What’s Hot: 5 Trends in Mobile Marketing for 2023 and beyond

Marietta:
Welcome to today’s webinar broadcasted from the Netherlands and Greece! Today’s topics is perhaps one of my favorites because the world is changing rapidly with Advanced Technologies! And it’s crucial to stay up to date on the latest trends and Technologies.

Now, in this webinar, we will explore what’s hot in mobile marketing for 2023 and Beyond.
Now we have to fight it’s a webinar into four parts. First, I will tell you a bit more about Velti, who we are and what we do and I will introduce you to the key statistics of mobile marketing and emerging trends. Then we will tune in to the Velti office in Greece, where two of my colleagues Amata Scouloudi, Senior Client Success Manager and Yasmin Abu Ghazaleh, our Digital Marketing Expert will share their insights on the key drivers of mobile marketing success!

Last but not least, we are thrilled to welcome Sheila Gemin as our special guest. She is the Global Head of Corporate Technology at ING. Sheila brings a world of knowledge to the table. This will promise to be an insightful session that you don’t want to miss!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to type them down below and we will come back to it during the webinar and otherwise after the webinar in writing.
My name is Marietta Robbé Groskamp business development director Europe and let’s get started!

Velti was founded in the year 2000 and has more than 23 years of experiences in a mobile marketing era. The main solutions that we offer can be classified into Customer Value Management, Marketing Automation, Gamification, Loyalty, Permission Marketing and WebApps. Now, the Velti family is ever growing, currently we count more than 140 employees and 50% of which are software Engineers ensuring that we are using the latest trends and Technologies. Now, the main offices of Velti are in Athens where you also find the headquarters any Development Center, Dusseldorf and Dubai. And we have five additional sales offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. In the next slide you will see an overview of Velti’s footprints which is something we are extremely proud of. Here is an overview of the main clients we are working with. More than 300 clients representing 70 countries, from Europe, the Middle East Africa, and Latin America. Clients such as Deutsche Telecom, Vodafone, Etisalat, Pepsi Co and many more. Now, this is something we are really proud of. So, if you would like to know more about a specific case study, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Before we will tune in, to the Velti office in Greece, let’s take a closer look at mobile marketing. Because the Mobile Marketing landscape is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the game requires a deep understanding of the latest trends and Technologies. So why has Mobile Marketing become increasingly important over the last few years? Now, that is because more and more people rely on their mobile devices for daily activities. We take our mobile devices everywhere. So businesses that invest in mobile marketing will have a clear advantage over those that don’t. Now one of the key benefits of Mobile Marketing is to reach new audience mobile devices offer multiple channels for marketing, such as: social media, email, SMS, push notifications and of course mobile apps. Mobile devices provide instant feedback to businesses, allowing them to communicate with customers in real time, which improve of course customer satisfaction. And Mobile Marketing is cost effective, compared to traditional advertising channels such as TV, radio, or print. Now! Let’s check out the latest mobile marketing statistics. 

As of January 2023, Statista stated that mobile search has taken the lead over desktop search with 58% of searches being conducted on mobile devices. And on average people spend around 3.15 hours per day on their mobile devices. Now, with only 24 hours in a day minus let’s say 8 hours of sleep = 16 hours, so that means we are spending on efforts 20% of our time on our mobile! And did you ever think about how many times you check your mobile? The answer is on average 58 times per day! That’s quite a lot, don’t you think?

Another interesting fact is Gen Z, who represents around 27% of the global population gen Z is heavily relying on their smartphones for nearly everything! 79% of the age 13 to 20 years reports that they can’t imagine life without their smartphones. Now as you can see, Mobile usage and marketing are on the rise due to growing trends in the industry. Let’s take a closer look at these trends.

According to a report by GSMA, 5G networks are expected to cover one-third of the world’s population. And with the increased speed and improved mobile experience that 5G technology offers, businesses will need to take a more strategic approach to their mobile marketing efforts. This will involve optimizing campaigns for mobile devices and leveraging the latest technologies to engage customers in more innovative ways. Mobile advertising is on the rise. Forecasts predict by 2023, mobile advertising ‘’spending’’ is expected to grow by 30% compared to 2020. Now more users consume video content on their mobile devices, therefore mobile video ads are becoming more popular. And also, more purchases are made on mobile devices, so businesses are likely to invest in mobile commerce and ads that drive mobile sales. And mobile apps continue to be a major player in the mobile marketing landscape. Did you know that the time we spend on our mobile is 90% spent in apps? Now they predict a rise of metaverse like experiences, this will enable users to seamlessly move between different app experiences and access various services from one single platform. And of course, smart home devices, wearables and voice assistants are set to offer new opportunities for mobile app integration.

As you can see, the future of mobile marketing looks promising, with new technologies and trends continuously emerging. Now today, we will further explore generative AI, Gamified sustainability, Segmentation customer, Loyalty and Digital Acquisition. It’s time to tune in to the Velti office in Greece, where my colleague Amata will share insights on Generative AI and Gamified Sustainability. I am excited to hear more about that.

Now Amata, please go ahead and take it away.

Amata:
Thank you Marietta! Let’s dive right in!

Generative AI is actually the next big thing in data driven Innovation. It refers to a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on generating new content, such as images, music, text and video, rather than simply recognizing and classifying existing data. Generative AI models learn to generate new content by analyzing vast amounts of data and then using that information to create new, unique content that closely resembles the original input. The technology behind Generative AI includes deep learning, neural networks and machine learning algorithms, which are used to generate content that can mimic human-like creativity. Their Artificial Intelligence market has been on a swift growth path for several years, so much so that the industry is expected to reach 42.4 billion dollars in 2023. This momentum will continue, and we are starting to realize it with the debut of powerful new AI powered tools and services across Industries. There has been a shift from the well understood role of AI in analysis and prediction to new and innovative systems, that are producing entirely new artifacts that have never been seen before.

Let’s see some ways in which generative AI can be used in mobile marketing.
Generative AI can have a significant impact on personalized marketing by creating tailored ads, chatbots, virtual assistants and personalized content based on user data and behavior. It can also help marketers gain a deeper understanding of user behavior and preferences, optimize marketing campaigns and improve conversion rates by creating and testing multiple versions of marketing content. Content generation is a critical aspect of mobile marketing, as it involves creating relevant and engaging content that can capture the attention of mobile users and persuade them to take action.

Here are some tips for Effective content generation in mobile marketing: To create successful content, it’s important to keep it short and simple, use visuals, personalize it, adopt a conversational tone, include the clear call to action and optimize it for mobile devices. By following these guidelines, you can engage mobile users, make your content more relevant and effective, build the relationship with your audience and of a relative better results in your mobile marketing campaigns. Now we come to the next point, with this personalization. Personalization in AI mobile marketing refers to the use of artificial intelligence algorithms and data analysis to tailor marketing messages and experiences to individual users based on their interests, behaviors and preferences. But which methods can be used to create a more personalized experience for each user?

Here are some essential methods to achieve personalization through AI. By tracking user Data, business can gain more insights into the user’s interests, preferences and behavior. This data can be used to generate personalize recommendations, offers and content for its user. On the other hand, collecting feedback and reviews from users, can help businesses understand what users like and dislike about their products and services. This feedback can be used to improve users experience and generate more recommendation and customized offers. Lastly, by analyzing user interactions with the apps or the websites, businesses can gain more insights into how users interact with the service and they can identify specific patterns that can be used to create a more engaging experience for each user and increase the conversion rates as.

All alright, let’s now turn to the A/B testing which is a popular technique, that help us to compare two versions of a marketing element so as to see which version performs better. By conducting A/B tests and analyzing the results, businesses can make data-driven decisions that help them achieve their goals and stay ahead of the competition. A/B testing can be used to improve the user experience of a website or mobile app. By testing different versions of a webpage, businesses can determine which design and layout elements are most effective at engaging users and achieving their goals. In addition, A/B testing can help businesses optimize their conversion rates by testing different calls to action, headlines and other elements on their website or mobile app. A/B testing can be also used to test marketing campaigns and determine which messages and offers are most effective at converting users. It can be used to test new features and products and gather feedback on user’s preferences and behavior.
Moving on, to the next point we will talk about chatbots. A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users online. Chatbots are typically powered by AI and NLP technologies, which allow them to interpret and respond to user inputs in a way that mimics human conversation. Chatbots can be used for a variety of purposes, such as customer support, information retrieval or even entertainment. They can be integrated into messaging platforms, websites, mobile apps and other digital interfaces to provide automated assistance to users. Indeed, chatbots can be a very powerful tool in Mobile Marketing. One of the most common use cases for chatbots in mobile marketing is customer support. By integrating a Chatbot into a mobile app, users can quickly and easily get answers to their questions or resolve issues without having to leave to leave the app or wait for a response from a humor customer service representative. Moreover, chatbots can be programmed to initiate conversations with users, gather their contact information and qualify them as potential leads for sales teams. They can be used to create interactive campaigns, such as quizzes or games, that engage uses and encourage them to share their experience with others. And also we can assist in the sales process by recommending products, answering questions about pricing and availability and even facilitating purchases directly within the chatbot interface.

Moving on to our last Point. Generative AI has the potential to significantly prove analytics in mobile marketing by generating large volumes of data and insights that can be used to optimize campaigns, understand user behavior and improve overall performance. Here are a few ways in in which generative AI can be used in mobile marketing Analytics: Enhanced Analytics can be used to evaluate the metrics for the classification, to investigate specific data sets and summarize their main characteristics in a more advanced way. Thanks to data analytics, you can spot new business opportunities, achieve improved operational efficiency, conduct more effective marketing campaigns and provide customers with high quality customer service. Like most Technologies, generative AI has its own issues. With the use of generative AI in mobile marketing, there is the potential for user privacy to be compromised. If generative AI, is used to generate personalized ads or messages for users, it may require access to their personal information, such as location, search history and other data. This could potentially violate user privacy and lead to backlash. So how can we deal with these risks? It is important to ensure that the data used to train the models is representative and diverse. There is a need to develop tools to detect and filter out the fake content and also to establish clear rules and regulations around the use of these models, particularly in sensitive Industries. It is also critical to establish ethical guidelines and standards for the use of generative AI and conduct risk assessments.

Moving on, Gamified Sustainability is another mobile marketing trend that involves incorporating game-like elements into sustainability efforts to engage customers in environmental issues and make a positive impact on the planet. Gamified Sustainability is becoming an increasingly popular trend in mobile marketing. Consumer demand for sustainable brands that actually follow this trend, only increase in the coming years. The pandemic has accelerated this trend and here we can find some examples. 
For instance, the creation of mobile apps that encouraging eco-friendly behavior. These apps utilize gamification techniques to incentivize users to adopt sustainable practices, such as reducing their energy consumption or recycling more. Another way is gamification. By using gamification to promote sustainable actions, brands can engage consumers and encourage them to adopt more sustainable practices in their daily lives. A mobile app may offer rewards to users who choose to walk or bike instead of driving a car or virtual badges for completing environmentally friendly tasks, such as using a reusable water bottle or shopping at a zero waste store. The strategy can also offer many benefits to businesses. By incorporating gamification elements such as points, badges and rewards, businesses can motivate customers to adapt more sustainable behaviors, such as recycling or reducing energy consumption. This can lead to increased engagement, brand loyalty and positive word of mouth marketing. Gamified Sustainability has also the potential to reach a wider audience and raise awareness about environmental issues among younger generations who are more likely to engage with interactive content. It can also help businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors and position themselves as environmentally responsible. It seems that Sustainability has become increasingly critical for organizations to remain relevant and competitive in today’s world. More than 90% of executives believe sustainability is important and it is obvious that it will play a key role in the upcoming years. Already there are companies such as Toyota and Recycled Bank and many more that have applied multiple sustainability initiatives including Green Gamification. As we previously mentioned, gamification is a relatively new approach being used by marketers to change attitudes and behaviors. At this point, game mechanics are used to engage people, change behavior and apply to sustainability issues. Companies are trying to engage their audience by encouraging good environmental habits. For example, there are companies that promote recycling through specific activities, whereas there are other companies that offer education programs that aim to raise awareness of sustainability.

That break us to the end of this section, let’s get back to Marietta!

Marietta:
Your insights have been very valuable, Amata. Thank you for sharing them, with us.

It’s evident that gamified sustainability is a growing trend as businesses are recognizing the value of allowing customers to virtually experience sustainable behaviors and I find generative AI incredibly fascinating! It’s amazing how machines can create our original content without explicit human inputs.

Now before we will speak to Yasmeen, let me explain one of the key trends shaping the future of mobile marketing! And that is deep data analytics, specifically behavior segmentation, also called customer clustering. Now using data analytics, businesses can gain insight into customer behavior, preferences and needs. Personalization involves providing tailored solutions to meet individual customer needs and preferences, which can boost customer satisfaction. Cluster analysis is a method used in customer segmentation that involves grouping customers based on their behavior or characteristics. This technique uses statistical algorithms to analyze historical data and group customers together based on their features or characteristics. Now this results in distinct customer segments or personas, which can be used to personalize marketing campaigns and improve customer engagement. In the past, marketers had limited data sources to understand their customer’s behavior and preferences, making it challenging to segment them. Nowadays, data availability has increased drastically and with the ability to target customers more effectively. By using Advanced analytics and machine learning techniques, mobile marketers can now segment customers based on their behavior, preferences, and demographics improving their overall marketing strategy. Picture this: Imagine you’re the owner of a small coffee shop chain called ‘’Brewed Bliss’’. As your business grows, you realize the need to understand your customers better to provide them with personalized experiences and foster loyalty. One day, you notice that your customers tend to fall in distinct groups. There are the early birds, who come in before work to grab a cup of coffee and pastry. There are the remote workers, who camp out in the shop for hours enjoying the ambiance and free Wi-Fi. And there are the social butterflies, who meet up with friends for casual catch up over cappuccinos. You decide to use cluster analysis to dive deeper into these customer groups. In the past segmentation relied on limited data sources, which has often a slow process, time consuming and prone to human error. But now it’s quite different, because there’s much more data available and real-time insights and feedback! By analyzing data from sources like purchase history, mobile app usage, or unique characteristics and preferences, you identify each group. You discovered that the early birds prefer quick and efficient service, the remote workers value comfortable work environment and a social butterflies seek a lively atmosphere with the latest seasonal beverages.

Now with this knowledge, we decide to launch for our coffee shop ‘’Brewed Bliss’’ targeted marketing complaints for each customer segment. We send to early birds customers exclusive coupons for a breakfast deal through your mobile app, invite remote workers to join a new loyalty program that rewards them with discounted refills and we host weekly events for the social butterflies to attract more of them to your shop. The results? Our marketing campaign resonates with our customers, leading to higher engagement and loyalty. The early birds appreciate the timely discounts.

Remote workers feel valued with the tailored loyalty program and social butterflies flock to our events posting pictures and tagging our coffee shop on social media, which further boosts our brand’s visibility. Now, the process of customer segmentation is incremental, allowing to you to gain new Insights over time and create new clusters based on changing customer behaviors. And, you could also use basket analysis to understand the customer habits and make recommendations for businesses continuity.
Now cluster analysis had not only helped you to understand your customers better, but it has also empowered you to create personalized experiences that cater to their unique needs and preferences. Our coffee shop chain is thriving and our customers are happier than ever, all thanks to the power of deep data analytics and the magic of customer analysis driving higher engagement, Loyalty and revenue. So, embrace the power of clustering and watch your businesses thrive in this data driven age!

Let’s turn our attention to the Velti office where Yasmeen will share her insights on the final two tactics of customer loyalty and digital acquisition.

Without further ado, the floor is all yours, Yasmeen.

Yasmeen:
Thank you Marietta, it’s a pleasure to be here today and I’m very excited to move on to our next trend for 2023 which is loyalty and Instant Rewards.
So let’s get started!

It’s fair to say that nowadays, customers want everything instantly, including the rewards and loyalty points. Businesses that understand this and offer instant rewards to their customers have the ability to spark emotional loyalty. Customers who have an emotional connection with a brand have a 306% higher lifetime value and will recommend the company at a rate of 71%. With this in mind, it’s crucial to design loyalty programs that incorporate instant gratification elements in order to develop a personal connection between the customer and the brand, which goes beyond transactional interactions. So we’re witnessing a paradigm shift away from generic mass market loyalty programs towards more personalized, unique experiences for each customer. The outdated system of ‘’the more you spend, the more rewards you get’’ has lost its appeal. Today’s customers do not view loyalty in this sense, and believe loyalty must be earned through a tailored and distinctive experience. Therefore, it’s absolutely crucial to offer loyalty members instant, ongoing rewards that are not tied directly to their spending. This expectation is applied across all sales channels, whether through mobile apps, in-store or websites. Instant rewards satisfy their desire for immediate gratification, making your customers feel valued and appreciated.

And of course, since instant rewards can be tailored to individual customer preferences, you have the chance to make your loyalty programs a lot more personalized. Another major Trend that we are seeing in Customer Loyalty, is businesses forming alliances or partnerships with other reputable brands that share similar values. And what’s great about this approach is not only that it’s cost effective, but it can help grow a brand by expanding its audience reach and addressing new markets.
This collaboration also enables businesses to expand their offerings and provide additional value to their customers through relevant promotions and discounts offered by their brand partners. Teaming up with other brands that offer your audience extra value beyond your core products and services can increase brand loyalty, customer retention and customer engagement.

An additional trend within the Loyalty sphere that I want to touch upon is personalized customer experiences. And this is something which is going to take center stage not just in 2023 but also in the years to come. Today’s customers increasingly value personalized, secure shopping experiences and to meet these expectations, marketers must recognize each customer’s uniqueness and leverage customer data to create a welcoming environment, tailored to their preferences. This approach cultivates loyalty by ensuring customer satisfaction in every brand interaction. Loyalty strategies will play a significant role in collecting data, understanding customer transactions and uncovering factors that ultimately influence purchasing behavior. Another element which can help strengthen your loyalty strategy is offering premium programs with additional perks! And these types of programs encourage competition and give customers a reason to aspire for growth, which will lead to increased purchases and further strengthen brand loyalty. And of course, let’s not forget exclusivity! So, premium programs that offer exclusive access to experiences and services that are unavailable to non-members is surely going to increase the perceived value of your loyalty program. Additionally, exclusive rewards definitely encourage repeat business as customers will be incentivized to maintain their membership status or to access higher tiers of the loyalty program. And lastly I want to mention an approach that brands are using more and more in order to create strong connections with their customers, and that is Gamification. So Gamification is important in loyalty programs because it taps into that human desire for fun, competition and achievement making the customer experience more engaging and enjoyable.
Gamification also improves motivation. So, using gamified elements such as points, Badges and leaderboards, motivates customers to take desired actions, such as making a purchase, referring a friend or providing feedback and this will surely encourage them to remain engaged and continue using your service. Additionally, it creates a sense of achievement. So earning rewards, reaching milestones or leveling up in a gamified loyalty program, gives customers a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. And this type of positive reinforcement can strengthen their emotional connection with the brand. Overall, by creating loyalty programs that deliver instant satisfaction, companies can establish strong emotional bonds and increase customer value. Teaming up with like-minded brands, introducing premium programs and incorporating gamification are additional tactics to enhance loyalty and customer engagement.

Which brings us to our final mobile marketing trends for 2023 and that’s digital acquisitions. So, all businesses have one thing in common. They all want to be profitable. To do so, they select the most efficient ways to spend their marketing budgets. Advertising giants, such as Nestle, are shifting their spending to digital First channels, striving for acquiring new users, expanding into new markets and increasing their brand awareness. Let’s see though, what are the tools and strategies they apply, in order to reach their marketing goals.

So, one of the biggest factors which is influencing mobile user acquisition, is beyond a doubt the utilization of AI and Machine Learning. As we all know, mobile devices generate a massive amount of data and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to make sense of it all. That’s where AI and Machine Learning come in. So, by using these Technologies to analyze the data, businesses can identify patterns and insights that would be impossible to spot manually. This can help them create more effective user acquisition strategies which will of course make them a lot more profitable. So let’s take a quick look into how Ai and ml play a crucial role in increasing digital acquisitions.
First and foremost, Automation. AI and Machine Learning can automate tasks such as ad placement, audience targeting and content creation, freeing up time for marketers to focus on more strategic tasks. Take chatGPT for example. So, besides the whole buzz, you can clearly see how much time it can save you to create content in bulk. And there are dozens of other tools like this. AI based automation not only streamlines marketing processes but also offers valuable insights into customer behavior, helping marketers to target the appropriate audience with personalized messages.

Which brings me to my next point, which is Personalization. So, have you ever received a marketing message that felt like it was speaking directly to you? As if this message knew exactly what you were looking for or what you were interested in? I’m sure the answer is yes and it’s probably happened a lot! And that’s likely because the company behind the campaigns used AL and Machine Learning to hyper personalize their message to fit your preferences and behavior.
In fact, companies that use personalization earn 40% more money than their competitors. Speaking from my own experiences, I often feel that I’m bombarded with ads and messages on a daily basis. So this huge amount of digital noise that we’re all accustomed to can become overwhelming and it often stirs us away from engaging with a particular brand. However, companies which are able to break through this digital noise and provide a message which resonates with their audience, are the ones customers are most likely to convert with.

Then, we have Predictive Analytics. For mobile marketers, Predictive Analytics is especially valuable, as it helps them predict user behavior and customize their marketing strategies accordingly. For example, let’s say a mobile app wants to get more users to sign up to their service. Predictive Analytics could help them decide which users are most likely to actually sign up and bring them the most value. So the bottom line is using Predictive Analytics can help businesses save time and money by focusing their marketing efforts on the users who are most likely to convert resulting in more engagement, higher revenue and a better ROI.

And lastly, let’s not forget targeting! So according to a report by Salesforce, marketers who use AI for targeting report a 1.5 times increase in click-through rates. By showing users ads that are relevant to their interests, mobile marketers can increase their chances of acquiring new users and retaining existing ones. Overall, AI and Machine Learning are changing the way we acquire customers in the digital age. By using these Technologies, you can reach customers in more meaningful and personalized ways, target them more effectively, increase efficiency and ultimately see an improvement in your return on investment.

Now let’s move on to our next topic. ‘’Affiliate and Influencer Marketing’’. So, affiliate marketing has come a long way since its Inception and has seen significant growth in evolution over the years. As of 2023, the affiliate marketing industry is worth 17 billion dollars and coupled with influencer marketing, has become increasingly popular in recent years. These powerful marketing strategies are on the rise and they’re playing a significant role in user acquisition and the future of digital marketing.
So, why are they becoming increasingly popular and why should you consider including them in your marketing strategy? Let’s dive into some of the key reasons.
Firstly, these strategies are cost effective. So as ad costs on platforms such as Facebook and Google continue to rise, affiliate marketing offers you a solution where you only pay for results. This allows you to track which partners are delivering value and optimize your program for the best possible return on investment.
Influencer marketing, on the other hand, can be quite expensive, especially when you’re working with top-tier influencers. However, collaborating with Nano or micro influencers is becoming increasingly popular, as it’s more cost effective and it allows businesses to reach new customers and build brand awareness without breaking the bank.
Secondly, they can help you reach a wider and more targeted audience. So influencers can promote your products or services to their own followers, allowing you to tap into networks and reach potential customers who may not have been exposed to your brand otherwise.
And thirdly, both affiliate and influencer marketing allow businesses to reach a highly engaged and trusting audience. So when potential customers see the people that they trust and follow promoting your products or Services, they’re a lot more likely to trust your brand and make a purchase. And this is especially true for Nano influencers, who are seen as more relatable. So their endorsement of a product or brand feels a lot more genuine than their celebrity counterparts. And of course, as with any marketing strategy, there are potential drawbacks to consider. So yes, it can be challenging to measure results accurately and businesses may lack control over the messaging and tone of voice of their campaign. There’s also the risk of fraudulent Affiliates who use unethical tactics such as click fraud or lead fraud to generate commissions.

Furthermore, the increased popularity of affiliate and influencer marketing can make it more challenging to attract and retain High performing affiliates. So when deciding between the two strategies, it’s really important to consider their differences. So affiliate marketing is ideal for scaling marketing efforts and driving sales for established products, while influencer marketing is best for building brand awareness and generating momentum for new products. Ultimately, businesses should weigh the pros and cons of each and choose the one that aligns best with their goals and objectives. Now let’s switch over to a trend which has to do with a major part of all things digital the payments. Uh it’s no big secret that the methods people use to pay for goods and services have gone through a significant shift. So the advances in technology have provided customers and consumers with the choice of simple, efficient, secure and convenient means to handle their financial transactions.

So, there are two payment ecosystems that I would like to touch upon today. Direct Carrier Billing or DCB, which is extremely relevant in the telco space and the second one, Open Banking, which, by many, is considered to be the future of payments. Customer acquisition via digital channels is aiming at monetization and available payment methods are a big part of the whole equation. The more payment methods you offer, the more conversions you will get. DCB allows consumers to charge their purchases directly to their mobile phone bill or prepaid balance. And this payment method offers a straightforward experience, as it eliminates the need for customers to repeatedly enter their payment information. As a result, it reduces the risk of fraud and makes transactions faster and more efficient. Additionally, DCB is also widely being utilized for digital content, such as in-app purchases and online gaming. As DCB relies on the Telco infrastructure, it is a big opportunity for Mobile Operators around the world to increase their revenues, while at the same time, diversify their offering. So we can see on the chart here how the DCB Market is expected to grow incrementally over the next few years. Think about it from the perspective of a person who is living in underbanked countries. Is there really a better and more convenient way than paying for digital goods than by means of their smartphone? Just a couple of clicks and you’re done!

Now, let’s move on to the second big thing in the payment ecosystem, Open Banking. Essentially, Open Banking is a technology that allows third-party providers, such as payment platforms and Native apps, to get access to the end user’s financial data. One of the most known Solutions relying on Open Banking are the ‘’Buy Now Pay Later’’ applications such as Klarna or Afterpay. These applications allow the customer to pay for a purchase and installments. So the whole checkout process is simple, takes a few seconds and is embedded in the user Journey on a Merchant’s website. Why it matters it matters? It matters because same as with DCB, it gives the customer a choice and more importantly, flexibility. At the end of the day, the user’s decision to complete the purchase or abandon the cart is a decisive factor for your marketing budget not to go wasted. DCB and Open Banking are the future of payments and we all understand that digital user acquisition, marketing as a whole, is all about persuading the customer to pay. The two solutions will surely play a major role in the transformation of businesses and marketing initiatives across the world.

Back to you Marietta!

Marietta:
As businesses increasingly focus on building customer loyalty, the insights shared by Yasmeen on digital acquisition and loyalty are crucial.

Thank you Yasmeen for shedding light on these important tactics.

And with this we are already approaching the last part of the webinar and that’s the interview with Sheila Gemin. Sheila is the Global Head of Corporate Technology at ING, where she is responsible for the global IT function for the bank’s support fictions. She previously worked as an executive client partner, management consultant and engineer as two leading global system integrators. She’s also an entrepreneur, building a sports tech company from startup to scale up. She holds a master’s degree in Executive Coaching and she holds a double engineering degree in Computer Science. Sheila is a supervisory board member of the most prominent social labor company, Pantar, in the Netherlands. She served for three years as the chairwoman of the Professional Women Network in the Netherlands and two years as a global co-chair of the global Professional Women Network organization. You can tell Sheila brings a wealth of experiences to the table.
It’s truly a pleasure to talk to her now! Let’s give her a warm welcome!

Hi Sheila! Welcome! It’s wonderful to have you here with us today!

Sheila:
Thank you so much! It’s great being here!

Marietta:
Thanks!

Now as the world is rapidly changing I’m very excited about our interview and our and your perspectives. Now let’s dive into these exciting questions.
So how do you balance the use of technology and the need to human interactions in your work and life?

Sheila:
Yes, I think that is one of the most challenging challenges that we have as human being in general. So technology takes an important part in our lives, also in my life and if I look at my personal life, I have four children, they’re practically glued to their phones and everything that’s happening on those phones. So, it is a bit worrying. I must honestly say, but if I look also in the professional context, I see the technology is let’s say, the most prominent and important almost production factor that we have. So everything that we do, relates in a way to technology and the question of course, is how do you balance that? Now that’s a daily challenge and sometimes also even a struggle, but for me personally it means that I have to force myself to really detach from any computers or tablets or iPhones, at certain moments in time. I try with my children to have let’s say, zone free moments without any technology but that’s extremely hard, but you know. It’s also, let’s say, accepting the fact that technology and the usage of technology in our almost everyday life, is effect also of life now. Currently so, it is being very mindful having those open conversations as well in my personal life and basically seeing how we can still find ways to interact from Human to human, because I think in the end that is necessary for us as human beings.

Marietta:
Yeah definitely! But I like the free zones, I will try that myself as well.
So, what’s positive Trends do you see in the industry that’s excite you the most?

Sheila:
Yeah so, it’s really funny because I was thinking about this question and it’s really coincidence, but last week I got a laser surgery of my eyes and that was almost entirely done by a robot. And yeah so that is that was a very let’s say, interesting experience. Although, of course, there was a doctor present and he did the last part of the surgery, but so for me this is really a positive development within the usage of technology. I knew the technology played an important part in healthcare for example, but of course I’m working in finance and you see that technology, we can’t do anything anymore without technology. So it definitely is shaping the new world that we’re getting into and if you want to zoom in a little bit of course you can talk about artificial intelligence. And let’s be clear, ChatGPT has opened quite a lot of discussions and conversations that we’re having. Especially, on how we were used to do things for example, my children again we are now having conversation at the dinner table about how they do their homework using chatGPT. So as a parent, I really have to find out how I’m going to react to that and I’m going to steer that of course, but it is part of you know day and age that we’re part of and where we live in. So let’s see, how we can use it for the better. Another thing, what’s really big and that we should not avoid discussing is also about sustainability and environment. So, I do hope that and I’m positive, because I’m already seeing it, but I hope that technology really will contribute towards our climate issues and make sure that they contribute in solving that, instead of just making it worse. So, those are two I think examples that for most people will be very recognizable.

Marietta:
Yeah, definitely. Good one! And of course, there are positive things, but also downsides of those new technological trends.
Are there any concerns that you have?

Sheila:
Yeah, I just read a book, it’s about data femininity. It’s written by two professors from MIT, about biases in data and how data is being processed and gathered and where there is a possibility for a lot of biases, that concerns me. What you see, is that you know also because the tech workforce is still predominantly, let’s say, composed of one certain kind of human. I will not put any text on that, but what you see is that because we’re lacking still quite some diversity and that’s not only from gender, but also from other angles. The devices that they are in there, they will persist. So we need to change that. So that is something that I think is extremely important. Another one, but that’s more from a social media angle, is I see how social media and the information that you can get there, is being used to make very important decisions in a personal space, but also even I think even in a professional space, that worries me a lot. Because there is a lot of this information going on. Lies, but also facts being represented in a way that you think, okay this is also a way to look at it but we both know that it’s just not reality. And another thing, that’s part also of my daily work is security. The fact that we are now living online, it gives us a lot of possibility also for hackers to invade in our lives, take over identities and cause really a lot of damage, on the short term or the long term. And we are quite far already, you if you look at protecting ourselves against hackers and security threats, but that’s evolving as well. So just be aware on, what you’re doing on the internet, what you’re using technology for and educate yourself on the possible threats that are there.

Marietta:
So, we already finished with the interview.
Is there anything that you would like to add as a final statement?

Sheila:
Yeah so, I think tech in general right and not specific on, on a specific angle or something, I think technology it creeped in our lives. It’s part of our professional life we can’t do without, but just keep thinking in using technology, how you want to use technology, but you are willing to give up because of technology. And also, especially when it comes to children, be the example there that you want to be, because they grow up with an iPhone or a tablet or whatever. I didn’t grow up with an iPhone and I just got one, when I started my study. So I know what it is to have, let’s say, a non-technology childhood, but for the children now and for the Gen Z is coming up, that’s just not the case. And we have to be aware of that, and we also have to make sure that we guide the Gen Z and the next Generations into a world that is adding and developing for the good. And in the same time, that there is also a world out there that consists of human being and human interaction.

Marietta:
Yeah, that’s a very nice one. Also, the human interaction that’s a perfect sum up of the whole interview. Thank you so much Sheila!
It was a great pleasure to have you here with us today!

Sheila:
It was a great pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me!

Marietta:
And with this, our webinar already comes to an end.

As we have explored the mobile marketing landscape for 2023 and beyond, it’s clear that embracing innovative solutions is critical for businesses to stay ahead of the curve. Generative AI, gamified sustainability, customer segmentation and loyalty are just a few of the exciting trends on the horizon where Velti provides the proper solutions to increase your revenues. By staying up to date on the latest trends, you can stay ahead of the competition and reach customers in new and exciting ways. Thank you for joining us today!

Are you ready to enhance your mobile marketing strategy, based on the exciting trends discussed today it will be my pleasure to meet you in person or virtually to discuss how felt it can enhance your mobile marketing strategy just Drop me an email at demo@velti.com or feel free to send a private message on LinkedIn! I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

See you on our next webinar or perhaps in person!

For now, have a great day and goodbye.