During the “TapSense 10 Best Practices for Mobile Marketing” session the exec discussed different ways to engage consumers across mobile. He advised marketers to focus on applications over mobile sites and to specifically focus on iOS apps.

“Whatever the reason, what we find 80 percent of ecommerce transactions are happening on iOS,” said Ash Kumar, co-founder/CEO of TapSense, San Francisco. “Android is great and it brings scale, but really, if you want to simplify it, focus on iPhone and iPad.”

Best practices
When it comes to deciding between focusing on mobile Web versus app, Mr. Kumar explained that it ultimately depends on what is best for your company. However he did claim that 85 percent of consumers favor apps over mobile sites.

He said that 55 percent of consumers said that apps are more convenient, and 48 percent said that apps were faster than mobile Web.

Additionally, 40 percent of consumers said that it was easier to browse on an app than on the mobile Web.

In terms of platform, Mr. Kumar sees a skew towards iOS in terms of conversion rates.

According to a ComScore report, 44 percent of iOS users earn over $100,000 a year, while only 24 percent of Android users do. Mr. Kumar also said that 80 percent of transactions occur on iOS as opposed to Android.

Once marketers create an app, they still have a lot of work in terms of marketing it and getting it in the hands of consumers.

Mr. Kumar suggests using certain keywords to optimize search in the app store. He suggests providing a clear description of the app experience so that consumers will want to download the app.

Next, marketers need to look at metrics such as acquisition cost, download numbers, page visits and app returns. Use the data to see how consumers are engaging with the app.

Drive your audience
Mr. Kumar also suggested driving a Web audience to an app.

According to a June TapSense report, the mobile Web to app conversion rate is around 40 percent.

By placing a call-to-action on a Web site, brands can leverage their existing audience to bring more awareness towards their app.

Brands can also drive their listserv audience to their app and leverage email to direct consumers via deep linking to a set page in the app.

“If you have a big online presence, if you have a big mobile Web site, you can cross promote your mobile app, and some of the numbers we’ve seen are mind-boggling,” Mr. Kumar said.

“It doesn’t mean that they’re not engaging with your mobile Web site, it means they want different access,” he said.

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York