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Mobile marketing has been growing steadily over the past few years, and it’s getting to the point where – with approximately half of mobile users owning a smartphone – mobile technology is really coming into its own. With mobile apps growing in number and scope every day, the future of mobile marketing is looking brighter than ever. But what can we expect over the next few years?

It Will Make Life Easier
Simply put, users want their mobiles to work for them. As well as being a source of entertainment, people expect apps to be of use on a day-to-day basis. It’s all about making life easier, and in the future, life will be made much, much easier. In fact, normal lines of communication such as phone calls and texts won’t be needed as much, as the internet starts to offer cheaper, more interesting alternatives.

In fact, this has already started happening. With apps such as FourSquare and Facebook notifying users when their friends have checked into the vicinity, people no longer need to text each other to find out where they are. This can be great in large crowds at big events, and even better if you want to actively avoid bumping into certain people.

It Will Help Local Businesses
GPS will also be made use of more in terms of local businesses. People who are in the area can be offered special deals as a way to entice them in, and customers will be able to instantly review hotels, bars, cafes, and other businesses with the touch of a button.

Shopping will also be made much easier. Of course, there are already hundreds of apps out there that help users with their shopping, whether it be actual ecommerce applications or price comparison apps. In the future, however, we’ll start to see a whole new level of mobile shopping experience, from paying for products with apps or Bluetooth to using apps like Shazam to instantly buy an item when listening to an advert.

Augmented Reality
We’re rapidly heading towards a world of augmented reality (AR) when it comes to mobile marketing. With many people owning more than one internet-ready device, our reality relies on the ability to connect to the internet – in many ways, we use the internet to explore our surroundings. In the future, we’ll go beyond location-based apps and start to see things emerging that will actually help us in our day-to-day lives without any (or very little) input from us. Due to our preferences and past history on our mobiles, online sensors will be able to influence how we use our mobiles in the future.

Mobile applications can be a great investment: they can help your business to generate new customers, as well as keeping your existing clients engaged with your company.  If you don’t already have an in-house app developer, a web development company can work with you to create an app that works both for you and your customers. With the future of mobile marketing looking so fascinating, it’s a good idea to get in there and start creating an app right now.

By Chelsey Evans

Follow @AmpheonLtd