By Chris Lee

As smart phones continue to proliferate, consumers are increasingly turning to their mobiles to make shopping research and purchasing decisions. Computer giant IBM estimates that this year 15 per cent of shoppers will buy gifts via their smart phone. So, if mobile is such a potentially great channel to sell through, are marketers fully exploiting it?

No, according to Paul Childs, chief operations officer of mobile ad network, Adfonic. The company analysed mobile traffic during the Christmas period in 2010 and noted that mobile clicks for the first half of the month peaked on 12 December with a 400 per cent increase compared to the beginning of the month. Reflecting a shift from the peak second Monday of December that has become traditional to seeing online, this spike in mobile activity is likely to be down to consumers using smart phone devices to research product information and uncover bargains as they browse the shops, according to Adfonic.

The company also found that click volumes began to build again from 21 December before reaching an overall peak for the month on Boxing Day. Christmas Day itself was the second biggest day in December for mobile clicks across the Adfonic marketplace; highlighting the trend for an even earlier start to online sales, combined with the popularity of smart phones and tablets as must-have Christmas presents for 2010.

Looking more closely hour-by-hour, Adfonic's detailed real-time reporting shows that the peak time for mobile clicks in the UK over the Christmas celebrations was between 9-10pm on Boxing Day; while the Christmas Day high was between 5-6pm. With mobile games proving the most popular apps clicked on during Christmas day, could this suggest that mobile surfing has replaced charades as the favourite post-lunch pastime?

Childs’ play

According to Childs, mobile represents a huge opportunity to reach and engage with consumers as they hunt for Christmas gifts and bargains.

“Advertisers familiar with online traffic patterns will find this dramatic increase unsurprising. However, what may be more unexpected is that the peak day fell on the second Sunday of December, in contrast to the second Monday which has traditionally been the peak pre-Christmas shopping day online,” he told NMK. “If, as expected, we see a similar pattern this year to last, Sunday 11 December is set to hit a pre-Christmas high, with traffic volumes for the full month peaking on Boxing Day.”

Changing consumer behaviour

For Childs, this data highlights some of the important differences in the way consumers behave on mobile compared to online and suggests that shoppers are increasingly using their smart phones to research product information and compare prices whilst they are physically browsing on the high street over the weekend – something that is not possible online.

“The nomadic, always-connected nature of smartphone and table devices means consumers are also turning to their smartphones and tablets to browse the internet whilst at home relaxing in the evenings,” he added. “Our analysis of average daily click patterns shows a sharp increase in mobile traffic after 6pm whilst online traffic volumes are falling.”

Top tips

Childs advised that these differences are important to bear in mind when planning a mobile campaign.

“In order to deliver the best results, mobile should be treated not as an extension of your online strategy but as a discrete advertising channel with its own set of unique characteristics,” he concluded.

Adfonic recommends the below top tips for successful mobile marketing over Christmas.

• Consider the different ways in which consumers browse the mobile Web and apps compared to online – peak days and peak times of day can differ significantly on mobile.

• Be prepared for sharp traffic increases and ensure you don’t burn through your budgets faster than planned by setting daily budget caps and deploying day part targeting on your campaigns.

• Be ready with Christmas themed creatives in as many mobile ad units as possible to maximise the exposure of your campaign and get these live as soon as you can.

• Be clear in your ad creatives and within your mobile sites and apps about last order dates and shipping deadlines pre-Christmas.

• Ensure Christmas themed ads are replaced with January sales offers as soon as Christmas has arrived.

• The iPad 2 will undoubtedly be one of the most popular gifts this Christmas and iPad traffic will receive a large boost as a result.  Bear this in mind when planning your January sales campaigns.