages. For instance, taking the app’s marketing mix as an example (a key brand and partner-owned touchpoint), we assume it to impact consumer initial predispositions toward the app (pre-adoption); app usage (adoption) and consumer responses to the app (post-adoption).

Finally, to further enhance the theoretical and managerial contributions made, we expand the framework’s scope by linking it to customer orientation and competitive advantage via the broad notion of customer value . Kopalle et al. ( 2020 ) clarify that any brand or firm can harvest market opportunities by embracing a digital customer orientation . Digital customer orientation occurs “when the customization and enrichment of the experience delivered by a firm is in real-time and based on the in-use feedback from customers” (Kopalle et al. p. 115). This definition requires a platform for information sharing, real-time insights and context-driven value creation and co-creation . Apps are ideal platforms, as consumers can easily act as integrators of value and resources throughout the customer journey. For example, the business model of app stores hinges on user feedback and information exchange across the supply chain, extending the scope of apps to a broad service delivery network (Tax, McCutcheon and Wilkinson 2013 ). Apps are also viewed as dynamic packages of service provision (see Piccoli, Brohman, Watson and Parasuraman 2009 ), or ‘bundles’ of stimuli, functionalities and experiences that facilitate value creation and co-creation inherent to the appscape (Kumar, Purani and Viswanathan 2018 ; Lee 2018b ). Finally, apps are a pivotal source of hyper-contextualized consumer insights, which can be turned into market intelligence (Tong et al. 2020 ). By making consumer insights and market intelligence part of inter-functional coordination and strategic implementation (Narver and Slater 1990 ; Deshpandé, Farley and Webster 1993 ; Lafferty and Hult 2001 ), firms can consistently deliver superior customer value, attaining market orientation and competitive advantages via apps (when the app is linked to an existing brand) and for apps (when the app is the brand) .

Pre-adoption stage

Empirical research on the pre-adoption stage is abundant and focuses on two aspects that initiate the consumer decision-making process shaping consumer predispositions toward the app, driving the intention to download and/or adopt an app over other alternatives: the technological features and benefits consumers seek; and specific individual consumer characteristics . In contrast, research exploring different strategies for encouraging apps adoption is scarce. Table  1 summarizes existing theoretical approaches inherent to this stage, together with future research themes and examples of priority research questions.

Initiation of the consumer decision-making process

Technological features and benefits sought.

Extant research extensively documents technological features and benefits that consumers seek in apps, using the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) (Davis, Bagozzi and Warshaw 1989 ) and modifications of it, including conceptual models that combine technology adoption with Diffusion of Innovation Theory (Rogers 2005) and Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory (Mcguire 1974 , Eighmey and McCord 1998 ). In particular, past research consistently highlights the following key pre-adoption drivers. First, incentives of technology adoption such as usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment—all confirmed to enhance consumer positive attitudes and/or evaluations of an app, thus underpinning the intention to download and/or adopt the app (Bruner and Kumar 2005 ; Hong and Tam 2006 ; Karaiskos, Drossos, Tsiaousis, Giaglis and Fouskas 2012 ; Ko, Kim and Lee 2009 ; Maity 2010 ; Wang and Li 2012 ; Kim, Yoon and Han 2016b ; Li 2018 ; Stocchi, Michaelidou and Micevski 2019 ). Second, numerous studies stress the importance of value perceptions (Peng, Chen and Wen 2014 ; Zhu, So and Hudson 2017 ; Zolkepli, Mukhiar and Tan 2020 ), especially perceptions of convenience (Kim, Park and Oh 2008 ; Kang, Mun and Johnson 2015 ); novelty, accuracy and precision (Ho 2012 ); locatability (i.e., identifiability in space and time); and, more broadly, apps’ quality (Noh and Lee 2016 ). Studies also highlight apps’ potential to create positive consumer predispositions via personalization (Tan and Chou 2008 ; Wang and Li 2012 ; Watson et al. 2013 ; Li 2018 ); pleasant aesthetics (Stocchi et al. 2019 ; Kumar et al. 2018 ; Lee and Kim 2019 ); and the perceived monetary value (Hong and Tam 2006 ; Kim et al. 2008 ; Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 2012 ), which often counterbalances effort expectancy (Kang et al. 2015 ). Third, past research often explains the pre-adoption decision-making process via concentrating on medium characteristics such as apps’ compatibility, controllability, connectivity and service availability (Kim et al. 2008 ; Ko et al. 2009 ; Lu, Yang, Chau and Cao 2011 ; Mallat, Rossi, Tuunainen and Öörni 2009 ; Tan and Chou 2008 ; Wu and Wang 2005 ); and medium richness (Lee, Cheung and Chen 2007 ). Similarly, other research focuses on consumer’s positive attitudes resulting evaluations of the technology provider such as reputation (Chandra, Srivastava and Theng 2010 ) and communicativeness (Khalifa, Cheng and Shen 2012 ); or network factors including synergies with other channels (Kim et al. 2008 ) and app popularity (Picoto, Duarte and Pinto 2019 ).

The same technological features and benefits discussed so far are recurrently mentioned within industry reports explaining how to attract app users (e.g., IBM Cloud Education 2020 ; Babich 2017 ; Payne 2021 ). Nonetheless, there is a limited understanding of which combinations of technological features and benefits sought most impact the intention to download and/or adopt an app. Such insights could originate from experimental studies shedding light on how consumers choose an app over alternatives. There is also scope for longitudinal analyses of which technological features most impact app market performance.

Individual characteristics

Several marketing studies catalogue individual consumer characteristics that drive the intention to adopt an app, stemming from a combination of personality traits theory (McCrae, Costa 1987 ; John and Srivastava 1999 ), consumer involvement theory (Richins and Bloch 1986 ; Mittal 1989 ), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) (Ajzen 1991 ; Azjen 1980 ). Combining these theories, it is possible to identify the following recurring drivers. First, we find studies highlighting the relevance of generic factors likely to influence consumer pre-dispositions at the early stages of any decision-making process, such as consumer involvement (Taylor and Levin 2014 ), inertia (Wang, Ou and Chen 2019 ), consumer experience (Lee and Kim 2019 ; Kim et al. 2013 ) and past behavior (Atkinson 2013 ; Ho 2012 ; Kang et al. 2015 ). We also find research highlighting the impact of behavioral control and self-efficacy (Kleijnen, de Ruyter and Wetzels 2007 ; Maity 2010 ; Sripalawat, Thongmak and Ngramyarn 2011 ; Wang, Lin and Luarn 2006 ), social norm (Hong and Tam 2006 ; Karaiskos et al. 2012 ; Lu et al. 2007 , 2008 ) and motives (Bruner and Kumar 2005 ). Second, we find research remarking the importance of key individual differences, such as consumer demographics (Yang 2005 ; Carter and Yeo 2016 ; Veríssimo 2018 ; Hur, Lee and Choo 2017 ), lifestyle (Kim and Lee 2018 ), personality (Xu, Peak and Prybutok 2015 ; Frey, Xu and Ilic 2017 ) and individual traits like innovativeness (Lu, Wang and Yu 2007 ; Liu, Yu and Wang 2008 ; Hur et al. 2017 ; Karjaluoto, Shaikh, Saarijärvi and Saraniemi 2019 ), optimism (Kumar and Mukherjee 2013 ) and mavenism (Atkinson 2013 ).

Despite the great emphasis on these aspects, there is a scope for new studies examining their implications for apps avoidance (i.e., not wanting to adopt an app) and apps resistance (i.e., opposing or postponing app adoption). Furthermore, it is crucial to investigate apps’ re-adoption , since many apps are downloaded but abandoned shortly afterwards (Baek and Yoo 2018 ). Such new research endeavors can shed further light on app abandonment caused by sampling (Roggeveen, Grewal and Schweiger 2020 ), meeting industry needs. In fact, industry reports lament that only one in four users use apps one day after the download, and within three months after download over 70% of the app users have churned (Kim 2019 ).

Route to introduction (strategies for encouraging app adoption)

Existing research exploring strategies that encourage app adoption primarily draws from industry trends, as opposed to empirical evidence or conceptual work (see Zhao and Balagué 2015 ). Hence, the need for new frameworks outlining and evaluating strategies for apps’ introduction is pressing. In particular, there is scope for empirical studies assessing the effectiveness of alternative market introduction strategies for different app types. For example, future research on pre-adoption of apps linked to existing brands could compare apps against other brand touchpoints (see also Peng et al. 2014 ; Wang et al. 2016a ). Similarly, future research on pre-adoption of standalone apps could concentrate on appraising the implications of the app’s marketing mix (discussed later on in this integrative review).

Adoption stage

The adoption stage of the customer journey for apps and via apps covers the continuation of the consumer decision-making process until app adoption, including any activities that signify adoption—e.g., behaviors resulting from using the app such as mobile shopping and in-app purchases . Table  2 combines theoretical approaches used to explore these aspects; it also lists key themes for future research, alongside examples of unanswered questions.

Continuation of the consumer decision-making process

Past studies focus on technological features and benefits sought, or on individual consumer characteristics also in relation to the pre-adoption stage. In relation to the first aspect, many scholars confirm the importance of the same pre-adoption drivers (e.g., ease of use, usefulness and enjoyment), either directly or via attitudes and/or intentions (see Gao, Rohm, Sultan and Pagani 2013 ; Huang, Lin and Chuang 2007 ; Koenig-Lewis, Marquet, Palmer and Zhao 2015 ; Veríssimo 2018 ; Stocchi, Pourazad and Michaelidou 2020a ). Past research also highlights new drivers such as mobility value (i.e., the combination of convenience, expediency and immediacy, see Huang et al. 2007 ) and ubiquity (i.e., the possibility to access products and services “anytime, anywhere”, see Tojib and Tsarenko 2012 ). Other drivers of app adoption and/or use include trust (Chong, Chan and Ooi 2012 ), device compatibility (Wu and Wang 2005 ), app price (Malhotra and Malhotra 2009 ), provider reputation (Chandra et al. 2010 ), consumer experiential learning (Grant and O’Donohoe 2007 ) and perceived media flow (Wu and Ye 2013 ). In terms of individual characteristics, extant studies confirm the same range of factors as in pre-adoption (Mort and Drennan 2007 ; Bhave, Jain and Roy 2013 ; Byun, Chiu and Bae 2018 ; Taylor, Voelker and Pentina 2011 ; Yang 2013 ; Kang et al. 2015 ). Research also highlights the importance of consumer motives (Jin and Villegas 2008 ), social influence (Chong et al. 2012 ), attachment with the device (Rohm, Gao, Sultan and Pagani 2012 ) and self-to-app connection (Newman, Wachter and White 2018 ). Additionally, some studies reveal further important individual level factors such as consumer innovativeness (Lewis et al. 2015), consumer knowledge (Koenig-Lewis et al. 2015 ), personality (Pentina, Zhang, Bata and Chen 2016 ; Fang 2017 ) and a sense of self (Scholz and Duffy 2018 ). Moreover, several studies uncover new drivers such as escapism (Grant and O’Donohoe 2007 ), playfulness and drive stimulation (Mahatanankoon, Wen and Lim 2005 ). There are also studies highlighting the importance of usage values (Liu, Zhao and Li 2017 ) and advantages (Zolkepli et al. 2020 ; Newman, Wachter and White 2018 ; Arya, Sethi and Paul 2019 ), including information needs (Alavi and Ahuja 2016 ) and usage preferences (Doub, Levin, Heath and LeVangie ( 2018 ); Cheng, Fang, Hong and Yang 2017 ) such as browsing (Kim, Kim, Choi and Trivedi 2017 ).

The range of theoretical approaches underpinning the research mentioned so far is broad. For example, we find theories not explored for pre-adoption like experiential learning theory (Kolb 1984 ), media flow theory (Wu and Ye 2013 ), motivation theory (Herzberg, Mausner and Bloch-Snyderman 1959 ) and the self-concept (Sirgy 1982 ). Nonetheless, a common aspect connecting these seemingly disparate theoretical bases is the notion of value. Specifically, there is an emphasis on different types of consumer values (e.g., utilitarian and hedonic) assumed to encourage the shift from the intention to adopt an app to actual adoption and/or use. Although this assumption is plausible and empirically sound, there is scope for new investigations outlining the consumer decision-making process resulting in app adoption and/or use in greater detail. For instance, scholars could adapt conceptual frameworks explicating how consumers evaluate brands for choice (e.g., Keller 1993 ).

Behaviors that signal adoption

The industry distinguishes 33 app categories in the Google Play store and 24 categories in the Apple’s App Store, out of which popular app categories (i.e., categories with an uptake greater than 3%) include apps linked to retailers, games and lifestyle apps (Think Mobile 2021 ). Considering these popular app categories, two key behaviors signaling adoption echo the focus of extant marketing studies: mobile shopping via apps and in-app purchasing .

Mobile shopping

Past research clarifies the factors that encourage purchasing via the app and the intention to purchase the brand powering the app (when the app is linked to an existing offline or online brand). In terms of factors that encourage purchases via the app vs. other channels, extant studies identify the importance of positive customer experiences , especially the speed of transactions, security and user-friendliness that apps can provide (Buellingen and Woerter 2004 ; Figge 2014 ); consumer participation, flexibility and technology quality (Mäki and Kokko 2017 ; Dacko 2017 ); location awareness and interactivity (Wang et al. 2016a ); and access to information and promotions (Magrath and McCormick 2013 ). Extant research also discusses the relevance of the customer’s overall interest in the app (Taylor and Levin 2014 ) and specific apps’ attributes (e.g., ease of use and connection with the self) as drivers of the intention to purchase via the app over the physical store (Newman et al. 2018 ), often due to heightening buying impulses (Wu and Ye 2013 ; Chadha, Alavi and Ahuja 2017 ). Finally, past studies highlight two factors that underpin the intention to purchase the brand powering the app: the provision of holistic brand experiences (Wang and Li 2012 ; Kim and Yu 2016 ; Chen 2017 ; Fang 2017 ) and and app usability (i.e., “the extent to which a mobile app can be used to achieve a specified task effectively during brand-consumer interactions” Baek and Yoo 2018 , p. 72).

Considering the above, more research is needed to clarify how purchases via apps occur, including any facilitating or inhibiting factors, as these strongly correspond with industry priorities. Indeed, industry experts call for more insights on how personalized content and push notifications might encourage purchasing via the app (Anblicks 2017 ; Tariq 2020 ). Such future research extensions could also reinforce rather scattered theoretical bases, which primarily include expectancy theory (Vroom 1964 ), motivation theory (Herzberg et al. 1959 ), Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory (Mcguire 1974 ) and customer satisfaction theory (Churchill Jr. and Surprenant 1982 ). Finally, in terms of apps attached to existing brands, future research could evaluate the impact on brand sales and/or other brand performance indicators. For example, future studies could consider the effects of apps as a tool to enhance a brand’s availability in consumer’s memory, ultimately impacting brand purchase intentions (see Sharp 2010 ; Romaniuk and Sharp 2016 ).

In-app purchasing

Research predicting in-app purchases highlights, as key drivers, perceived app value (i.e., quality, value for money, social and emotional value—see Hsu and Lin 2015 ; and Hsiao and Chen 2016 ) and features of the app that motivate app use (Stocchi, Michaelidou, Pourazad and Micevski 2018 ; Stocchi et al. 2019 ). Extant studies also remark the importance of personality traits such as bargain proneness, frugality and extraversion (Dinsmore, Swani and Dugan 2017 ), and price sensitivity , which Natarajan et al. ( 2017 ) found to alter perceptions of risk, usefulness, enjoyment and personal innovativeness, via customer satisfaction (see also Kübler, Pauwels, Yildrim and Fandrich 2018 ). Since the conceptual focus and scope of extant studies is somewhat confined, future research could expand the theoretical bases used by considering established patterns and regularities in buying behavior (see the work of Sharp 2010 ; and Romaniuk and Sharp 2016 ).

Post-adoption stage

The post-adoption stage concerns two aspects: ongoing or continued app usage, explored through the notions of stickiness and engagement ; and outcomes of app adoption for the app itself and for the brand behind the app , as applicable. Table  3 maps extant theoretical approaches vs. outstanding research themes and priorities linked to these aspects, with examples of research questions yet to be explored (Fig. 1 ).

Unified theoretical framework

Ongoing (continued) app usage

App stickiness.

Racherla, Furner and Babb ( 2012 ) and Furner, Racherla and Babb ( 2014 ) link app stickiness to telepresence , which comprises two dimensions: vividness and interactivity . Vividness influences a medium’s ability to induce a sense of presence resulting from its breadth (sensory dimensions and cues) and depth (quality of presentation). Interactivity is the extent to which users can modify the medium’s form and content in real-time. Similarly, Chang ( 2015 ) and Xu et al. ( 2015 ) explore loyalty towards apps focusing on perceived value and customer satisfaction. Other studies concentrate on the continued intention to use an app , highlighting the importance of consumer perceptions of apps’ features (Kim, Baek, Kim and Yoo 2016 ), especially design, functionality and social features (Tarute, Nikou and Gatautis 2017a ). For example, Tseng and Lee ( 2018 ) confirm that improving loyalty towards branded apps can be achieved through an affective path (i.e., bolstering functional, experiential, symbolic and monetary benefits) and a utilitarian path (i.e., emphasizing system and information quality). Similarly, Alalwan ( 2020 ) links performance expectancy and hedonic motivation to the continued intention to use apps.

The above studies draw upon different theoretical bases, albeit consistently highlighting the importance of value perceptions resulting from customer experiences. Nonetheless, past research bears two recurring issues: inconsistent conceptualizations and measurements, and the conflation with other prominent notions such as app engagement. These two issues could be turned into future research providing a unified definition and measure of app stickiness. Future research could also explore the outcomes of app stickiness, clarifying if it can improve apps’ market performance and survival chances. Lastly, there is scope for longitudinal studies examining fluctuations in app stickiness, especially pre and post app modifications. Notably, these future endeavors all yield significant synergies with current industry practices and trends (see App Radar 2019 , The Manifest 2018 ).

App engagement

According to Kim et al. ( 2013 ) and Wang et al. ( 2016b ), app engagement can be understood as the sum of motivational experiences (see also Calder and Malthouse 2008 ) that connect the consumer to the app. Similarly, Dovaliene, Masiulyte and Piligrimiene ( 2015 ) and Dovaliene, Piligrimiene and Masiulyte ( 2016 ) theorize consumer engagement with apps as a mixture of cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects (see also Jain and Viswanathan 2015 ), while Noh and Lee ( 2016 ) link consumer intention to engage with apps to perceptions of quality . Adapting Calder, Malthouse and Schaedel’s ( 2009 ) measure of media engagement , Wu ( 2015 ) confirms that effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence and consumer-brand identification underpin consumer engagement, which then drives the intention to continue app usage. In contrast, Kim and Baek ( 2018 ) use Kilger and Romer’s ( 2007 ) measure of media engagement to evaluate branded apps engagement. This approach closely aligns with Eigenraam, Eelen, van Lin, and Verlegh’s ( 2018 ) definition of digital engagement , which captures consumers’ tendency to conduct various tasks beyond usage of branded services, displaying behaviors that signal engagement. In a similar vein, Tarute, Nikou and Gatatuis ( 2017a ) modify Hollebeek, Glynn and Brodie’s ( 2014 ) work and contend that engagement with apps originates from the intensity of individual participation and motivation (see also Vivek, Beatty and Morgan 2012 ). Stocchi et al. ( 2018 ) explore consumer motives for engaging with apps, while Fang, Zhao, Wen and Wang ( 2017 ) consider branded apps’ characteristics that underpin psychological engagement (i.e., a highly subjective state characterized by deep focus, concentration and absorption), assumed to drive behavioral engagement (i.e., the consumer intention to engage with the branded app). Past studies also analyze consumer engagement behaviors (i.e., manifestations towards the brand or the firm beyond purchase that strengthen the consumer-brand relationship and generate value, see van Doorn, Lemon, Mittal, Nass, Pick, Pirner and Verhoef 2010 ). For example, Viswanathan, Hollebeek, Malthouse, Maslowska, Kim and Xie ( 2017 ) infer app engagement from the behavior changes of customers enrolled in the loyalty program. Gill, Sridhar and Grewal ( 2017 ) return similar findings for B2B apps. Lee ( 2018b ) and van Heerde, Dinner and Neslin ( 2019 ) highlight that consumer engagement behaviors have a strong bearing on brand loyalty. Finally, Chen ( 2017 ) and Fang ( 2017 ) predict engagement with the brand powering the app.

In essence, existing research on apps’ engagement presents contrasting assumptions and conceptualizations, which place emphasis on different cognitive and psychological aspects resulting from an evaluation of the benefits (and thus values) that apps offer. Therefore, there is scope for a unified definition and measurement of app engagement combining diverging theoretical perspectives such as motivation theory (Herzberg et al. 1959 ), flow theory (Wu and Ye 2013 ), transportation theory (Green and Brock 2000 ), media engagement theory (Kilger and Romer 2007 , Calder and Malthouse 2008 ) and the Customer, Value, Satisfaction and Loyalty (VSL) framework (Lam, Shankar, Erramilli and Murthy 2004 ; Yang and Peterson 2004 ). Meeting recurring industry priorities (Beard 2020 ; Marchick 2014 ; Facebook 2021 ), future research could aso explore disengagement —i.e., when consumers de-escalate the frequency of app usage (see also Wang et al. 2016c ), as well as the link between app engagement and other apps performance indicators such as downloads.

Outcomes for the app

Extant research exploring the outcomes of app adoption for the app itself concentrates on two key aspects: the willingness to spread word-of-mouth (WOM) about the app and the willingness to re-purchase via the app . For example, Furner, Racherla et al. (2014) attribute consumer willingness to spread positive WOM about mobile apps to the app’s stickiness. In a similar vein, Baek and Yoo ( 2018 ) link branded apps’ continued usage intention to branded apps’ referral intentions. Embracing a different conceptual angle, Xu et al. ( 2015 ) highlight the link between perceptions of app value, satisfaction with the app, loyalty towards the app and WOM about the app, which the authors consider to be a form of experiential computing . Other studies attribute the consumer’s inclination to recommend apps to the level of app loyalty resulting from perceptions of value (Chang 2015 ) or service quality (Chopdar and Sivakumar 2018 ). On occasion, past research explores specific characteristics of branded apps likely to entice WOM such as usefulness (Kim et al. 2016 ), ease of use and personal connection (Newman et al. 2018 ), and utilitarian and hedonic benefits (Stocchi et al. 2018 ). In terms of the willingness to re-purchase via the app and other mobile shopping changes, Kim et al. ( 2015 ), Wang, Xiang, Law and Ki ( 2016a ) and Gill et al. ( 2017 ) demonstrate that using an app increases spending over time. In light of these findings, research on the outcomes of app adoption for the app reveals substantial scope for expansion. In particular, future research could explore the underlying mechanisms linking perceptions of value (especially value in use), satisfaction with the app and outcomes beyond the standard chain of effects leading to WOM and/or other forms of loyalty toward the app.

Outcomes for the brand behind the app

Research exploring the outcomes for the brand behind the app covers a wide range of conceptual bases, including persuasion theory (Petty and Cacioppo 1986 ), involvement theory (Richins and Bloch 1986 ; Mittal 1989 ), self-congruence theory (Aaker 1999 ; Sirgy, Lee, Johar and Tidwell 2008 ) and consumer-brand relationship theory (Fournier 1998 ). Nonetheless, given the theoretical and managerial relevance of these aspects, there is ample scope for new marketing knowledge, as follows.

Brand loyalty

Lin and Wang ( 2006 ) theorize brand loyalty as the outcome of perceived value, customer satisfaction, trust and habits inherent to m-commerce apps. Similarly, Kim and Yu ( 2016 ) evaluate the extent to which branded apps can drive brand loyalty through the provision of a continuous brand experience, which they defined as “sensation, feelings, cognition and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are all a part of a brand’s design, identity, packaging, communication, and environment” (p.52). Embracing a slightly different focus, Baek and Yoo ( 2018 ) focus on branded apps’ usability, seen as conceptually woven into the user experience. Therefore, building upon these past studies and their implications, future research could focus on the psychological mechanisms that increment brand loyalty via app usage. For example, keeping in mind the established conventions of how brands grow (Sharp 2010 ; Romaniuk and Sharp 2016 ), there is scope for investigating app characteristics likely to enhance brand loyalty for different customer segments. There is also scope for research exploring the reverse effect, i.e. studies evaluating the impact of brand loyalty on app performance.

Willingness to spread WOM about the brand

Kim and Yu ( 2016 ) attribute consumer’s willingness to spread positive WOM about the brand powering an app to the holistic brand experience resulting from using the app. Similarly, Sarkar, Sarkar, Sreejesh and Anusree ( 2018 ) link positive WOM about retailers to the use of related apps. To revamp scholarly and managerial attention around this theme, future studies could establish a connection with the latest online WOM research (e.g., Ismagilova, Slade, Rana and Dwivedi 2019 ; Sanchez, Abril and Haenlein 2020 ; Rosario, de Valck and Sotgiu 2020 ). Such studies could also consider instances whereby buzz about the brand might impact app performance.

Wang et al. ( 2016a ) present a series of theoretical reflections concerning the persuasive nature of branded apps, highlighting apps’ ability to trigger frequent context-based brand recall. Bellman, Potter, Treleaven-Hassard, Robinson and Varan ( 2011 ) add that branded apps can persuade consumers by increasing interest in the brand powering the app (purchase intention) and in the product category (product involvement). At the same time, Ahmed, Beard and Yoon ( 2016 ) remark that apps’ persuasive potential originates from vividness, novelty, and multi-platforming opportunities (see also Kim et al. 2013 ). Similarly, Alnawas and Aburub ( 2016 ) and Seitz and Aldebasi ( 2016 ) attribute apps’ persuasiveness to the benefits offered, which can be cognitive (information acquisition), social integrative (connecting with others), personal integrative (self-value bolstering) and hedonic (e.g., escapism). More recently, Lee ( 2018a ) examines the dual route to persuasion for apps, including argument quality (central route) and source credibility (peripheral route), while van Noort and van Reijmersdal ( 2019 ) evaluate cognitive and affective brand responses to apps.

In line with the above, apps’ persuasive power is widely established, a trend that is also apparent in mobile advertising trends (via apps and in-apps), which continue to overtake desktop advertising (eMarketer 2019). Nonetheless, there is scope for new knowledge evaluating the outcomes of advertising via apps beyond attitude change and brand purchase intentions (see Ahmed et al. 2016 ), explicitly appraising apps’ effects on brand recall and brand recognition (see Ström et al. 2014 ; van Noort and Reijmersdal 2019 ). There is also scope for replications and extensions of Bellman et al.’s ( 2011 ) seminal work, bringing neuroscience into marketing research on apps. For example, future research could determine the most persuasive app features for different consumer segments. It is equally paramount to consider the effects of deploying apps compared to other advertising channels. Such comparisons could evaluate synergies between apps and other digital media (especially social media), guiding firms in advertising platform choices whilst avoiding unduly media duplication. Future studies could also explore the impact of brand advertising on app performance. These future investigations are relevant to the industry, as apps are considered superior advertising channels than websites (Deshdeep 2021 ).

Customer satisfaction

Lin and Wang ( 2006 ) attribute customer satisfaction to perceptions of app value and consumer trust. Subsequent studies often refer to these original findings, albeit returning either too simplistic (Lee, Tsao and Chang 2015 ) or too intricate research frameworks (Xu et al. 2015 ), or frameworks not focused on the prediction of customer satisfaction (Natarajan et al. 2017 ). Other studies concentrate on utilitarian and hedonic benefits that apps offer vs. non-monetary sacrifices such as privacy surrender (Alnawas and Aburub 2016 ). In contrast, Alalwan ( 2020 ) considers online reviews, performance expectancy, hedonic motivation and price value. Among studies exploring perceptions of value and customer satisfaction, Chang ( 2015 ) looks at emotional and social values, app quality and value for money. Likewise, Rezaei and Valaei ( 2017 ) find that experiential values (i.e., service excellence, customer return on investment, aesthetics and playfulness) positively influence satisfaction. In contrast, Iyer, Davari and Mukherjee ( 2018 ) find that both functional and hedonic values positively influence consumer satisfaction from the branded app, while social values have a negative impact (see also Karjaluoto et al. 2019 ).

Considering the above and, more generally, the pivotal role of perceptions of value seen in extant research on pre-adoption and adoption, there is limited ground for additional endeavors exploring these aspects. However, there is a need for research clarifying how to measure service quality for apps and evaluating the differences with other non-digital sources of customer satisfaction . In fact, only two studies have explored these aspects, proposing inconsistent models. Specifically, Demir and Aydinli ( 2016 ) outline seven dimensions of service quality for instant messaging apps (communication, data transferring, distinctive features aesthetics, security, feedback, and networking), while Trivedi and Trivedi ( 2018 ) explore the antecedents of satisfaction with fashion apps adding other perceived quality dimensions. There is also scope for new research exploring the on-going effects of attaining brand engagement via apps, expanding the exploratory work by Chen ( 2017 ) on brands active on WeChat. Finally, it is worth exploring instances whereby customer satisfaction with the brand and brand engagement might influence app performance.

Emotional response toward the brand

When interacting with mobile technologies, users often experience strong emotional responses, which can result in the willingness to act without thinking (McRae, Carrabis, Carrabis and Hamel 2013 ). Indeed, van Noort and van Reijmersdal ( 2019 ) show that entertaining apps heighten affective brand responses and, according to Arya et al. ( 2019 ), consumers might become brand vocals. Moreover, apps can trigger emotional connections between the consumer and the brand, on the basis of self-congruence (Iyer et al. 2018 ; Kim and Baek 2018 ; Yang 2016 ) or self-app connection , arising from personalized consumption experiences that turn apps into digital manifestations of one’s preferences, desires and needs (Newman et al. 2018 ). Apps can also lead to brand attachment (i.e., an emotional bond between the consumer and the brand); brand identification (i.e., overlap between the consumer and the brand, see Peng et al. 2014 ); brand affect (i.e., deep emotions towards the brand, see Sarkar et al. 2018 ); brand love (i.e., a romantic connection between the brand and the consumer, see Baena 2016 ); and brand warmth (i.e., the belief that a brand is friendly, trustworthy and truthful, see Fang 2019 ). Building upon these findings, there is an opportunity to examine the cognitive and affective brand responses that result from using different types of apps (see also van Noort and van Reijmersdal 2019 ) and how these might impact app performance. Such studies could return relevant insights useful to the identification of strategies for market survival and attaining a competitive advantage for apps through building strong connections with consumers.

“Always on” points of interaction

Research linked to brand and partner-owned , and consumer-owned and social “always on” points of interaction is nascent, yet very important to understand how to shape positive and interative customer journeys with apps and via apps. Table  4 integrates extant conceptual approaches, which include the Innovation Diffusion Theory (Rogers 1995 ); personality traits theory (McCrae, Costa 1987 ; John and Srivastava 1999 ) and value network theory (Peppard and Rylander 2006 ). It also highlights key priority future research themes and questions.

Brand and partner owned “always on” points of interaction

In accordance with Tong, Luo and Xu ( 2020 ), brand and partner owned “always on” points of interaction are linked to the four standard elements of the marketing mix , as follows.

Product (including innovation and branding)

Existing research exploring how apps promote innovation and how to innovate apps is very limited. A few noteworthy exceptions include studies about apps used in specific industries such as construction and higher education—see Lu, Mao, Wang and Hu ( 2015 ); Wattanapisit, Teo, Wattanapisit, Teoh, Woo and Ng ( 2020 ); Liu, Mathrani and Mbachu ( 2019 ); and Pechenkina ( 2017 ). However, product innovation research often discusses it in relation to technological developments (Toivonen and Tuominen 2009 ). Therefore, since mobile technologies are subject to ongoing and rapid technological advancements (Lamberton and Stephen 2016 ), there is scope for new research empirically evaluating the impact of innovating apps’ technological features. For example, with the advent of apps involving augmented and virtual reality, there is room for studies quantifying the effect of these advancements on downloads and engagement and mobile shopping (in app and via the app). More broadly, more research is needed to reveal the mechanisms through which apps catalyze innovation to generate value for different stakeholders (Snyder, Witell, Gustafsson, Fombelle and Kristensson 2016 ; Shankar, Kleijnen, Ramanathan, Rizley, Holland and Morrissey 2016 ). Indeed, it has been argued that apps facilitate the establishment of two-way dialogues between the end-user and key stakeholders (Wong, Peko, Sundaram, and Piramuthu 2016 ).

Similarly to extant research on app innovation and innovation via apps, studies exploring apps as a branded digital offering or studies clarifying the implications of branding apps are also limited. This is surprising, since Sultan and Rohm ( 2005 ) define apps as a ‘ brand in the hand ’. Similarly, Smutkupt, Krairit and Esichaikul ( 2010 ) and Urban and Sultan ( 2015 ) argue that mobile technologies offer excellent opportunities for enhancing a brand’s image. Moreover, explicit links between apps and branding objectives appeared in the literature following Bellman et al.’s ( 2011 ) formal definition of branded apps and Taivalsaari and Mikkonen’s ( 2015 ) definition of ‘ brandification ’ of apps—i.e., custom-built native apps that enable seamless customer experiences. For example, Stocchi, Guerini and Michaelidou, ( 2017 ) link the image of branded apps to their market penetration, while Stocchi, Ludwichowska, Fuller and Gregoric ( 2020a ) propose and validate a simple brand equity framework for apps (c.f. Keller 1993 ). Accordingly, there is room for new empirical research exploring the implications of branding apps. For instance, future studies could explore the implications of branding and/or extending apps and thus apps’ portfolio management, which is crucial for navigating increasing app competition (Jung et al. 2012 ). The literature is also missing clarity on what information consumers hold in memory in relation to apps, and how these memories impact knowledge of the app and of the brand powering the app (see also van Noort and van Rejmersdal 2019 ).

Adding to the above, the industry discusses several practices to promote apps (Saxena 2020 ; Fedorychak 2019 )—e.g., App store optimization via keywords and the inclusion of screenshots and videos for greater conversion rate (Karagkiozidou, Ziakis, Vlachopoulou and Kyrkoudis 2019 ; Padilla-Piernas et al. 2019 ), or the use of push notifications (Srivastava 2017 ; Clearbridge Mobile 2019 ). At the same time, some studies highlight the power of promoting apps via influencers (Hu, Zhang and Wang 2019 ) or via leveraging user reviews and ratings (Ickin, Petersen and Gonzalez-Huerta 2017 ; Kübler et al. 2018 ; Numminen and Sällberg 2017 ; Hyrynsalmi, Seppänen, Aarikka-Stenroos, Suominen, Järveläinen and Harkke 2015 ; Liu, Au and Choi 2014 ). Nonetheless, there is a limited understanding of the implication and effectiveness of promoting apps via these methods. In particular, there is limited knowledge on the effects of advertising apps offline (e.g., via TV advertisements) and online (e.g., on social media or display advertising).

Research on pricing strategies for apps is a line of enquiry of its own merit, which started with Dinsmore, Dugan and Wright’s ( 2016 ) work exploring the effectiveness of monetary vs. nonmonetary (e.g., data provision) tactics to cue an app’s novelty; and Dinsmore, Swani and Dugan’s ( 2017 ) research testing whether personality traits drive the willingness to pay for apps and the willingness to make in-app purchases (see also Natarajan et al. 2017 and Kübler et al. 2018 studies on the implications of price sensitivity for app success). More recently, Arora et al. ( 2017 ) clarify that the presence of a free version of the app (sampling) reduces the speed of adoption, and Appel, Libai, Muller and Shachar ( 2020 ) also discuss issues inherent to apps’ sampling. Nonetheless, there is scope for more research on improving apps’ monetization and on maximizing the chance of market survival. For instance, future research could evaluate the trade-off between apps’ pricing strategies and other marketing mix elements, especially apps’ advertising and promotion. There are also opportunities for experimental research evaluating the effects of different monetization tactics for different app types. Lastly, although freemium pricing strategies (i.e., free basic app version with subsequent payable upgrades, Arora et al. 2017 ) are very common, they may not always be a feasible option. Likewise, the decision to market apps at a price may be quite counterproductive in light of the multitude of free alternatives.

Distribution

Although often exceeding the confines of marketing research, there is established knowledge concerning the distribution of apps. For example, Cuadrado and Dueñas ( 2012 ) stress the importance of the value network, which includes providers, consumers, platforms, telecommunications, social networks and remote service providers. Within this network, critical factors include feedback, innovation, service quality, device compatibility, ready-to-use services and interfaces (e.g., for data storage, security, automatic updates, notifications and billing), and developers’ diversity. Jung et al. ( 2012 ) highlight the relevance of the profit-sharing model of apps’ stores and the review mechanisms, which counteract low entry barriers. Oh and Min ( 2015 ) also emphasize the importance of app stores given the increasing pressure for monetization, while Wang, Lai and Chang ( 2016b ) explore different strategies for app competition. At the same time, Roma and Ragaglia ( 2016 ) revealed differences in monetization effectiveness across the two leading app stores (Google Play and Apple’s AppStore). Finally, Martin, Sarro, Jia, Zhang and Harman ( 2017 ) consider app stores as a channel for communications and feedback crucial to market survival. Hence, although extant research has established that the distribution of apps is bound to the app store’s business model, the need for research clarifying app store’s role in the competitive success of apps is pressing. In particular, future studies could introduce new paradigms for supply chain management and channel integration based on gathering and sharing large amounts of highly-contextualized consumer insights.

Different marketing mix configurations

Besides significant expansions of research considering the four elements of the marketing mix for apps, there is scope for studies exploring different marketing mix configurations. For example, according to Tong et al. ( 2020 ), mobile technologies’ marketing mix includes an element of prediction (i.e., the elaboration of considerable amounts of consumer insights), with all elements of the marketing mix enriched by opportunities for personalization . Moreover, since apps are ‘all-in-one’ gateways (Grewal, Hulland, Kopalle and Karahanna 2020 ) for the asynchronous provision of products and services whereby promotion and distribution are often combined, future research could determine the extent to which apps’ marketing mix elements are somewhat conflated.

Consumer-owned and social “always on” points of interaction

Consumer reviews and peer-to-peer interactions.

Although lacking in explicit theoretical grounding, past research confirms that consumer reviews reflect users’ experience with the app, questions and bug reports (Genc-Nayebi and Abran 2017 ). Indeed, reviews influence the decision to install and use an app (Ickin et al. 2017 ; Jung et al. 2012 ; Kübler et al. 2018 ; Numminen and Sällberg 2017 ), and the willingness to purchase an app (Huang and Korfiatis 2015 ; Hyrynsalmi et al. 2015 ; Liu et al. 2014 ). Past studies also highlight the impact of negative reviews (Huang and Korfiatis 2015 ), linking the volume and valence of reviews to app’s sales (Hyrynsalmi et al. 2015 ; Liang, Li, Yang and Wang 2015 ). Nonetheless, there is scope for future research exploring the impact of peer-to-peer interactions, embracing new conceptual perspectives such as social contagion (Iyengar, Van den Bulte and Valente 2011 ) and network effects theory (Katona, Zubcsek and Sarvary 2011 ). Future research could also examine apps’ role as catalyst of online communities, meeting industry calls for more clarity on how to attain synergies between apps and other crucial aspects of digital marketing (e.g., social media). Finally, from a methodological point of view, there is scope for qualitative research evaluating the social and personal implications of consumer views on apps, adopting lesser explored conceptual lenses such as the notion of the extended self (Belk 1988 ) or product symbolism (Elliott 1997 ; Richins 1994 ). Second, given the obvious differences in the uptake and popularity of apps across different areas of the world, this is a paramount line of future enquiry to evaluate likely cultural differences across all elements of the customer journey. For instance, future studies could evaluate the effects of standard cultural variations in basic demographic features such as age and gender (see McCrae 2002 ) and the impact of country-level cultural orientations (e.g., in line with Hofstede’s traits, see Johnson, Kulesa, Cho and Shavitt 2005 ) across all stages of the customer journey with apps, since they are known to impact individual responses and behaviours in numerous settings. Similarly, future studies could examine the impact of individual-level differences linked to specific personality traits that characterise certain cultures across the full customer journey with apps. This is a promising future research avenues, since personality traits have numerous psychological implications (e.g., in terms of cognitive styles—see Oyserman, Coon and Kemmelmeier 2002 , and cognitive processes—see Nisbett, Peng, Choi and Norenzayan 2001 ).

Privacy and personal data management

Privacy in mobile marketing practices is often seen as a result of perceived benefits, which mitigate perceptions of risks and personal data management concerns (Grewal et al. 2020 ). In line with this view, past studies describe privacy as a risk that impacts the intention to use mobile commerce (Wu and Wang 2005 ) and specific types of apps such as banking apps (Koenig-Lewis et al. 2015 ). Similarly, Sultan, Rohm and Gao ( 2009 ) examine privacy in relation to the risk inherent to mobile marketing acceptance, and Gao et al. ( 2013 ) identify privacy as a potential loss when adopting mobile devices. In contrast, Lu et al. ( 2007 ) consider privacy, security and opting out as reflections of trust in wireless environments, a view that led studies evaluating privacy in relation to apps theorize it as a key driver of adoption and/or usage resulting from consumer trust—see Morosan and DeFranco ( 2015 , 2016 ). Indeed, Miluzzo, Lane, Lu and Campbell ( 2010 ) stress the significance of enabling users to control privacy settings . As a result of such contrasting assumptions, besides exacerbating the lack of clarity surrounding privacy in the broader marketing literature (Tan, Qin, Kim and Hsu 2012 ), extant research provides limited insights on the implications of privacy, loss of privacy and security (i.e., privacy risk) for apps. Hence, there is a clear need for future research clarifying the notion of app privacy—a need, which matches important transnational industry trends to create clear guidelines for personal data collection and usage (see the key issues highlighted in the GDPR guidelines, Gdpr-info.eu 2018). Above all, exploring the acceptable trade-off between apps’ functionality and ubiquity for the secure management of consumer personal data are promising areas of future research. To explore these aspects, future studies could draw upon relevant unexplored conceptual bases such as social justice (Tyler 2020 ) and ethics theory (Yoon 2011 ).

‘Blurring’ of the delineation between the firm and the customer

For the customer journey stages and “always on” points of interaction to translate into a digital customer orientation, it is essential to consider extant knowledge that explores apps’ potential in attenuating the divide between the firm and the customer, shaping unique customer experiences; for example, via value creation and co-creation , and consumer response to app technological advancements . Table  5 lists existing theoretical approaches deployed to investigate these aspects, together with priority future research themes and questions worth exploring.

Value creation and co-creation

As previously discussed, the role of perceptions of values in the pre-adoption decision-making process, and in promoting the continuation of the cognitive, affective and behavioral processes inherent to adoption and post-adoption is well-established. Moreover, conceptual research (e.g., Zhao and Balagué 2015 ) clearly highlights apps’ great potential for value creation . Nonetheless, with a few exceptions (e.g., Ehrenhard, Wijnhoven, van den Broek and Stagno 2017 ; Kristensson 2019 ; Lei, Ye, Wang and Law 2020 ), explicit conceptual and/or empirical assessments of apps’ effectiveness for value creation are limited. This is surprising, since Larivière et al. ( 2013 ) suggest that mobile touchpoints trigger a fusion of value , which can simultaneously benefit shoppers, employees and companies. Moreover, Lei et al. ( 2020 ) show that, in hospitality, apps facilitate value co-creation by virtue of media richness. A possible reason for the marketing research scarcity in this domain could be the use of a narrow range of theoretical bases. In particular, besides the use of the Dynamic Business Capabilities (DBC) theory (Wheeler 2002 ), channel expansion theory (Carlson and Zmud 1999 ) and generic theoretical frameworks evaluating the links between perceptions of value and customer satisfaction (Lin and Wang 2006 ), there is an absence of research adapting standard customer value theories (e.g., Woodside, Golfetto and Gilbert 2008 ) and value fusion theory (e.g., Larivière et al. 2013 ). There is also scope for research clarifying how apps facilitate value co-creation and the marketing potential of co-created apps —i.e., apps shaped through the direct involvement of consumers (see Gokgoz, Ataman and van Bruggen 2021). Indeed, Dellaert ( 2019 ) contends that consumer co-production plays a fundamental role in making companies rethink the value creation process. This view matches the service-dominant logic (see Vargo and Lusch 2004 ; Zhang, Lu and Kizildag 2017 ), whereby consumers use resources available to them to experience and co-create value (Grönroos 2019 ). Thus, scholars could research antecedents and outcomes of value creation and co-creation via apps, exploring in detail the appscape (see also Tran, Mai and Taylor 2021 ). More research is also warranted to understand how apps are used during value exchanges (e.g., in shopping centers, see Rauschnabel et al. 2019 ) and after value exchanges (e.g., to mitigate purchase regret, see Wedel et al. 2020 ).

Technological advancements

Extant research contends that technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in apps provide highly customized experiences, impacting consumer preferences and behaviors (Huang and Rust 2017 ; Pantano and Pizzi 2020 ). For example, AR-enabled apps improve consumer perceptions of utilitarian and hedonic benefits (Nikhashemi et al. 2021 ), encourage positive attitudes (Yaoyuneyong et al. 2016 ; Wedel et al. 2020 ), and boost purchase intentions and WOM (Yaoyuneyong et al. 2016 ) through enjoyment (Rauschnabel et al. 2019 ). Similarly, VR apps elicit positive brand affect by provoking strong sensory reactions such as perceptions of tangibility via haptic vibrations (Wedel et al. 2020 ). Additionally, through the use of anthropomorphic cues (i.e., human traits assigned to computers, see Nass and Moon 2000 ), apps enhance user interactions (Alnawas and Aburub 2016 ) thanks to a humanized customer experience, which influences how consumers perceive the brand attached to the app (van Esch et al. 2019 ; Olson and Mourey 2019 ) and increases trust irrespective of privacy concerns (van Esch et al. 2019 ; Ha et al. 2020 ). Although on par with current industry trends (the global VR/AR app market is considered one of the most rapidly growing domains of software development see Unity Developed 2021), this stream of research has not exhaustively evaluated the effects of apps’ technological advancements on consumer experiences. Arguably, this knowledge void is caused by dated theoretical bases such as the diffusion of innovation (Rogers 1995 ), the Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory (Mcguire 1974 , Eighmey and McCord 1998 ) and the Technology Continuance Theory (TCT) (Liao, Palvia and Chen 2009 ). Hence, future research could embrace new theoretical angles like the physical and psychological continuity theory (Lacewing 2010 ), teletransportation theory (Langford and Ramachandran 2013 ) and service prototyping theory (Razek et al. 2018 ).

Digital customer orientation and competitive advantage

• Digital customer orientation

Hyper-contextualized consumer insights

The pervasive nature of mobile technologies generates unprecedented opportunities for hyper-contextualized consumer insights , which include “at which locations consumers are using their mobiles (where), what times they are looking for products (when), how they search for information and complete purchases (how), and whether they are alone or with someone else when using mobile devices (with whom)” (Tong et al. 2020 , p. 64). Indeed, due to their built-in features, apps allow gathering, storing, and using these insights, as documented in empirical studies highlighting synergies between apps and CRM (Wang et al. 2016c ; Lee 2018a ; Newman et al. 2018 ). Intuitively, the provision of these insights potentially facilitates the realization of digital customer orientation. Nonetheless, as Table 5 shows, the marketing literature is yet to explicitly explore these aspects. Above all, there is room for future research documenting the strategic relevance of consumer insights generated via apps vs. other digital hubs such as web analytics and social media analytics. Moreover, there is scope for evaluating additional implications of information sharing and real-time insights in relation to app personalization . Specifically, apps can enable consumers accessing customized information, strengthening consumer relationships via the provision of superior experiences (Kang and Namkung 2019 ). However, although studies have considered apps’ personalization potential in frameworks aimed at predicting other aspects of the customer journey (see Tan and Chou 2008 ; Wang and Li 2012 ; Watson et al. 2013 ; Li 2018 ), more research is needed to esplicitly evaluate the trade-off between personalization and privacy loss. Furthermore, since market segmentation constitutes a key premise to understand and satisfy consumer needs based on relevant insights (e.g., Cooil, Aksoy and Keiningham 2008 ), there is scope for studying segmentation of apps’ users. In this regard, using cluster analysis, Doub et al. ( 2018 ) and Alavi and Ahuja ( 2016 ) detect distinct segments in relation to the use of certain types of apps (e.g., for food shopping and mobile banking). In contrast, Kim and Lee ( 2018 ) focus on psychographic segmentation of app users, and Kim, Lee and Park ( 2016 ) introduce a user-centric service map and a framework for user-value analysis. Finally, Liu et al. ( 2017 ) and Chen, Zhang and Zhao ( 2017 ) use the Recency, Frequency, Monetary (RFM) approach. Nonetheless, future studies could explore alternative angles such as behavioral segmentation (e.g., delineating between different types of apps’ users based on the usage occasions and frequency of use) and intent-based segmentation (e.g., distinguishing consumers based on stage of customer journey). There is also potential for determining if segments identified in bricks and mortar contexts exhibit different patterns of app usage.

Market intelligence

Thus far, there are only two key studies with a clear focus on market intelligence and competing dynamics. In more detail, using panel data, Jung, Kim and Chan-Olmsted (2014) examine habits and repertoires for different app types by adapting known audience behavior and media concentration benchmarks; and Lee and Raghu ( 2014 ) highlight that app competition is configured as a long-tail market (i.e., many choices and low search costs). Therefore, there are multiple avenues for future research advancements in relation to market intelligence (Shapiro 1988 ) (see Table 5 ). Above all, there is significant scope for more empirical efforts outlining app competition dynamics, ascertaining likely differences for dissimilar app categories (or sub-markets), and introducing metrics and methods to evaluate app return on investment (see also Gill et al. 2017 ). These future research endeavors match industry priorities and concerns; indeed, as Dinsmore et al. ( 2017 ) state: “…more than 60% of app developers are ‘below the app poverty line’, meaning they generate less than $500 a month from their apps […] and a mere 24% of developers are able to directly monetize their products by charging a fee in exchange for download” (p.227).

• Competitive advantage

Lafferty and Hult ( 2001 ) attribute the theoretical foundations of market orientation and thus the attainment of competitive advantage to four factors: customer orientation ; the strategic use of consumer insights and market intelligence ; inter-functional coordination ; and strategic implementation . Having already discussed the first two factors, we now concentrate on the latter two, synthesizing the new marketing knowledge required to clarify how to attain a competitive advantage via apps and for apps (see again Table 5 ).

Inter-functional coordination

An essential premise of market orientation is the effective dissemination of consumer insights and market intelligence across the organizational functions (Lafferty and Hult 2001 ), striving for the coordination needed to deliver superior customer value (Narver and Slater 1990 ). Unfortunately, extant marketing research on apps that relates to this matter is currently missing. Therefore, there is potential for examining apps from the perspective of organizational behaviors (see Cadogan 2012 ), exploring the role of market-orientated behaviors (e.g., product design excellence, see Cyr, Head and Ivanov 2006) in the development, launch and strategic management of apps. For example, future research could evaluate the effects of different managerial approaches, different levels of digital marketing knowledge and the implications of a firm’s overall digital marketing strategy. New studies could also examine the underlying effects of market-level conditions such as market dynamism (i.e., rapid changes in consumer needs and preferences, see again Cadogan 2012 ).

Strategic implementation

A final foundation of market orientation and pre-condition for attaining competitive advantage is the strategic use of the information in decision-making (Lafferty and Hult 2001 ), especially within individual business units (Ruekert 1992 ). It also concerns a significant degree of organizational responsiveness to exogenous factors such as market competition (Kohli and Jaworski 1990 ). Unfortunately, there is a void on these aspects in the marketing literature on apps. Hence, there is scope for new knowledge uncovering different pathways leading to competitive advantage by deploying apps and for the app. Such studies could seek to determine differences across different industries and businesses. There is also scope for studies quantifying the impact for apps on business growth. Finally, the evaluation of synergies with other crucial strategic aspects, especially attribution marketing, marketing analytics and, more broadly, a firm’s digital marketing strategy, represents a fruitful area of future research.

Conclusions, contributions and limitations

We presented an integrative review of existing marketing knowledge on apps spanning two decades of research and hundreds of studies. The synthesis has been mapped against a meta-theoretical focus (see also Becker and Jaakkola 2020 ), which integrates core marketing notions such as the customer journey, digital customer orientation and, importantly, value creation and co-creation. The integration of these aspects modifies and expands Lemon and Verhoef’s ( 2016 ) customer journey, further enhancing the contribution made in reconciling current views and assumptions. Moreover, the meta-theoretical lens used highlighted significant knowledge voids that need to be addressed to move marketing research on apps forward—an outcome that meets the first key research objective of this study. The synthesis also revealed synergies vs. disconnections between industry trends and academic research on the topic of apps, fulfilling the second research objective. The resulting conceptual and practical contributions are as follows.

Summary of theoretical contributions

Apps can enhance consumer perceptions of value from the early stages of the customer journey. In fact, the decision-making process characterizing the pre-adoption and adoption stages hinges on consumer evaluations of perceived benefits that apps can offer, alongside individual characteristics shaping the chains of effects linking attitudes, intentions and behavioral outcomes signaling adoption. Although more research is needed to better understand potential differences in these mechanisms for different types of apps and different consumer segments, the trigger of positive customer experiences and journeys lies in ensuring that the consumer sees value in the app as a channel to access products and services, and as a two-way platform for seamless interactions. Moreover, at the early stages of the customer journey, different marketing strategies play a crucial role; yet little is known in relation to them. On the contrary, a lot is understood in relation to the value of apps post-adoption as the ultimate marketing vehicle, albeit primarily in instances whereby the app is attached to an existing brand. Therefore, new theoretical and empirical evidence is needed to clarify outcomes for standalone apps beyond mobile shopping implications. In fact, considering existing marketing research on “always on” points of interaction, substantial gaps emerge in relation to apps’ marketing mix—an aspect that is vital for the provision of positive customer experiences and rewarding journeys, and for the creation (and co-creation) of value.

Nonetheless, there are clear opportunities for turning customer journeys for apps and via apps into a competitive advantage. These include realizing a digital marketing orientation, leveraging apps’ power to provide hyper-contextualized consumer insights and personalization opportunities, and harvesting the potential of technological advancements (e.g., VR/AR and AI). There are also ample opportunities for gathering strategically relevant market insights beyond the business model imposed by app stores. In this instance, the key to unlock apps’ potential for the attainment of competitive advantage lies in elevating the digital customer orientation to an all-encompassing market orientation, whereby the consumer insights and market intelligence acquired are shared across organizational functions (beyond marketing) and turned into the input of innovative business strategies. As this integrative review reveals, extant knowledge concerning these aspects is missing and needs to be created to move this field of marketing research on apps forward.

Summary of managerial contributions

Marketing practice relating to apps is ever-evolving. However, a great deal of strategies already in use and guidelines for market success often hinge on opinions, learn-by-doing and, we dare to say, blindly following trends and hypes. Scholarly marketing research can play a vital role in remedying this tendency, as long as extant and well-established findings are clearly communicated and readily available to practitioners. In this regard, our integrative review provides highly simplified summaries that can inform businesses on how to plan app launches and successfully integrate apps into business strategies. In particular, the critical synthesis of marketing knowledge presented serves as a nomological map to understand the depth of existing scholarly research on apps yielding managerial relevance. We stress that these findings often match or complement industry assumptions; in other instances, however, discrepancies emerge alongside missing know-how. Hence, a key practical implication of our integrative synthesis lies in providing a roadmap for addressing these inconsistencies, revealing great scope for more synergy between academia and the industry. Ultimately, it is auspicious to see an increase in information and data porosity through the involvement of the industry in future lines of inquiry mapped in this review. Indeed, for the research directions outlined, access to data and the monitoring of market trends are essential. Likewise, harvesting apps’ full economic potential hinges on accessing rigorous scientific findings.

Upon reading this integrative review, we envision managers of businesses deploying apps to support existing brands and managers of businesses whereby the app is the brand to embrace important strategic guidelines that emerged such as: (i) the role apps play in the media ecosystem and/or as a marketing channel, ensuring consumers enjoy seamless value-generating experiences; (ii) the importance of marketing apps via offering clear benefits that match strategic priorities of a business; and (iii) the existence of untapped strategic power for apps for the attainment of competitive advantage, especially upon gathering and using consumer insights and market intelligence above and beyond the marketing function.

Limitations and general future research directions

Our review approach entailed a combination of bibliometric analysis and a more intuitive process whereby research themes were detected and iteratively refined. Although considerable alignment emerged between these two steps, the approach inevitably resulted in some arbitrary choices. For instance, we did not focus on aspects involving the development and supply of apps; similarly, technological aspects of apps’ programing and design were not considered. Therefore, future research could pursue alternative routes such as presenting a meta-analysis of the extant empirical findings. Moreover, the reconciliation of views from academia and industry has been fulfilled by juxtaposing industry trends and assumptions with the summaries of findings extracted from the body of scholarly work reviewed. Future studies could present more explicit analyses of industry views, such as conducting primary research involving managers and app developers. Finally, future development of the outcomes of this integrative review calls for a more detailed evaluation of interdisciplinary links, detecting and exploring in more detail the connections between marketing knowledge and other relevant fields such as information technology, information management and organizational behavior.

In comparison to Lemon and Verhoef’s ( 2016 ) original framework, the use of the word ‘adoption’ is based on the logic that most apps are initially available to consumers at no cost. As such, there is often no ‘purchase’ per se; rather, the focal event that starts the customer journey is the series of customer experiences that lead to adopting the technology. The focus on adoption also combines the strategic firm/brand perspective and the consumer perspective (see Becker and Jaakkola 2020 ).

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Maria Flutsch and Chandler Meakins for assisting with the management of the references. They also would like to thank Bryony Jardine for her assistance in the bibliometric analysis that underpins this study. Finally, the authors dedicate this work to Lucas Taousakis, who came to this world amid the first round of revisions and is the son of the lead author.

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Stocchi, L., Pourazad, N., Michaelidou, N. et al. Marketing research on Mobile apps: past, present and future. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 50 , 195–225 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00815-w

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6.3 Steps in a Successful Marketing Research Plan

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• 1 Identify and describe the steps in a marketing research plan.
• 2 Discuss the different types of data research.
• 3 Explain how data is analyzed.
• 4 Discuss the importance of effective research reports.

Define the Problem

There are seven steps to a successful marketing research project (see Figure 6.3 ). Each step will be explained as we investigate how a marketing research project is conducted.

The first step, defining the problem, is often a realization that more information is needed in order to make a data-driven decision. Problem definition is the realization that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. An entrepreneur may be interested in opening a small business but must first define the problem that is to be investigated. A marketing research problem in this example is to discover the needs of the community and also to identify a potentially successful business venture.

Many times, researchers define a research question or objectives in this first step. Objectives of this research study could include: identify a new business that would be successful in the community in question, determine the size and composition of a target market for the business venture, and collect any relevant primary and secondary data that would support such a venture. At this point, the definition of the problem may be “Why are cat owners not buying our new cat toy subscription service?”

Additionally, during this first step we would want to investigate our target population for research. This is similar to a target market, as it is the group that comprises the population of interest for the study. In order to have a successful research outcome, the researcher should start with an understanding of the problem in the current situational environment.

Develop the Research Plan

Step two is to develop the research plan. What type of research is necessary to meet the established objectives of the first step? How will this data be collected? Additionally, what is the time frame of the research and budget to consider? If you must have information in the next week, a different plan would be implemented than in a situation where several months were allowed. These are issues that a researcher should address in order to meet the needs identified.

Research is often classified as coming from one of two types of data: primary and secondary. Primary data is unique information that is collected by the specific researcher with the current project in mind. This type of research doesn’t currently exist until it is pulled together for the project. Examples of primary data collection include survey, observation, experiment, or focus group data that is gathered for the current project.

Secondary data is any research that was completed for another purpose but can be used to help inform the research process. Secondary data comes in many forms and includes census data, journal articles, previously collected survey or focus group data of related topics, and compiled company data. Secondary data may be internal, such as the company’s sales records for a previous quarter, or external, such as an industry report of all related product sales. Syndicated data , a type of external secondary data, is available through subscription services and is utilized by many marketers. As you can see in Table 6.1 , primary and secondary data features are often opposite—the positive aspects of primary data are the negative side of secondary data.

There are four research types that can be used: exploratory, descriptive, experimental, and ethnographic research designs (see Figure 6.4 ). Each type has specific formats of data that can be collected. Qualitative research can be shared through words, descriptions, and open-ended comments. Qualitative data gives context but cannot be reduced to a statistic. Qualitative data examples are categorical and include case studies, diary accounts, interviews, focus groups, and open-ended surveys. By comparison, quantitative data is data that can be reduced to number of responses. The number of responses to each answer on a multiple-choice question is quantitative data. Quantitative data is numerical and includes things like age, income, group size, and height.

Exploratory research is usually used when additional general information in desired about a topic. When in the initial steps of a new project, understanding the landscape is essential, so exploratory research helps the researcher to learn more about the general nature of the industry. Exploratory research can be collected through focus groups, interviews, and review of secondary data. When examining an exploratory research design, the best use is when your company hopes to collect data that is generally qualitative in nature. 7

For instance, if a company is considering a new service for registered users but is not quite sure how well the new service will be received or wants to gain clarity of exactly how customers may use a future service, the company can host a focus group. Focus groups and interviews will be examined later in the chapter. The insights collected during the focus group can assist the company when designing the service, help to inform promotional campaign options, and verify that the service is going to be a viable option for the company.

Descriptive research design takes a bigger step into collection of data through primary research complemented by secondary data. Descriptive research helps explain the market situation and define an “opinion, attitude, or behavior” of a group of consumers, employees, or other interested groups. 8 The most common method of deploying a descriptive research design is through the use of a survey. Several types of surveys will be defined later in this chapter. Descriptive data is quantitative in nature, meaning the data can be distilled into a statistic, such as in a table or chart.

Again, descriptive data is helpful in explaining the current situation. In the opening example of LEGO , the company wanted to describe the situation regarding children’s use of its product. In order to gather a large group of opinions, a survey was created. The data that was collected through this survey allowed the company to measure the existing perceptions of parents so that alterations could be made to future plans for the company.

Experimental research , also known as causal research , helps to define a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more factors. This type of research goes beyond a correlation to determine which feature caused the reaction. Researchers generally use some type of experimental design to determine a causal relationship. An example is A/B testing, a situation where one group of research participants, group A, is exposed to one treatment and then compared to the group B participants, who experience a different situation. An example might be showing two different television commercials to a panel of consumers and then measuring the difference in perception of the product. Another example would be to have two separate packaging options available in different markets. This research would answer the question “Does one design sell better than the other?” Comparing that to the sales in each market would be part of a causal research study. 9

The final method of collecting data is through an ethnographic design. Ethnographic research is conducted in the field by watching people interact in their natural environment. For marketing research, ethnographic designs help to identify how a product is used, what actions are included in a selection, or how the consumer interacts with the product. 10

Examples of ethnographic research would be to observe how a consumer uses a particular product, such as baking soda. Although many people buy baking soda, its uses are vast. So are they using it as a refrigerator deodorizer, a toothpaste, to polish a belt buckle, or to use in baking a cake?

Select the Data Collection Method

Data collection is the systematic gathering of information that addresses the identified problem. What is the best method to do that? Picking the right method of collecting data requires that the researcher understand the target population and the design picked in the previous step. There is no perfect method; each method has both advantages and disadvantages, so it’s essential that the researcher understand the target population of the research and the research objectives in order to pick the best option.

Sometimes the data desired is best collected by watching the actions of consumers. For instance, how many cars pass a specific billboard in a day? What website led a potential customer to the company’s website? When are consumers most likely to use the snack vending machines at work? What time of day has the highest traffic on a social media post? What is the most streamed television program this week? Observational research is the collecting of data based on actions taken by those observed. Many data observations do not require the researched individuals to participate in the data collection effort to be highly valuable. Some observation requires an individual to watch and record the activities of the target population through personal observations .

Unobtrusive observation happens when those being observed aren’t aware that they are being watched. An example of an unobtrusive observation would be to watch how shoppers interact with a new stuffed animal display by using a one-way mirror. Marketers can identify which products were handled more often while also determining which were ignored.

Other methods can use technology to collect the data instead. Instances of mechanical observation include the use of vehicle recorders, which count the number of vehicles that pass a specific location. Computers can also assess the number of shoppers who enter a store, the most popular entry point for train station commuters, or the peak time for cars to park in a parking garage.

When you want to get a more in-depth response from research participants, one method is to complete a one-on-one interview . One-on-one interviews allow the researcher to ask specific questions that match the respondent’s unique perspective as well as follow-up questions that piggyback on responses already completed. An interview allows the researcher to have a deeper understanding of the needs of the respondent, which is another strength of this type of data collection. The downside of personal interviews it that a discussion can be very time-consuming and results in only one respondent’s answers. Therefore, in order to get a large sample of respondents, the interview method may not be the most efficient method.

Taking the benefits of an interview and applying them to a small group of people is the design of a focus group . A focus group is a small number of people, usually 8 to 12, who meet the sample requirements. These individuals together are asked a series of questions where they are encouraged to build upon each other’s responses, either by agreeing or disagreeing with the other group members. Focus groups are similar to interviews in that they allow the researcher, through a moderator, to get more detailed information from a small group of potential customers (see Figure 6.5 ).

Link to Learning

Focus groups.

Focus groups are a common method for gathering insights into consumer thinking and habits. Companies will use this information to develop or shift their initiatives. The best way to understand a focus group is to watch a few examples or explanations. TED-Ed has this video that explains how focus groups work.

You might be asking when it is best to use a focus group or a survey. Learn the differences, the pros and cons of each, and the specific types of questions you ask in both situations in this article .

Preparing for a focus group is critical to success. It requires knowing the material and questions while also managing the group of people. Watch this video to learn more about how to prepare for a focus group and the types of things to be aware of.

One of the benefits of a focus group over individual interviews is that synergy can be generated when a participant builds on another’s ideas. Additionally, for the same amount of time, a researcher can hear from multiple respondents instead of just one. 11 Of course, as with every method of data collection, there are downsides to a focus group as well. Focus groups have the potential to be overwhelmed by one or two aggressive personalities, and the format can discourage more reserved individuals from speaking up. Finally, like interviews, the responses in a focus group are qualitative in nature and are difficult to distill into an easy statistic or two.

Combining a variety of questions on one instrument is called a survey or questionnaire . Collecting primary data is commonly done through surveys due to their versatility. A survey allows the researcher to ask the same set of questions of a large group of respondents. Response rates of surveys are calculated by dividing the number of surveys completed by the total number attempted. Surveys are flexible and can collect a variety of quantitative and qualitative data. Questions can include simplified yes or no questions, select all that apply, questions that are on a scale, or a variety of open-ended types of questions. There are four types of surveys (see Table 6.2 ) we will cover, each with strengths and weaknesses defined.

Let’s start off with mailed surveys —surveys that are sent to potential respondents through a mail service. Mailed surveys used to be more commonly used due to the ability to reach every household. In some instances, a mailed survey is still the best way to collect data. For example, every 10 years the United States conducts a census of its population (see Figure 6.6 ). The first step in that data collection is to send every household a survey through the US Postal Service (USPS). The benefit is that respondents can complete and return the survey at their convenience. The downside of mailed surveys are expense and timeliness of responses. A mailed survey requires postage, both when it is sent to the recipient and when it is returned. That, along with the cost of printing, paper, and both sending and return envelopes, adds up quickly. Additionally, physically mailing surveys takes time. One method of reducing cost is to send with bulk-rate postage, but that slows down the delivery of the survey. Also, because of the convenience to the respondent, completed surveys may be returned several weeks after being sent. Finally, some mailed survey data must be manually entered into the analysis software, which can cause delays or issues due to entry errors.

Phone surveys are completed during a phone conversation with the respondent. Although the traditional phone survey requires a data collector to talk with the participant, current technology allows for computer-assisted voice surveys or surveys to be completed by asking the respondent to push a specific button for each potential answer. Phone surveys are time intensive but allow the respondent to ask questions and the surveyor to request additional information or clarification on a question if warranted. Phone surveys require the respondent to complete the survey simultaneously with the collector, which is a limitation as there are restrictions for when phone calls are allowed. According to Telephone Consumer Protection Act , approved by Congress in 1991, no calls can be made prior to 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in the recipient’s time zone. 12 Many restrictions are outlined in this original legislation and have been added to since due to ever-changing technology.

In-person surveys are when the respondent and data collector are physically in the same location. In-person surveys allow the respondent to share specific information, ask questions of the surveyor, and follow up on previous answers. Surveys collected through this method can take place in a variety of ways: through door-to-door collection, in a public location, or at a person’s workplace. Although in-person surveys are time intensive and require more labor to collect data than some other methods, in some cases it’s the best way to collect the required data. In-person surveys conducted through a door-to-door method is the follow-up used for the census if respondents do not complete the mailed survey. One of the downsides of in-person surveys is the reluctance of potential respondents to stop their current activity and answer questions. Furthermore, people may not feel comfortable sharing private or personal information during a face-to-face conversation.

Electronic surveys are sent or collected through digital means and is an opportunity that can be added to any of the above methods as well as some new delivery options. Surveys can be sent through email, and respondents can either reply to the email or open a hyperlink to an online survey (see Figure 6.7 ). Additionally, a letter can be mailed that asks members of the survey sample to log in to a website rather than to return a mailed response. Many marketers now use links, QR codes, or electronic devices to easily connect to a survey. Digitally collected data has the benefit of being less time intensive and is often a more economical way to gather and input responses than more manual methods. A survey that could take months to collect through the mail can be completed within a week through digital means.

Design the Sample

Although you might want to include every possible person who matches your target market in your research, it’s often not a feasible option, nor is it of value. If you did decide to include everyone, you would be completing a census of the population. Getting everyone to participate would be time-consuming and highly expensive, so instead marketers use a sample , whereby a portion of the whole is included in the research. It’s similar to the samples you might receive at the grocery store or ice cream shop; it isn’t a full serving, but it does give you a good taste of what the whole would be like.

So how do you know who should be included in the sample? Researchers identify parameters for their studies, called sample frames . A sample frame for one study may be college students who live on campus; for another study, it may be retired people in Dallas, Texas, or small-business owners who have fewer than 10 employees. The individual entities within the sampling frame would be considered a sampling unit . A sampling unit is each individual respondent that would be considered as matching the sample frame established by the research. If a researcher wants businesses to participate in a study, then businesses would be the sampling unit in that case.

The number of sampling units included in the research is the sample size . Many calculations can be conducted to indicate what the correct size of the sample should be. Issues to consider are the size of the population, the confidence level that the data represents the entire population, the ease of accessing the units in the frame, and the budget allocated for the research.

There are two main categories of samples: probability and nonprobability (see Figure 6.8 ). Probability samples are those in which every member of the sample has an identified likelihood of being selected. Several probability sample methods can be utilized. One probability sampling technique is called a simple random sample , where not only does every person have an identified likelihood of being selected to be in the sample, but every person also has an equal chance of exclusion. An example of a simple random sample would be to put the names of all members of a group into a hat and simply draw out a specific number to be included. You could say a raffle would be a good example of a simple random sample.

Another probability sample type is a stratified random sample , where the population is divided into groups by category and then a random sample of each category is selected to participate. For instance, if you were conducting a study of college students from your school and wanted to make sure you had all grade levels included, you might take the names of all students and split them into different groups by grade level—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. Then, from those categories, you would draw names out of each of the pools, or strata.

A nonprobability sample is a situation in which each potential member of the sample has an unknown likelihood of being selected in the sample. Research findings that are from a nonprobability sample cannot be applied beyond the sample. Several examples of nonprobability sampling are available to researchers and include two that we will look at more closely: convenience sampling and judgment sampling.

The first nonprobability sampling technique is a convenience sample . Just like it sounds, a convenience sample is when the researcher finds a group through a nonscientific method by picking potential research participants in a convenient manner. An example might be to ask other students in a class you are taking to complete a survey that you are doing for a class assignment or passing out surveys at a basketball game or theater performance.

A judgment sample is a type of nonprobability sample that allows the researcher to determine if they believe the individual meets the criteria set for the sample frame to complete the research. For instance, you may be interested in researching mothers, so you sit outside a toy store and ask an individual who is carrying a baby to participate.

Collect the Data

Now that all the plans have been established, the instrument has been created, and the group of participants has been identified, it is time to start collecting data. As explained earlier in this chapter, data collection is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources that will satisfy the research objectives defined in step one. Data collection can be as simple as sending out an email with a survey link enclosed or as complex as an experiment with hundreds of consumers. The method of collection directly influences the length of this process. Conducting personal interviews or completing an experiment, as previously mentioned, can add weeks or months to the research process, whereas sending out an electronic survey may allow a researcher to collect the necessary data in a few days. 13

Analyze and Interpret the Data

Once the data has been collected, the process of analyzing it may begin. Data analysis is the distillation of the information into a more understandable and actionable format. The analysis itself can take many forms, from the use of basic statistics to a more comprehensive data visualization process. First, let’s discuss some basic statistics that can be used to represent data.

The first is the mean of quantitative data. A mean is often defined as the arithmetic average of values. The formula is:

A common use of the mean calculation is with exam scores. Say, for example, you have earned the following scores on your marketing exams: 72, 85, 68, and 77. To find the mean, you would add up the four scores for a total of 302. Then, in order to generate a mean, that number needs to be divided by the number of exam scores included, which is 4. The mean would be 302 divided by 4, for a mean test score of 75.5. Understanding the mean can help to determine, with one number, the weight of a particular value.

Another commonly used statistic is median. The median is often referred to as the middle number. To generate a median, all the numeric answers are placed in order, and the middle number is the median. Median is a common statistic when identifying the income level of a specific geographic region. 14 For instance, the median household income for Albuquerque, New Mexico, between 2015 and 2019 was $52,911. 15 In this case, there are just as many people with an income above the amount as there are below.

Mode is another statistic that is used to represent data of all types, as it can be used with quantitative or qualitative data and represents the most frequent answer. Eye color, hair color, and vehicle color can all be presented with a mode statistic. Additionally, some researchers expand on the concept of mode and present the frequency of all responses, not just identifying the most common response. Data such as this can easily be presented in a frequency graph, 16 such as the one in Figure 6.9 .

Additionally, researchers use other analyses to represent the data rather than to present the entirety of each response. For example, maybe the relationship between two values is important to understand. In this case, the researcher may share the data as a cross tabulation (see Figure 6.10 ). Below is the same data as above regarding social media use cross tabulated with gender—as you can see, the data is more descriptive when you can distinguish between the gender identifiers and how much time is spent per day on social media.

Not all data can be presented in a graphical format due to the nature of the information. Sometimes with qualitative methods of data collection, the responses cannot be distilled into a simple statistic or graph. In that case, the use of quotations, otherwise known as verbatims , can be used. These are direct statements presented by the respondents. Often you will see a verbatim statement when reading a movie or book review. The critic’s statements are used in part or in whole to represent their feelings about the newly released item.

Infographics

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. For this reason, research results are often shown in a graphical format in which data can be taken in quickly, called an infographic .

Check out this infographic on what components make for a good infographic. As you can see, a good infographic needs four components: data, design, a story, and the ability to share it with others. Without all four pieces, it is not as valuable a resource as it could be. The ultimate infographic is represented as the intersection of all four.

Infographics are particularly advantageous online. Refer to this infographic on why they are beneficial to use online .

Prepare the Research Report

The marketing research process concludes by sharing the generated data and makes recommendations for future actions. What starts as simple data must be interpreted into an analysis. All information gathered should be conveyed in order to make decisions for future marketing actions. One item that is often part of the final step is to discuss areas that may have been missed with the current project or any area of further study identified while completing it. Without the final step of the marketing research project, the first six steps are without value. It is only after the information is shared, through a formal presentation or report, that those recommendations can be implemented and improvements made. The first six steps are used to generate information, while the last is to initiate action. During this last step is also when an evaluation of the process is conducted. If this research were to be completed again, how would we do it differently? Did the right questions get answered with the survey questions posed to the respondents? Follow-up on some of these key questions can lead to additional research, a different study, or further analysis of data collected.

Methods of Quantifying Marketing Research

One of the ways of sharing information gained through marketing research is to quantify the research . Quantifying the research means to take a variety of data and compile into a quantity that is more easily understood. This is a simple process if you want to know how many people attended a basketball game, but if you want to quantify the number of students who made a positive comment on a questionnaire, it can be a little more complicated. Researchers have a variety of methods to collect and then share these different scores. Below are some of the most common types used in business.

Is a customer aware of a product, brand, or company? What is meant by awareness? Awareness in the context of marketing research is when a consumer is familiar with the product, brand, or company. It does not assume that the consumer has tried the product or has purchased it. Consumers are just aware. That is a measure that many businesses find valuable. There are several ways to measure awareness. For instance, the first type of awareness is unaided awareness . This type of awareness is when no prompts for a product, brand, or company are given. If you were collecting information on fast-food restaurants, you might ask a respondent to list all the fast-food restaurants that serve a chicken sandwich. Aided awareness would be providing a list of products, brands, or companies and the respondent selects from the list. For instance, if you give a respondent a list of fast-food restaurants and ask them to mark all the locations with a chicken sandwich, you are collecting data through an aided method. Collecting these answers helps a company determine how the business location compares to those of its competitors. 17

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Have you ever been asked to complete a survey at the end of a purchase? Many businesses complete research on buying, returning, or other customer service processes. A customer satisfaction score , also known as CSAT, is a measure of how satisfied customers are with the product, brand, or service. A CSAT score is usually on a scale of 0 to 100 percent. 18 But what constitutes a “good” CSAT score? Although what is identified as good can vary by industry, normally anything in the range from 75 to 85 would be considered good. Of course, a number higher than 85 would be considered exceptional. 19

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Customer Effort Score (CES)

Other metrics often used are a customer acquisition cost (CAC) and customer effort score (CES). How much does it cost a company to gain customers? That’s the purpose of calculating the customer acquisition cost. To calculate the customer acquisition cost , a company would need to total all expenses that were accrued to gain new customers. This would include any advertising, public relations, social media postings, etc. When a total cost is determined, it is divided by the number of new customers gained through this campaign.

The final score to discuss is the customer effort score , also known as a CES. The CES is a “survey used to measure the ease of service experience with an organization.” 20 Companies that are easy to work with have a better CES than a company that is notorious for being difficult. An example would be to ask a consumer about the ease of making a purchase online by incorporating a one-question survey after a purchase is confirmed. If a number of responses come back negative or slightly negative, the company will realize that it needs to investigate and develop a more user-friendly process.

Knowledge Check

It’s time to check your knowledge on the concepts presented in this section. Refer to the Answer Key at the end of the book for feedback.

• Defining the problem
• Developing the research plan
• Selecting a data collection method
• Designing the sample
• you are able to send it to all households in an area
• it is inexpensive
• responses are automatically loaded into the software
• the data comes in quickly
• Primary data
• Secondary data
• Secondary and primary data
• Professional data
• It shows how respondents answered two variables in relation to each other and can help determine patterns by different groups of respondents.
• By presenting the data in the form of a picture, the information is easier for the reader to understand.
• It is an easy way to see how often one answer is selected by the respondents.
• This analysis can used to present interview or focus group data.

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/1-unit-introduction

• Authors: Dr. Maria Gomez Albrecht, Dr. Mark Green, Linda Hoffman
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Principles of Marketing
• Publication date: Jan 25, 2023
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/1-unit-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/6-3-steps-in-a-successful-marketing-research-plan

© Jan 9, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.

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Market research is a cornerstone of all successful, strategic businesses. It can also be daunting for entrepreneurs looking to launch a startup or start a side hustle . What is market research, anyway? And how do you…do it?

We’ll walk you through absolutely everything you need to know about the market research process so that by the end of this guide, you’ll be an expert in market research too. And what’s more important: you’ll have actionable steps you can take to start collecting your own market research.

What Is Market Research?

Market research is the organized process of gathering information about your target customers and market. Market research can help you better understand customer behavior and competitor strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide insight for the best strategies in launching new businesses and products. There are different ways to approach market research, including primary and secondary research and qualitative and quantitative research. The strongest approaches will include a combination of all four.

“Virtually every business can benefit from conducting some market research,” says Niles Koenigsberg of Real FiG Advertising + Marketing . “Market research can help you piece together your [business’s] strengths and weaknesses, along with your prospective opportunities, so that you can understand where your unique differentiators may lie.” Well-honed market research will help your brand stand out from the competition and help you see what you need to do to lead the market. It can also do so much more.

The Purposes of Market Research

Why do market research? It can help you…

• Pinpoint your target market, create buyer personas, and develop a more holistic understanding of your customer base and market.
• Understand current market conditions to evaluate risks and anticipate how your product or service will perform.
• Validate a concept prior to launch.
• Identify gaps in the market that your competitors have created or overlooked.
• Solve problems that have been left unresolved by the existing product/brand offerings.
• Identify opportunities and solutions for new products or services.
• Develop killer marketing strategies .

What Are the Benefits of Market Research?

Strong market research can help your business in many ways. It can…

• Strengthen your market position.
• Help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.
• Help you identify your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Minimize risk.
• Center your customers’ experience from the get-go.
• Help you create a dynamic strategy based on market conditions and customer needs/demands.

What Are the Basic Methods of Market Research?

The basic methods of market research include surveys, personal interviews, customer observation, and the review of secondary research. In addition to these basic methods, a forward-thinking market research approach incorporates data from the digital landscape like social media analysis, SEO research, gathering feedback via forums, and more. Throughout this guide, we will cover each of the methods commonly used in market research to give you a comprehensive overview.

Primary vs. Secondary Market Research

Primary and secondary are the two main types of market research you can do. The latter relies on research conducted by others. Primary research, on the other hand, refers to the fact-finding efforts you conduct on your own.

This approach is limited, however. It’s likely that the research objectives of these secondary data points differ from your own, and it can be difficult to confirm the veracity of their findings.

Primary Market Research

Primary research is more labor intensive, but it generally yields data that is exponentially more actionable. It can be conducted through interviews, surveys, online research, and your own data collection. Every new business should engage in primary market research prior to launch. It will help you validate that your idea has traction, and it will give you the information you need to help minimize financial risk.

You can hire an agency to conduct this research on your behalf. This brings the benefit of expertise, as you’ll likely work with a market research analyst. The downside is that hiring an agency can be expensive—too expensive for many burgeoning entrepreneurs. That brings us to the second approach. You can also do the market research yourself, which substantially reduces the financial burden of starting a new business .

Secondary Market Research

Secondary research includes resources like government databases and industry-specific data and publications. It can be beneficial to start your market research with secondary sources because it’s widely available and often free-to-access. This information will help you gain a broad overview of the market conditions for your new business.

Identify Your Goals and Your Audience

Before you begin conducting interviews or sending out surveys, you need to set your market research goals. At the end of your market research process, you want to have a clear idea of who your target market is—including demographic information like age, gender, and where they live—but you also want to start with a rough idea of who your audience might be and what you’re trying to achieve with market research.

You can pinpoint your objectives by asking yourself a series of guiding questions:

• What are you hoping to discover through your research?
• Who are you hoping to serve better because of your findings?
• What do you think your market is?
• Who are your competitors?
• Are you testing the reception of a new product category or do you want to see if your product or service solves the problem left by a current gap in the market?
• Are you just…testing the waters to get a sense of how people would react to a new brand?

Once you’ve narrowed down the “what” of your market research goals, you’re ready to move onto how you can best achieve them. Think of it like algebra. Many math problems start with “solve for x.” Once you know what you’re looking for, you can get to work trying to find it. It’s a heck of a lot easier to solve a problem when you know you’re looking for “x” than if you were to say “I’m gonna throw some numbers out there and see if I find a variable.”

How to Do Market Research

This guide outlines every component of a comprehensive market research effort. Take into consideration the goals you have established for your market research, as they will influence which of these elements you’ll want to include in your market research strategy.

Secondary Data

Secondary data allows you to utilize pre-existing data to garner a sense of market conditions and opportunities. You can rely on published market studies, white papers, and public competitive information to start your market research journey.

Secondary data, while useful, is limited and cannot substitute your own primary data. It’s best used for quantitative data that can provide background to your more specific inquiries.

Find Your Customers Online

Once you’ve identified your target market, you can use online gathering spaces and forums to gain insights and give yourself a competitive advantage. Rebecca McCusker of The Creative Content Shop recommends internet recon as a vital tool for gaining a sense of customer needs and sentiment. “Read their posts and comments on forums, YouTube video comments, Facebook group [comments], and even Amazon/Goodreads book comments to get in their heads and see what people are saying.”

If you’re interested in engaging with your target demographic online, there are some general rules you should follow. First, secure the consent of any group moderators to ensure that you are acting within the group guidelines. Failure to do so could result in your eviction from the group.

Not all comments have the same research value. “Focus on the comments and posts with the most comments and highest engagement,” says McCusker. These high-engagement posts can give you a sense of what is already connecting and gaining traction within the group.

Social media can also be a great avenue for finding interview subjects. “LinkedIn is very useful if your [target customer] has a very specific job or works in a very specific industry or sector. It’s amazing the amount of people that will be willing to help,” explains Miguel González, a marketing executive at Dealers League . “My advice here is BE BRAVE, go to LinkedIn, or even to people you know and ask them, do quick interviews and ask real people that belong to that market and segment and get your buyer persona information first hand.”

Market research interviews can provide direct feedback on your brand, product, or service and give you a better understanding of consumer pain points and interests.

When organizing your market research interviews, you want to pay special attention to the sample group you’re selecting, as it will directly impact the information you receive. According to Tanya Zhang, the co-founder of Nimble Made , you want to first determine whether you want to choose a representative sample—for example, interviewing people who match each of the buyer persona/customer profiles you’ve developed—or a random sample.

“A sampling of your usual persona styles, for example, can validate details that you’ve already established about your product, while a random sampling may [help you] discover a new way people may use your product,” Zhang says.

Market Surveys

Market surveys solicit customer inclinations regarding your potential product or service through a series of open-ended questions. This direct outreach to your target audience can provide information on your customers’ preferences, attitudes, buying potential, and more.

Every expert we asked voiced unanimous support for market surveys as a powerful tool for market research. With the advent of various survey tools with accessible pricing—or free use—it’s never been easier to assemble, disseminate, and gather market surveys. While it should also be noted that surveys shouldn’t replace customer interviews , they can be used to supplement customer interviews to give you feedback from a broader audience.

Who to Include in Market Surveys

• Current customers
• Past customers
• Your existing audience (such as social media/newsletter audiences)

Example Questions to Include in Market Surveys

While the exact questions will vary for each business, here are some common, helpful questions that you may want to consider for your market survey. Demographic Questions: the questions that help you understand, demographically, who your target customers are:

• “What is your age?”
• “Where do you live?”
• “What is your gender identity?”
• “What is your household income?”
• “What is your household size?”
• “What do you do for a living?”
• “What is your highest level of education?”

Product-Based Questions: Whether you’re seeking feedback for an existing brand or an entirely new one, these questions will help you get a sense of how people feel about your business, product, or service:

• “How well does/would our product/service meet your needs?”
• “How does our product/service compare to similar products/services that you use?”
• “How long have you been a customer?” or “What is the likelihood that you would be a customer of our brand?

Personal/Informative Questions: the deeper questions that help you understand how your audience thinks and what they care about.

• “What are your biggest challenges?”
• “What’s most important to you?”
• “What do you do for fun (hobbies, interests, activities)?”
• “Where do you seek new information when researching a new product?”
• “How do you like to make purchases?”
• “What is your preferred method for interacting with a brand?”

Survey Tools

Online survey tools make it easy to distribute surveys and collect responses. The best part is that there are many free tools available. If you’re making your own online survey, you may want to consider SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Google Forms, or Zoho Survey.

Competitive Analysis

A competitive analysis is a breakdown of how your business stacks up against the competition. There are many different ways to conduct this analysis. One of the most popular methods is a SWOT analysis, which stands for “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.” This type of analysis is helpful because it gives you a more robust understanding of why a customer might choose a competitor over your business. Seeing how you stack up against the competition can give you the direction you need to carve out your place as a market leader.

Social Media Analysis

Social media has fundamentally changed the market research landscape, making it easier than ever to engage with a wide swath of consumers. Follow your current or potential competitors on social media to see what they’re posting and how their audience is engaging with it. Social media can also give you a lower cost opportunity for testing different messaging and brand positioning.

SEO Analysis and Opportunities

SEO analysis can help you identify the digital competition for getting the word out about your brand, product, or service. You won’t want to overlook this valuable information. Search listening tools offer a novel approach to understanding the market and generating the content strategy that will drive business. Tools like Google Trends and Awario can streamline this process.

Ready to Kick Your Business Into High Gear?

Now that you’ve completed the guide to market research you know you’re ready to put on your researcher hat to give your business the best start. Still not sure how actually… launch the thing? Our free mini-course can run you through the essentials for starting your side hustle .

About Mary Kate Miller

Mary Kate Miller writes about small business, real estate, and finance. In addition to writing for Foundr, her work has been published by The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Bustle, and more. She lives in Chicago.

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How to Do Market Research: The Complete Guide

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Market research is the systematic process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a specific market or industry.

What are your customers’ needs? How does your product compare to the competition? What are the emerging trends and opportunities in your industry? If these questions keep you up at night, it’s time to conduct market research.

Market research plays a pivotal role in your ability to stay competitive and relevant, helping you anticipate shifts in consumer behavior and industry dynamics. It involves gathering these insights using a wide range of techniques, from surveys and interviews to data analysis and observational studies.

In this guide, we’ll explore why market research is crucial, the various types of market research, the methods used in data collection, and how to effectively conduct market research to drive informed decision-making and success.

What is market research?

The purpose of market research is to offer valuable insight into the preferences and behaviors of your target audience, and anticipate shifts in market trends and the competitive landscape. This information helps you make data-driven decisions, develop effective strategies for your business, and maximize your chances of long-term growth.

Why is market research important? 

By understanding the significance of market research, you can make sure you’re asking the right questions and using the process to your advantage. Some of the benefits of market research include:

• Informed decision-making: Market research provides you with the data and insights you need to make smart decisions for your business. It helps you identify opportunities, assess risks and tailor your strategies to meet the demands of the market. Without market research, decisions are often based on assumptions or guesswork, leading to costly mistakes.
• Customer-centric approach: A cornerstone of market research involves developing a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences. This gives you valuable insights into your target audience, helping you develop products, services and marketing campaigns that resonate with your customers.
• Competitive advantage: By conducting market research, you’ll gain a competitive edge. You’ll be able to identify gaps in the market, analyze competitor strengths and weaknesses, and position your business strategically. This enables you to create unique value propositions, differentiate yourself from competitors, and seize opportunities that others may overlook.
• Risk mitigation: Market research helps you anticipate market shifts and potential challenges. By identifying threats early, you can proactively adjust their strategies to mitigate risks and respond effectively to changing circumstances. This proactive approach is particularly valuable in volatile industries.
• Resource optimization: Conducting market research allows organizations to allocate their time, money and resources more efficiently. It ensures that investments are made in areas with the highest potential return on investment, reducing wasted resources and improving overall business performance.
• Adaptation to market trends: Markets evolve rapidly, driven by technological advancements, cultural shifts and changing consumer attitudes. Market research ensures that you stay ahead of these trends and adapt your offerings accordingly so you can avoid becoming obsolete. 

As you can see, market research empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions, cater to customer needs, outperform competitors, mitigate risks, optimize resources and stay agile in a dynamic marketplace. These benefits make it a huge industry; the global market research services market is expected to grow from $76.37 billion in 2021 to $108.57 billion in 2026 . Now, let’s dig into the different types of market research that can help you achieve these benefits.

Types of market research 

• Qualitative research
• Quantitative research
• Exploratory research
• Descriptive research
• Causal research
• Cross-sectional research
• Longitudinal research

Despite its advantages, 23% of organizations don’t have a clear market research strategy. Part of developing a strategy involves choosing the right type of market research for your business goals. The most commonly used approaches include:

1. Qualitative research

Qualitative research focuses on understanding the underlying motivations, attitudes and perceptions of individuals or groups. It is typically conducted through techniques like in-depth interviews, focus groups and content analysis — methods we’ll discuss further in the sections below. Qualitative research provides rich, nuanced insights that can inform product development, marketing strategies and brand positioning.

2. Quantitative research

Quantitative research, in contrast to qualitative research, involves the collection and analysis of numerical data, often through surveys, experiments and structured questionnaires. This approach allows for statistical analysis and the measurement of trends, making it suitable for large-scale market studies and hypothesis testing. While it’s worthwhile using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research, most businesses prioritize the latter because it is scientific, measurable and easily replicated across different experiments.

3. Exploratory research

Whether you’re conducting qualitative or quantitative research or a mix of both, exploratory research is often the first step. Its primary goal is to help you understand a market or problem so you can gain insights and identify potential issues or opportunities. This type of market research is less structured and is typically conducted through open-ended interviews, focus groups or secondary data analysis. Exploratory research is valuable when entering new markets or exploring new product ideas.

4. Descriptive research

As its name implies, descriptive research seeks to describe a market, population or phenomenon in detail. It involves collecting and summarizing data to answer questions about audience demographics and behaviors, market size, and current trends. Surveys, observational studies and content analysis are common methods used in descriptive research. 

5. Causal research

Causal research aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables. It investigates whether changes in one variable result in changes in another. Experimental designs, A/B testing and regression analysis are common causal research methods. This sheds light on how specific marketing strategies or product changes impact consumer behavior.

6. Cross-sectional research

Cross-sectional market research involves collecting data from a sample of the population at a single point in time. It is used to analyze differences, relationships or trends among various groups within a population. Cross-sectional studies are helpful for market segmentation, identifying target audiences and assessing market trends at a specific moment.

7. Longitudinal research

Longitudinal research, in contrast to cross-sectional research, collects data from the same subjects over an extended period. This allows for the analysis of trends, changes and developments over time. Longitudinal studies are useful for tracking long-term developments in consumer preferences, brand loyalty and market dynamics.

Each type of market research has its strengths and weaknesses, and the method you choose depends on your specific research goals and the depth of understanding you’re aiming to achieve. In the following sections, we’ll delve into primary and secondary research approaches and specific research methods.

Primary vs. secondary market research

Market research of all types can be broadly categorized into two main approaches: primary research and secondary research. By understanding the differences between these approaches, you can better determine the most appropriate research method for your specific goals.

Primary market research 

Primary research involves the collection of original data straight from the source. Typically, this involves communicating directly with your target audience — through surveys, interviews, focus groups and more — to gather information. Here are some key attributes of primary market research:

• Customized data: Primary research provides data that is tailored to your research needs. You design a custom research study and gather information specific to your goals.
• Up-to-date insights: Because primary research involves communicating with customers, the data you collect reflects the most current market conditions and consumer behaviors.
• Time-consuming and resource-intensive: Despite its advantages, primary research can be labor-intensive and costly, especially when dealing with large sample sizes or complex study designs. Whether you hire a market research consultant, agency or use an in-house team, primary research studies consume a large amount of resources and time.

Secondary market research 

Secondary research, on the other hand, involves analyzing data that has already been compiled by third-party sources, such as online research tools, databases, news sites, industry reports and academic studies.

Here are the main characteristics of secondary market research:

• Cost-effective: Secondary research is generally more cost-effective than primary research since it doesn’t require building a research plan from scratch. You and your team can look at databases, websites and publications on an ongoing basis, without needing to design a custom experiment or hire a consultant. 
• Leverages multiple sources: Data tools and software extract data from multiple places across the web, and then consolidate that information within a single platform. This means you’ll get a greater amount of data and a wider scope from secondary research.
• Quick to access: You can access a wide range of information rapidly — often in seconds — if you’re using online research tools and databases. Because of this, you can act on insights sooner, rather than taking the time to develop an experiment. 

So, when should you use primary vs. secondary research? In practice, many market research projects incorporate both primary and secondary research to take advantage of the strengths of each approach.

One rule of thumb is to focus on secondary research to obtain background information, market trends or industry benchmarks. It is especially valuable for conducting preliminary research, competitor analysis, or when time and budget constraints are tight. Then, if you still have knowledge gaps or need to answer specific questions unique to your business model, use primary research to create a custom experiment. 

Market research methods

• Surveys and questionnaires
• Focus groups
• Observational research
• Online research tools
• Experiments
• Content analysis
• Ethnographic research

How do primary and secondary research approaches translate into specific research methods? Let’s take a look at the different ways you can gather data: 

1. Surveys and questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires are popular methods for collecting structured data from a large number of respondents. They involve a set of predetermined questions that participants answer. Surveys can be conducted through various channels, including online tools, telephone interviews and in-person or online questionnaires. They are useful for gathering quantitative data and assessing customer demographics, opinions, preferences and needs. On average, customer surveys have a 33% response rate , so keep that in mind as you consider your sample size.

2. Interviews

Interviews are in-depth conversations with individuals or groups to gather qualitative insights. They can be structured (with predefined questions) or unstructured (with open-ended discussions). Interviews are valuable for exploring complex topics, uncovering motivations and obtaining detailed feedback. 

3. Focus groups

The most common primary research methods are in-depth webcam interviews and focus groups. Focus groups are a small gathering of participants who discuss a specific topic or product under the guidance of a moderator. These discussions are valuable for primary market research because they reveal insights into consumer attitudes, perceptions and emotions. Focus groups are especially useful for idea generation, concept testing and understanding group dynamics within your target audience.

4. Observational research

Observational research involves observing and recording participant behavior in a natural setting. This method is particularly valuable when studying consumer behavior in physical spaces, such as retail stores or public places. In some types of observational research, participants are aware you’re watching them; in other cases, you discreetly watch consumers without their knowledge, as they use your product. Either way, observational research provides firsthand insights into how people interact with products or environments.

5. Online research tools

You and your team can do your own secondary market research using online tools. These tools include data prospecting platforms and databases, as well as online surveys, social media listening, web analytics and sentiment analysis platforms. They help you gather data from online sources, monitor industry trends, track competitors, understand consumer preferences and keep tabs on online behavior. We’ll talk more about choosing the right market research tools in the sections that follow.

6. Experiments

Market research experiments are controlled tests of variables to determine causal relationships. While experiments are often associated with scientific research, they are also used in market research to assess the impact of specific marketing strategies, product features, or pricing and packaging changes.

7. Content analysis

Content analysis involves the systematic examination of textual, visual or audio content to identify patterns, themes and trends. It’s commonly applied to customer reviews, social media posts and other forms of online content to analyze consumer opinions and sentiments.

8. Ethnographic research

Ethnographic research immerses researchers into the daily lives of consumers to understand their behavior and culture. This method is particularly valuable when studying niche markets or exploring the cultural context of consumer choices.

How to do market research

• Set clear objectives
• Identify your target audience
• Choose your research methods
• Use the right market research tools
• Collect data
• Analyze data 
• Interpret your findings
• Identify opportunities and challenges
• Make informed business decisions
• Monitor and adapt

Now that you have gained insights into the various market research methods at your disposal, let’s delve into the practical aspects of how to conduct market research effectively. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview, from defining objectives to monitoring market shifts.

1. Set clear objectives

When you set clear and specific goals, you’re essentially creating a compass to guide your research questions and methodology. Start by precisely defining what you want to achieve. Are you launching a new product and want to understand its viability in the market? Are you evaluating customer satisfaction with a product redesign? 

Start by creating SMART goals — objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Not only will this clarify your research focus from the outset, but it will also help you track progress and benchmark your success throughout the process. 

You should also consult with key stakeholders and team members to ensure alignment on your research objectives before diving into data collecting. This will help you gain diverse perspectives and insights that will shape your research approach.

2. Identify your target audience

Next, you’ll need to pinpoint your target audience to determine who should be included in your research. Begin by creating detailed buyer personas or stakeholder profiles. Consider demographic factors like age, gender, income and location, but also delve into psychographics, such as interests, values and pain points.

The more specific your target audience, the more accurate and actionable your research will be. Additionally, segment your audience if your research objectives involve studying different groups, such as current customers and potential leads.

If you already have existing customers, you can also hold conversations with them to better understand your target market. From there, you can refine your buyer personas and tailor your research methods accordingly.

3. Choose your research methods

Selecting the right research methods is crucial for gathering high-quality data. Start by considering the nature of your research objectives. If you’re exploring consumer preferences, surveys and interviews can provide valuable insights. For in-depth understanding, focus groups or observational research might be suitable. Consider using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a well-rounded perspective. 

You’ll also need to consider your budget. Think about what you can realistically achieve using the time and resources available to you. If you have a fairly generous budget, you may want to try a mix of primary and secondary research approaches. If you’re doing market research for a startup , on the other hand, chances are your budget is somewhat limited. If that’s the case, try addressing your goals with secondary research tools before investing time and effort in a primary research study. 

4. Use the right market research tools

Whether you’re conducting primary or secondary research, you’ll need to choose the right tools. These can help you do anything from sending surveys to customers to monitoring trends and analyzing data. Here are some examples of popular market research tools:

• Market research software: Crunchbase is a platform that provides best-in-class company data, making it valuable for market research on growing companies and industries. You can use Crunchbase to access trusted, first-party funding data, revenue data, news and firmographics, enabling you to monitor industry trends and understand customer needs.

• Survey and questionnaire tools: SurveyMonkey is a widely used online survey platform that allows you to create, distribute and analyze surveys. Google Forms is a free tool that lets you create surveys and collect responses through Google Drive.
• Data analysis software: Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are useful for conducting statistical analyses. SPSS is a powerful statistical analysis software used for data processing, analysis and reporting.
• Social listening tools: Brandwatch is a social listening and analytics platform that helps you monitor social media conversations, track sentiment and analyze trends. Mention is a media monitoring tool that allows you to track mentions of your brand, competitors and keywords across various online sources.
• Data visualization platforms: Tableau is a data visualization tool that helps you create interactive and shareable dashboards and reports. Power BI by Microsoft is a business analytics tool for creating interactive visualizations and reports.

5. Collect data

There’s an infinite amount of data you could be collecting using these tools, so you’ll need to be intentional about going after the data that aligns with your research goals. Implement your chosen research methods, whether it’s distributing surveys, conducting interviews or pulling from secondary research platforms. Pay close attention to data quality and accuracy, and stick to a standardized process to streamline data capture and reduce errors. 

6. Analyze data

Once data is collected, you’ll need to analyze it systematically. Use statistical software or analysis tools to identify patterns, trends and correlations. For qualitative data, employ thematic analysis to extract common themes and insights. Visualize your findings with charts, graphs and tables to make complex data more understandable.

If you’re not proficient in data analysis, consider outsourcing or collaborating with a data analyst who can assist in processing and interpreting your data accurately.

7. Interpret your findings

Interpreting your market research findings involves understanding what the data means in the context of your objectives. Are there significant trends that uncover the answers to your initial research questions? Consider the implications of your findings on your business strategy. It’s essential to move beyond raw data and extract actionable insights that inform decision-making.

Hold a cross-functional meeting or workshop with relevant team members to collectively interpret the findings. Different perspectives can lead to more comprehensive insights and innovative solutions.

8. Identify opportunities and challenges

Use your research findings to identify potential growth opportunities and challenges within your market. What segments of your audience are underserved or overlooked? Are there emerging trends you can capitalize on? Conversely, what obstacles or competitors could hinder your progress?

Lay out this information in a clear and organized way by conducting a SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Jot down notes for each of these areas to provide a structured overview of gaps and hurdles in the market.

9. Make informed business decisions

Market research is only valuable if it leads to informed decisions for your company. Based on your insights, devise actionable strategies and initiatives that align with your research objectives. Whether it’s refining your product, targeting new customer segments or adjusting pricing, ensure your decisions are rooted in the data.

At this point, it’s also crucial to keep your team aligned and accountable. Create an action plan that outlines specific steps, responsibilities and timelines for implementing the recommendations derived from your research. 

10. Monitor and adapt

Market research isn’t a one-time activity; it’s an ongoing process. Continuously monitor market conditions, customer behaviors and industry trends. Set up mechanisms to collect real-time data and feedback. As you gather new information, be prepared to adapt your strategies and tactics accordingly. Regularly revisiting your research ensures your business remains agile and reflects changing market dynamics and consumer preferences.

Online market research sources

As you go through the steps above, you’ll want to turn to trusted, reputable sources to gather your data. Here’s a list to get you started:

• Crunchbase: As mentioned above, Crunchbase is an online platform with an extensive dataset, allowing you to access in-depth insights on market trends, consumer behavior and competitive analysis. You can also customize your search options to tailor your research to specific industries, geographic regions or customer personas.

• Academic databases: Academic databases, such as ProQuest and JSTOR , are treasure troves of scholarly research papers, studies and academic journals. They offer in-depth analyses of various subjects, including market trends, consumer preferences and industry-specific insights. Researchers can access a wealth of peer-reviewed publications to gain a deeper understanding of their research topics.
• Government and NGO databases: Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other institutions frequently maintain databases containing valuable economic, demographic and industry-related data. These sources offer credible statistics and reports on a wide range of topics, making them essential for market researchers. Examples include the U.S. Census Bureau , the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Pew Research Center .
• Industry reports: Industry reports and market studies are comprehensive documents prepared by research firms, industry associations and consulting companies. They provide in-depth insights into specific markets, including market size, trends, competitive analysis and consumer behavior. You can find this information by looking at relevant industry association databases; examples include the American Marketing Association and the National Retail Federation .
• Social media and online communities: Social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter (X) , forums such as Reddit and Quora , and review platforms such as G2 can provide real-time insights into consumer sentiment, opinions and trends. 

Market research examples

At this point, you have market research tools and data sources — but how do you act on the data you gather? Let’s go over some real-world examples that illustrate the practical application of market research across various industries. These examples showcase how market research can lead to smart decision-making and successful business decisions.

Example 1: Apple’s iPhone launch

Apple ’s iconic iPhone launch in 2007 serves as a prime example of market research driving product innovation in tech. Before the iPhone’s release, Apple conducted extensive market research to understand consumer preferences, pain points and unmet needs in the mobile phone industry. This research led to the development of a touchscreen smartphone with a user-friendly interface, addressing consumer demands for a more intuitive and versatile device. The result was a revolutionary product that disrupted the market and redefined the smartphone industry.

Example 2: McDonald’s global expansion

McDonald’s successful global expansion strategy demonstrates the importance of market research when expanding into new territories. Before entering a new market, McDonald’s conducts thorough research to understand local tastes, preferences and cultural nuances. This research informs menu customization, marketing strategies and store design. For instance, in India, McDonald’s offers a menu tailored to local preferences, including vegetarian options. This market-specific approach has enabled McDonald’s to adapt and thrive in diverse global markets.

Example 3: Organic and sustainable farming

The shift toward organic and sustainable farming practices in the food industry is driven by market research that indicates increased consumer demand for healthier and environmentally friendly food options. As a result, food producers and retailers invest in sustainable sourcing and organic product lines — such as with these sustainable seafood startups — to align with this shift in consumer values. 

The bottom line? Market research has multiple use cases and is a critical practice for any industry. Whether it’s launching groundbreaking products, entering new markets or responding to changing consumer preferences, you can use market research to shape successful strategies and outcomes.

Market research templates

You finally have a strong understanding of how to do market research and apply it in the real world. Before we wrap up, here are some market research templates that you can use as a starting point for your projects:

• Smartsheet competitive analysis templates : These spreadsheets can serve as a framework for gathering information about the competitive landscape and obtaining valuable lessons to apply to your business strategy.
• SurveyMonkey product survey template : Customize the questions on this survey based on what you want to learn from your target customers.
• HubSpot templates : HubSpot offers a wide range of free templates you can use for market research, business planning and more.
• SCORE templates : SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides templates for business plans, market analysis and financial projections.
• SBA.gov : The U.S. Small Business Administration offers templates for every aspect of your business, including market research, and is particularly valuable for new startups. 

Strengthen your business with market research

When conducted effectively, market research is like a guiding star. Equipped with the right tools and techniques, you can uncover valuable insights, stay competitive, foster innovation and navigate the complexities of your industry.

Throughout this guide, we’ve discussed the definition of market research, different research methods, and how to conduct it effectively. We’ve also explored various types of market research and shared practical insights and templates for getting started. 

Now, it’s time to start the research process. Trust in data, listen to the market and make informed decisions that guide your company toward lasting success.

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Mobile Marketing: How To Create a Mobile Marketing Plan

Learn how mobile marketing can boost customer engagement and drive sales for your business.

Mobile marketing is crucial for engaging with your connected customers. An SMS campaign can alert users of time-sensitive deals, leveraging immediacy to spur spontaneous purchases. A mobile app might offer in-app rewards and personalized discounts, encouraging loyalty and repeat brand engagement.

These tactics reflect the versatility of mobile marketing and its necessity in an era of digital convenience. Here’s more information on mobile marketing, its pros and cons, and the various approaches you can take to implement it.

What is mobile marketing?

Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy aimed at reaching a target audience through their mobile devices, employing channels like short message services ( SMS ), email , social media , and apps.

Mobile marketing leverages technology to deliver personalized, timely marketing messages to individuals—often using data like their geographic location, the time they’re most active, and their personal preferences or habits—to increase their engagement with a brand.

Types of mobile marketing

Sms marketing, mms marketing, in-app marketing, mobile push marketing, qr code marketing, location-based marketing, social media marketing.

From text-based messages to immersive in-app experiences, mobile marketing has diversified significantly over the years. Here are different types of mobile marketing. 

SMS marketing involves sending promotional messages directly to a user’s phone number. This form of mobile marketing is relatively easy to execute if you have a prospective or previous customer’s SMS-enabled phone number.

Most SMS marketing apps include segmentation and A/B testing features, letting you automate, personalize, and optimize your mobile campaigns for different audiences.

Multimedia messaging service (MMS) marketing goes beyond traditional text messages, letting you send multimedia content such as images, videos, and audio directly to users’ phones. This format can make a mobile ad campaign more engaging and memorable for the recipient than standard SMS texts because images and videos can be more attention-grabbing than plain text.

MMS messages also are not bound to the same character limits as SMS messages (typically 160 characters per message), allowing for more detailed information and calls to action. 

In-app marketing targets users within mobile apps, using in-app advertising and messaging to reach customers already engaged with the app’s content. This method can be particularly effective in mobile games or shopping apps, where tailored offers can drive immediate action.

Use the right titles, keywords, and descriptions through app store optimization to make your app more visible and increase users’ likelihood of downloading it.

Mobile push marketing lets you send push notifications directly to a user’s device, often with timely offers or reminders. These notifications can be a powerful way to re-engage app users—but use them judiciously to prevent fatigue. Mobile marketing software can help schedule and segment push notifications to maximize their impact without overwhelming recipients.

QR code marketing uses a unique matrix bar code to connect offline materials with online resources. By scanning a QR code with a mobile device, you can direct users to mobile websites, promotional videos, or special offers. This tactic bridges the gap between physical and digital marketing . Use it on product packaging and print ads.

🔨 TOOL: Turn any web URL, phone number, SMS, or plain text into a simple QR code with Shopify’s free QR code generator.

Location-based marketing uses a mobile phone’s location services to provide targeted advertising based on a user’s proximity to a business or event. Also known as proximity marketing, this approach can deliver highly relevant, location-specific offers to customers near a store or in a specific region.

Leveraging location data requires careful consideration of privacy but can be incredibly effective for timely, context-aware promotions.

Social media marketing on mobile devices includes organic and paid social media marketing. With most social media activity occurring on mobile devices, mobile campaigns can use social media platforms to reach a vast audience.

Paid social media marketing, such as Facebook ads and Google ads , can be precisely targeted, while organic efforts build brand presence and customer engagement over time.

Mobile marketing vs. traditional marketing

Both mobile marketing and traditional marketing have their place in a comprehensive marketing strategy, yet they differ in their methods, tools, and audience engagement. Here are the key similarities and differences:

Reach and engagement

• How they’re similar: The core goal is to capture consumer attention and foster interaction.
• How they’re different: Mobile marketing leverages the ubiquity of mobile devices to reach users through SMS marketing and apps, ensuring accessibility at nearly any time. Traditional marketing depends on more static channels like print and broadcast, which offer distinct advantages in terms of brand credibility and audience reach.

Personalization and targeting

• How they’re similar: Both marketing types target audiences to improve the relevance of their campaigns.
• How they’re different: Mobile marketing harnesses user data for more targeted, personalized content through strategies like location-based marketing. By contrast, traditional marketing embraces a broader audience through universally appealing messages.

Tools, platforms, and technology integration

• How they’re similar: Both use a combination of communication channels to spread messages.
• How they’re different: Mobile marketing tools include in-app advertisements, location-based services, and QR codes which users can scan for interactive experiences. Traditional marketing tools include physical media like newspapers, direct mail , and signage, which lack their digital counterparts’ dynamic and interactive nature but can communicate a bigger brand story.

Cost-effectiveness

• How they’re similar: Both marketing strategies must consider budget constraints and aim for a high return on investment (ROI) .
• How they’re different: Mobile marketing is often more cost-effective, with scalable options suitable for varying budgets. Traditional marketing generally requires more significant investments—particularly in media buying and production costs—but is more likely to generate press coverage.

Measurability

• How they’re similar: Measuring campaign success is important for both mobile and traditional marketing.
• How they’re different: Mobile marketing provides detailed analytics for real-time campaign tracking and adjustments that can enhance the effectiveness of marketing strategies, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your ROI . Traditional marketing offers less immediate precision but focuses on building brand recognition over time through established feedback loops.

Advantages of mobile marketing

Immediate reach and accessibility, personalized user experiences, integration with social media platforms, advanced technologies for engagement.

Mobile marketing capitalizes on mobile devices to reach potential customers across multiple channels. Here are some notable advantages.

Mobile marketing campaigns hinge on your audience having easy access to your marketing messages. This direct line to potential customers’ phones means that time-sensitive promotions via text messages or mobile apps can drive immediate action. 

An effective mobile marketing strategy tailors experiences for mobile device users and enables highly personalized interactions. By tapping into data analytics and user preferences, a mobile marketing campaign can send personalized offers and content to target users, increasing the relevance of marketing messages.

Marketing personalization can help build a deeper connection between your brand and potential customers, boosting customer loyalty.

Put your customer data to work with Shopify’s customer segmentation

Shopify’s built-in segmentation tools help you discover insights about your customers, build segments as targeted as your marketing plans with filters based on your customers’ demographic and behavioral data, and drive sales with timely and personalized emails.

Mobile users tend to use their mobile devices to go on social media platforms. In fact, roughly 80% of social media usage is mobile. Mobile ads on platforms like Facebook , Instagram , and TikTok allow for sophisticated targeting and retargeting strategies, reaching users based on their specific interests, behaviors, and demographics.

Embracing social media for mobile marketing campaigns can help you tap into vast networks of engaged audiences.

Mobile marketing strategies can integrate cutting-edge technologies such as augmented reality (AR) to create immersive shopping experiences. Through a phone, AR lets you virtually try on clothes or place furniture in your home. These innovative forms of mobile advertising captivate users and allow for interactive brand experiences.

Disadvantages of mobile marketing

Over-saturation of push notifications, privacy concerns with location data, varied mobile ecosystems and device fragmentation, limited margin for error.

Mobile marketing presents challenges that can impact the effectiveness of a brand’s mobile strategy. Here are some of the disadvantages mobile marketers should consider: 

Mobile push notifications can lead to notification fatigue among SMS subscribers and app users. If you send too many push notifications, recipients may become overwhelmed and disengage—or worse, turn off notifications entirely and sever your direct line.

Find the right balance when sending mobile push notifications to avoid burning out your audience.

Mobile marketing often involves using a user’s location relative to certain services (e.g., a retail app sending coupons when a user is near the store). This can raise privacy concerns. While location data helps personalize and improve the customer experience , it requires sensitive handling and can damage trust if users feel their privacy is compromised.

Comply with privacy regulations, be vigilant against security attacks , and be transparent about your use of location data.

Ensuring compatibility with various mobile devices can be a significant hurdle in mobile marketing. The mobile ecosystem is fragmented, with numerous operating systems, device types, and screen sizes that mobile marketers must account for in their campaigns. This fragmentation can lead to increased costs and complexity when trying to design campaigns that provide consistent experiences across all mobile-device-based platforms.

In mobile marketing, the on-the-go nature of mobile devices demands precision and clarity in delivering marketing messages. Content must be concise and impactful, and quickly capture mobile users’ attention. A poorly timed message, loading issue, or awkward design element can significantly disrupt the user experience and lead to immediate disengagement.

Mobile marketing FAQ

How effective is mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing can be highly effective due to the widespread use of smartphones and the ability to reach customers anytime, anywhere.

What is mobile marketing vs digital marketing?

Mobile marketing is a subset of digital marketing that specifically targets mobile devices, while digital marketing encompasses all online marketing activities—including those on desktops and other digital platforms.

Does Shopify offer mobile marketing options?

Yes. Shopify provides mobile marketing options through its app store and integrations with various marketing platforms.

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TPG Telecom, Optus network-sharing deal gets ACCC approval

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Australians will have a greater choice of mobile phone plans and faster data downloads, after the competition regulator said TPG Telecom could share networks with Optus in regional areas.

“Our feeling is that Telstra is likely to respond by offering consumers a better deal, perhaps increasing the rate at which it rolls out its 5G network,” ACCC commissioner Philip Williams said .

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