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Mobile Monday: UA During Game Time, Ecommerce to Mcommerce, and Apps Embrace the Metaverse

Feb 07, 2022
By: Ravi Pimplaskar

Every week, Digital Turbine, AdColony, and Fyber are teaming up to give you the latest news and insights in the mobile world. In this edition of Mobile Monday, Digital Turbine explores mobile advertising strategies during the Big Game, AdColony discusses ecommerce trends for 2022, and Fyber explains how brands and apps are focusing on the metaverse. Learn all about these stories in this week’s Mobile Monday!

Big Game Hunting… For New Users!

Super Bowl week has always been big for football and advertisers, and this week promises to be no different. While Joe Burrow and Matt Stafford will be hunting for big gains on the field, mobile advertisers also should be looking for big gains in their user count. Buzz for brands will be off the charts! While hilarious ads will capture attention on the big screen, mobile advertisers need to find ways to get users to act on what they see on TV by downloading and using an app on their phone. The key is to get users to recall that buzz when they are on the phone — whether it’s before, during, or after the action.

And even if your brand is sitting on the sideline during the game (meaning, unable to buy an expensive TV ad slot), AdvertisingWeek360 has a few great ways to help you get your app into the endzone of user growth around the Big Game:

  1. App Store Optimization: Bigger buzz means more searches. Capitalize off the increase in activity by enhancing your store page to match what people are looking for.
  2. Contextual Advertising: How does Super Bowl content best fit your brand? Food delivery apps might target stories about Super Bowl grub, while streaming music might find content about the half-time show. Place your ad around the places people are reading!
  3. Influencer Marketing: Everyone will have some sort of take on the big game — and people will certainly be scrolling on social media. Find influencers, big or small, that can find your audience. 
  4. On-Device Carrier/OEM Solutions: While a TV ad is not directly transactional, these solutions are! Let the equity your brand built on the buzz work for you: your users see the app on their phone, recall it, install it, and, TOUCHDOWN! You have a new user.

One of the keys of Super Bowl week is to understand how to engage your whole marketing funnel in a condensed period of time. While the mere spectacle of the Big Game will drive awareness to brands of all sorts, mobile advertisers need to ensure that they have mechanisms in place downstream in the funnel to capture users. After all, it’s not a winning strategy in football or advertising to drive the ball all the way down the field only to come up short in the red zone. 

Ecommerce Sets the Stage for Mcommerce to Takeover 

Despite economic difficulties during the global pandemic, ecommerce spending worldwide is still on the rise, and according to eMarketer, will go over $5 trillion this year for the first time and will hit over $7 trillion by 2025. About 10 years ago, total retail spending was a little over $16 trillion worldwide, and in the near future, ecommerce alone will account for almost half of that spend. This year, ecommerce sales will take over a fifth of total retail sales worldwide, cementing this platform as a go-to for users everywhere when it comes to shopping.

As ecommerce gains on brick-and-mortar stores and becomes a platform for easy and convenient shopping for users all over the world, what does that mean for mcommerce (mobile commerce)? Shopping online (via a desktop, laptop) has been around for much longer, and with new innovations and outside implications, consumers have become very comfortable shopping online. However, within a much shorter timeline wherein shopping on mobile has been possible, it has seen huge success and growth. In 2022, 66% of total worldwide ecommerce sales will come from mobile commerce. Over half of users everywhere are already prioritizing this device, and there is still so much room for growth and optimization. 

Mcommerce is continuing to grow incrementally each year. Think of the momentum mcommerce will gain in the future as more apps are created and optimized for the shopping experience and with new technology simplifying the mobile shopping, checkout, and payment process. Pretty soon, we will be talking about the worldwide mobile ecommerce takeover.

Heading to the Metaverse? More and More Apps Are 

Following Facebook’s massive rebrand to Meta, signaling the company’s commitment to the Metaverse, much has been said on the future of advertising in this new environment. Newzoo has brands down as the early winners of the metaverse, but others are following — including mobile games. 

Naturally, advertisers are intrigued by the new vision and wish to stay ahead of the curve in shaping — and monetizing — the future advertising opportunities in the new web. Virtual worlds, engaging in gaming or buying NFTs using crypto, are only a few of the things currently debated.

And mobile gaming isn’t staying behind. According to Sensor Tower, almost 20% of all apps that have already added the word ‘metaverse’ in their description or title are mobile gaming apps. Overall, 552 app titles across the App Store and Google Play added the keyword “metaverse” in their description or titles. 

Signaling a direction, the mobile gaming space understands the potential of ‘plugging in’ to the metaverse — but it is far from being ready. While publisher’s interest and statements are to be expected, the real challenge will be getting the users on board. Some companies are already raising money dedicated to mobile games in the metaverse, while bigger ones shift focus to it. Public sentiment and great technology will determine the success in this space — will mobile gaming thrive in it as well?  

About Mobile Mondays
Mobile Monday examines the latest news, trends, and developments in mobile apps, tech, and advertising. Do you have a story to share for the next Mobile Monday?  

About Fyber
Fyber, part of Digital Turbine’s independent Mobile Growth Platform, develops innovative ad monetization solutions trusted by top mobile game and app publishers. Fyber’s product suite offers publishers a trusted, unconflicted alternative that drives superior results by creating an optimal connection between mobile audiences, top global brands, and mobile-first advertisers across over 40Bn daily ad opportunities. Fyber’s FairBid mediation, Fyber Marketplace, and Offer Wall Edge are all built with performance, scale, and transparency in mind. To dive deeper into how their monetization solutions put app developers first, check out their blog.

About AdColony
AdColony, part of Digital Turbine’s leading independent mobile growth and monetization platform, helps brands, agencies, and apps expand their reach and results with the power of mobile. AdColony is known globally for its award-winning video advertising marketplace, with ad engagement innovations like Instant-Play™, Aurora™ HD Video, Playables, and more. Looking for more insights on apps and mobile games? Find out more on their blog!

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By Ravi Pimplaskar
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