This week saw the announcement of two exciting new mobile devices: Apple’s iPad Air and iPad mini with retina display. It’s good news for consumers and mobile marketers alike. As with any new hardware launch, there are some exciting implications for the mobile marketing world. The announcement of two new devices at once is even better. Weighing it at just one pound, the iPad Air will be the lightest full size tablet on the market. The new iPad mini is also sure to generate excitement as it is vastly superior to Apple’s first iPad mini. It comes with the new A7 processor and Retina display.

New mobile devices mean new mobile users

Whenever a new popular mobile device is released, there is a huge influx of new mobile users. The good news for mobile marketers is that new mobile users with new mobile devices means lots of people searching for apps and other ways to use their new device. With both devices set to hit the market in November, there’s never been a better time to start working on a user acquisition campaign.

Mobile marketers recommend giving it one month and then running some extensive analytics to see how the new devices are affecting your business. If the new devices account for a significant portion of your web traffic and are converting on your advertisements, then those are devices that you will want to target in your marketing efforts.

Tablet users are unique in the mobile marketing demographic

There’s a tendency to group all mobile users into one big category. In actuality, users of different mobile devices are as different as their devices themselves. Research has consistently shown that tablet users make more purchases and larger purchases on their device then smartphone users. They also tend to spend more time on their device than smartphone users.

While smartphone users will use their device more times throughout the day, it is usually in short bursts. Tablet users typically use their device the most during the evening hours and have longer engagement periods. Female iPad users spend about 15 hours a month in mobile apps compared to 12.5 for male iPad users.

Furthermore, while tablets are becoming more and more popular, tablet advertising is not. Tablets only account for 25% of mobile ads meaning there is more room for growth with tablet advertising than with smartphones.

In time for Christmas

Finally, the new iPads are coming in time for Christmas. Today, 14% of Christmas shopping is done on tablets. 90% of that is done on iPads. To really capitalize on these new iPads, consider ways to promote your product, service, or mobile app during the Christmas season. You want people engaging with your business during the busiest time of the year. If you have a mobile app, the period of time between Christmas and New Year’s is when mobile app downloading will be at its peak as new iPad owners start searching for apps.

Source:  Mobile Marketing Watch