Mobile marketing implementation in Alfa Tiles: an app development

Abstract

Portable technology is having an increasing impact in today’s society as evidenced by the widespread use of mobile, tablet and computer devices around the world. As developments in the field of science, computing engineering, gaming, e-marketing and other branches related are carried out, a new concept is being built and referred as “mmarketing” (i.e. mobile marketing). Businesses are not unaware of that evolution and the way consumers perceive and understand the new possibilities resulting from this change: from printed and face-to-face communication to digital and distance interactions. Leppäniemi & Karjaluoto (2005: 202) following Poropudas (2002) agree that m-advertising “has no comparative alternative” for establishing and keeping in contact with customers. The commercial sector is indeed working to reach those clients that nowadays tend to approach branding through their smartphones and that make their purchases online. The aim of this paper is approaching m-marketing to the Spanish company Alfa Tiles, S.L. by means of the development of a commercial application. This tool should provide relevant contents and services to potential and current customers, and therefore, catch up with new advances and perceptions of digital marketing. First of all, an overview of mobile marketing and strategies related to this field will be described. After that, relevant data about the company focused on will be provided and its internal and external situation will be analysed. The marketing strategy and the purchase process to actually achieve selling the product will also be considered. An explanation of how the application has been developed will follow, and finally, some suggestions for further research will be given, mainly going in the direction of promoting the app.