Mumbai: The airlines sector is forecast to spend an average of $37 million per company by 2015, becoming the highest spender on technologies and services to target consumers on mobile devices, according to the New Digital Mobile Consumer global trend report released on Tuesday.
During 2012, energy companies had the highest spendings with an average of $30.8 million per company in targeting mobile consumers, encompassing factors such as app development, customer service delivery through mobile devices, and mobile-friendly marketing campaigns, the report added.
The consumer-focused telecommunications industry proved to be the second-biggest spender ($28.6 million) and airlines the third ($27.2 million).
These three sectors have the highest proportion of total sales transactions, marketing campaigns and post-sales interactions conducted with consumers specifically through mobile devices, noted the report commissioned by India’s largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
A significant gap of almost $5 million in average annual expenditure separates these sectors from the next biggest spending industry—automobiles. Transportation and logistics companies have made the lowest level of investment, with an average of just $4.9 million, according to the report.
In 2015, the telecommunications industry will remain the second largest investor in these technologies and services at $35 million, according to the report, while the consumer computer hardware and software industry will move into third place with $34 million.
Energy companies have fallen to fourth ($31.8 million), while food and beverage manufacturers ($10 million) move below transportation and logistics ($11.4 million) at the bottom of the expenditure table.
“Today’s smartphones and tablets endowed with context sensors such as camera, GPS (global positioning system), compass, and accelerometer are helping companies transform their connection with consumers into anytime-anywhere contextual interactions,” said Satya Ramaswamy, vice-president and global head of mobility at TCS.
“The level of expenditure, the high commitment to developing mobile delivery channels, and the increasing volume of mobile consumer transactions reflect a high level of transformational change some industries are undergoing due to the influence of consumer mobile devices,” Ramaswamy said.
On average, 16% of the content provided by entertainment and media companies was viewed on mobile devices in 2012. This compares to 54% through traditional media (over the air or cable television, radio, print newspapers, etc.) and 31% through websites.
But respondents in the sector expect the picture to change somewhat by 2015, with an average 25% of content views through mobile devices, while traditional broadcast and print media views are predicted to drop to 42% of total content view, according to the report.
