While an online version of your publication may seem like a cool idea, it might not be necessary, as it turns out that your readers are probably snapping out their smartphones and putting them to use at the very sight of a page in your print magazine already!
Check out this research from Google and Ipsos about how offline advertising affects mobile search. The survey’s results indicate that 48 percent of smartphone readers are conducting mobile searches after seeing ads in magazines.
What does this all mean? The basic breakdown–the main idea–is that print is competing well with other media. Only 35 percent of smartphone users reported that they search on a basis of what they see on posters and billboards, while 57 percent conduct searches based on what they see in in-store promos and 58 percent off of what they see on TV. And once they search, it turns out that there’s a good chance they’ll also buy! Mobile devices’ roles in making purchases are on the rise, and surveys showed that 37 percent of participants claimed research they did on their mobile led to a purchase they made online. Meanwhile, there are 32 percent that say their mobile was the starting point for their eventual in-store purchases.
And that’s not all. Not only are smartphones being used for search and research purposes pre-purchase; 35 percent of smartphone users have even made a purchase ON their cell phones.
So what exactly does this all mean for publishers? It turns out that users, via their mobiles, are activating and adding life to the magazine for the publisher,turning the ads within the publication into catalysts for purchases–even without any specific print-to-mobile programs. Between this mobile search info and the latest technology, such as augmented reality, it’s more clear than ever that print’s not going anywhere.