Two UK Predictions for 2009

Most online retailers will continue to court shoppers with money-off promotions and discounted delivery charges, and at least one supermarket chain will experiment with large-scale e-mail distribution of promotional coupons for grocery products bought in-store.

Mobile marketing will take significant steps next year—albeit from a small base—as more UK advertisers, heartened by the growing number of high-specification (3G) mobile users, move to exploit this always-on medium. Data from the Office for National Statistics suggested that 19% of adults ages 16 and older accessed the Web via their mobile phone in the three months prior to polling in early 2008—and this was before the highly successful UK launch of the 3G iPhone in July.

The 2009 mobile growth spurt will take two main forms: increasingly sophisticated usage of SMS, short codes and bar codes in direct-response campaigns, and microsites designed for mobile users. November 2008 research by mobile marketing agency Sponge found that 40% of UK e-retailers polled already had a transactional Website that was mobile-friendly. Another 50% said they planned to create such a site in the next 12 months. Moreover, one in five online retailers reported having used mobile microsites to drive promotions during 2008.

So the mobile channel really is opening for business. In 2009, the pioneers of mobile—including youth brands such as Coke and Walkers, and information providers such as the BBC—will finally be joined by large numbers of advertisers eager to make their debut on the small screen.