Each time I attend a real estate event, it becomes more and more prevalent that the mobile revolution is upon us and in full swing. While many have never questioned this for Generation Y, the jury was still out on baby boomers and Generation X. However, I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2012 MLSLI Tech Fair and I was thoroughly impressed by the genuine interest in and excitement about the new mobile tools (phones and tablets) and the access to information they provide by, let’s face it, an audience who is predominantly not Generation Y.
My father is another perfect example of this demographic and genuine excitement – a relatively recent smartphone adopter who didn’t truly appreciate the power of his device until recently. After blowing his back out and quickly becoming bored with staring straight up at the ceiling, he found solace in downloading both Netflix and HBO GO Apps and being able to stream movies and TV shows to take his mind off the pain.
This is a good unintended consequence of an otherwise unpleasant experience – an awakening to what these devices can do and the access to information and content they can offer.
According to Shareaholic, mobile traffic has increased 27 percent this year, based on a study done of 200,000 publishers who reach 300 million people each month. They also state that mobile traffic now accounts for roughly 16 percent of total traffic. Both statistics stand to increase, but as older demographics that have previously resisted mobile technologies begin to not only adopt them, but welcome them with open arms, the pace at which these statistics increase will increase dramatically a well.
Unfortunately, it’s not all roses for the world of mobile according to Sharaholic; mobile users still have a higher bounce rate and view fewer pages than desktop users. Both of which cannot only be avoided, but flipped when a mobile site is in place. Yet many sites, both within and outside of the real estate industry are not formatted for use on a mobile device.
Mobilizing your assets, in particular your website, was one of the main items of discussion at last week’s Tech Fair. Google offers a number of Mobile Best practices, of which the top three are: 1) keep it quick; 2) make it easy to convert (contact you); 3) simplify navigation.
There are of course many things that go into creating a quality mobile experience, but it starts with creating one. To see how your site stacks up on a mobile device visit: www.TestMySiteNow.com.
Seth Kaplan is the president of Mobile Real Estate ID. Contact him directly at Seth@mobilerealestateid.com or, for more information, visit www.mobilerealestateid.com.
