Do Not Forget the Feature Phone In Your Mobile Strategy

The mobile technology may be revolutionizing the way consumers behave online. Smartphones may be selling briskly all over the world. A new era in digital communication and commerce is dawning.

There is no doubt that consumers today are more mobile. In some countries, the number of mobile device may be at par with the nation's population. This phone density has never happened to the telephone. The reason is that mobile infrastructure is more cost effective than a land line structure.

In the Philippines, getting a mobile phone is easier than getting a land line. This despite the telephone's head start of almost a century. Well, that's what innovations are for any way. And mobile technology has really benefited so many people.

With the advent of this new technology comes the way people live with it. The growth of mobile devices is staggering that it has created a new era. The PC era has really ended.

Western nations are leading the way with how to create opportunities with this new phenomenon. Apple store recently awarded its 50th Billion downloader of its apps. Fifty billion downloads, Wow! You can just imagine how much business there is in mobile apps. Thus, many companies are riding to this extravaganza. Mobile commerce is included in their marketing strategies now.

This may be true in the western side of the world and in some industrialized countries in Asia. But how about those in the developing world?

In a recent article by BBC News, use of feature phone in developing countries is still quite a number to reckon with. They are still part of the demography any marketer has to consider. And the functionality of the smart phones like payment gateways are not preferred by the users of these kind of phones. It is to be expected, any technology in its beginning has to consider the behavior and acceptance of the consumer. It will take time for everyone to adjust or adopt to changes. This is not new. Always this must be included in every marketer's consideration.

Based on the graph provided by BBC News it will still take about four to five years before smart phones will be at par with feature phones. Still, even though these users may belong to a demographic group that is not a marketer's preference, still they are consumers your company has to reach out to.