Government Support Drives Mobile Marketing in Singapore

By Cat Yong

A recent Experian study about mobile marketing in Singapore had revealed that it has become a very popular trend in the island republic. Needless to say, Enterprise IT News had to try delve deeper into the why’s and how’s, and managed to get our grimy hands on John Merakovsky, managing director of marketing services for Experian in Asia Pacific.

He said, rise of mobility, increased adoption of smart devices and strong government support, are the top 3 reasons behind why mobile marketing has become popular. “Consumers aren’t just going online, they are online on the go, using their smartphones and tablets more than ever. The once-humble phone is now your wallet, your boarding pass, your discount voucher, your social network – it is essentially your life packed into a powerful, portable, pocket-sized device.

“As more people use their smartphones and tablets to find their nearest store or research products while in-store, mobile devices are fast becoming the ‘glue’ sticking the online and offline worlds together.”

Additionally, Singapore is widely regarded as the technology hub of Asia, not surprisingly since it is a high-tech, IP-based economy where technology plays a front and centre role. “While for most countries, the idea of a digital wallet and other real-world m-commerce applications is still some way off, the government here has given strong indications that it will support such moves locally,” explained Merakovsky.

It also certainly helps that the island republic boasts wireless broadband penetration rate of 162%, with mobile penetration, not far behind at 150%.

Replicable?
Merakovsky had pointed out that smartphone penetration is not as advanced in Malaysia. “Nielsen and Maxis puts the figure around 30%, a figure not to be confused with mobile phone penetration rates which are around 150%.” Singapore boasts over 90% penetration rates for smartphones.

“However, we do know that is growing rapidly (for Malaysia), and Google certainly has Malaysia on its emerging market watch list. So yes, it’s just a matter of time before we see similar behaviour in the Malaysian consumer market.”

He also added that Experian knows just from its own regional clients, that cross-channel capability via mobile devices is very important in reaching their Malaysian consumer clients.

“Additionally, thanks to a long-term multimedia investment strategy in Malaysia, the local market has many companies with the capabilities required to support the growth of this industry,” concluded Merakovsky.