There’s no denying it: we are living in a mobile-dominated world. With over 5 billion mobile users worldwide, the effects of this rapid uptake extend far beyond just communication - they have revolutionized every industry ranging from commerce to customer service to cultural engagement. This tech shift has completely overhauled our lifestyle and way of life, fundamentally transforming modern society as we know it.
More and more, museums and cultural organizations are joining this mobile-first revolution. In fact, according to the M+R 2022 Benchmarks Study, this was the first year ever that the majority of website traffic for nonprofits (54%) came from users on mobile devices. By optimizing their websites for mobile traffic, offering immersive app-based tours, introducing digital membership cards that use mobile wallets, or utilizing augmented reality – the cultural sector is integrating into the mobile-first landscape faster than ever before.
But it doesn't stop there - 5G expansion across networks means instant access to content from anywhere; eCommerce growth offers more sales opportunities than ever before; and SMS marketing opens possibilities for even closer connections between customers & businesses. We may have already seen massive changes over recent years... but what comes next will have a defining impact on museums in the years to come.
Read on to discover seven mobile technology trends transforming the future of museums and cultural organizations!
1. supercharged Adoption of the Mobile Wallet
The digital revolution gained speed in 2022, propelled by global shifts that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid technological improvements. Mobile wallets are becoming a mainstream choice for shoppers: Digital Virgo reports that they'll dominate as the preferred payment method within four years. We can expect adoption of mobile wallets to skyrocket and reach up to 75% globally before 2025 - an indicator of how quickly technology is transforming our lives!
Mobile wallets are revolutionizing the cultural sector, allowing members of museums and other institutions to enjoy easy access to their benefits with a simple tap. Hundreds have already adopted contactless digital membership cards–a convenient way for them make use of valuable services both safely and quickly!
With the ever-growing prevalence of digital wallets, it's no surprise that they can now be used to power ticketing for admissions and special events. From airlines to train operators to sports giants like Eventbrite, StubHub, and Ticketmaster - mobile tickets are quickly becoming part of our everyday lives. No more worrying about losing paper or e-tickets at home; with just a few clicks on their device, your constituents will have all the convenience needed for purchasing and saving tickets!
With mobile wallets rising to the top of in-store payment options, cultural organizations would do well to get aboard this trend. Mobile payments offer an array of advantages – convenience, contactless transactions and expedited service - ensuring a smoother customer experience overall.
2. omni-channel Engagement with SMS
Even before the events of 2020, museums recognized technology as an invaluable asset for boosting engagement. Today however, there is a need to cultivate meaningful connections with users in order to stand out from the competition and capture interest - which mobile solutions can help facilitate via email newsletters, social media content and more!
In 2022, an increasing number of brands are deploying SMS Text Messaging to reach their users. According to Charles Golvin, a Research Director at leading global advisory firm Gartner, SMS is an “effective, yet underutilized, mobile tactic among marketing leaders and is particularly valuable when used in conjunction with mobile techniques such as wallet, web and native applications to orchestrate a deepening level of customer engagement.”
The data certainly backs this up: Whereas the the average email open rate remains between 28% and 33%, according to data from Hubspot, open rates for text messages averages about 99%, – with 97% of messages read within 15 minutes of delivery!
If you’re wondering if this also is applicable to museums and nonprofits, you’re in luck! Recent data demonstrates that at cultural organizations, mobile message click-through rates were 6.3% for fundraising messages and 10% for advocacy messages, which is far higher than comparable email metrics.
As museums look to reach their audiences consistently and effectively, it might just be worth looking into SMS this year!
3. optimization for a mobile-first landscape
The coronavirus pandemic has greatly impacted how cultural organizations reach their patrons. According to the most recent research, there was a sharp rise in people accessing information via these institutions' websites and social media platforms since 2019 - an increase of 31% for website visits and 43% for followers on social media - demonstrating just how essential online resources have become during this period.
What does this have to do with mobile? In the years to come, many users will no longer be using their desktop computers to browse the web and social media – now, mobile accounts for approximately half of web traffic worldwide. Beyond that, 83% of mobile users expect a flawless experience whenever they visit a website with any mobile device.
With this in mind, we can expect to see many cultural organizations working hard to improve their mobile user experience by optimizing their sites and online engagement opportunities for smartphones.
4. the rise of on-demand push notifications
In today’s world, consumers are regularly bombarded with emails, mass communications, and advertisements. As of 2021, over 85% of emails are spam! With email open and click-through rates dwindling, it’s never been more important to expand and diversify the ways you connect with your members.
Push notifications are concise and attention-grabbing, and in today’s mobile-first world, they’re quickly becoming an integral part of communication strategies. Push notifications deliverability rates can reach up to 90%, with click-through rates up to 7x higher than that of email marketing. With segmentation, sending targeted push notification campaigns to specific users or groups, push notification open rates jump by 21% – and personalization can quadruple open rates, suggesting push notifications are a great tool to leverage customization and maximize engagement.
Moreover, consumers appreciate these short and sweet messages — according to one study, over 70% of mobile users feel that push notifications are useful. Push notifications offer exceptional benefits, touting significantly higher open and engagement rates than more traditional modes of communication, like email. Plus, they can help reduce churn and improve renewal rates!
5. Rapid Expansion of 5G Networks
G technology is quickly becoming part of everyday life in the United States. In 2022, millions were granted access to faster internet speeds and improved coverage with nationwide deployments covering almost two-thirds of the country's population - T-Mobile leading at 310 million people.
This new mobile infrastructure opens up many possibilities for museums. One of the greatest benefits of 5G is its low latency, reliability, and ultra-high speeds, which can power truly seamless mixed reality experiences at cultural sites. While virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are already familiar technologies for a handful of museums, the introduction of the 5G network could greatly increase the feasibility of implementing such experiences at scale by eliminating limited bandwidth problems and geographical issues. According to Forbes, “A reliable 5G network will help VR and AR applications evolve to the next level. Some even say the future of immersive technology is reliant on the 5G network.”
With that in mind, 5G may also enable immersive possibilities beyond mixed reality. According to Verizon 5G Labs, this new infrastructure will serve as the “IT backbone for a host of new technologies and creative presentation methods” in museums and cultural organizations. These could include interactive stories, digital pop-ups, 3D scenes and soundscapes, and simulations that “you can activate on command with a flick of the wrist.”
As 5G continues to revolutionize the way we interact with technology, it's also opening up incredible new possibilities for experiencing culture from afar. From remote tourism in Europe - which allows visitors to virtually explore cities and institutions without having to leave home - to robotic helpers on-site providing personalized assistance; never before has access been so wide open!
Thus, as museums continue to find ways to serve the geographically far-flung audiences they activated during the pandemic era, 5G could be the key to offering compelling remote experiences as well.
6. E-commerce has gone mobile
In unprecedented numbers, consumers are shying away from traditional shopping methods to their electronic devices for convenient purchasing needs. Over the past few years we have seen a dramatic rise in mobile e-commerce, as close to 80% of smartphone users made purchases through mobile devices last year. Not only that, by the end of the year, 73% of all e-commerce sales were carried out via cell phone!
How might museums dive into the world of mobile commerce?
To begin with, many organizations have pioneered online versions of their gift shops, such as the Smithsonian Store, the Art Institute of Chicago Museum’s shop, and the Met Shop. In 2022 and beyond, organizations focused not only on offering online shopping options for visitors, but ensuring these online stores are mobile-friendly.
Mobile e-commerce also holds a great deal of untapped potential for museums and cultural institutions to streamline ticket purchases, convert more members, and prompt more online giving. Unfortunately, the 2022 M+R Benchmarks Study revealed that while mobile visitors generated over half of all web traffic, they made 45% of the donations and accounted for 24% of the revenue. In other words, while mobile visitors are increasing, they are not becoming donors! This suggests that cultural organizations may want to closely evaluate how they can optimize the mobile experience to yield higher conversion from online visitors into members and supporters.
7. Driving Footfall (and Revenue!) with Location-Based Marketing
Location-based marketing is transforming how brands interact with customers, personalizing encounters in real time. According to Forbes, location-based marketing technologies are “one of the most effective ways brick-and-mortar retailers can capture the audiences visiting their locations and ensure that they are reaching the right audiences at the right time.” According to Factual, a US-based location data company, in 2022 80% of customers used desired location-based alerts, and 95% of global companies are already using location-based services.
Museums have the potential to revolutionize their marketing strategies with location-based techniques like geofencing. This allows them to create a virtual fence around specific hotspots which triggers highly contextualized ads when visitors pass by - a great way to raise awareness of what lies inside and capture people's attention!
Beyond this, geo-targeting through a mobile tool like Digital Membership Cards can help organizations send personalized messages directly to their members when they’re in the vicinity. → Learn more
As visitors explore your venue, beacons can make a lasting impression with personalized notifications directly on their phones. Wayfinding is effortless and promotional opportunities abound as patrons approach points of interest like the cafe or gift shop – there's even potential to turn passersby into donors! It's no wonder North American marketers have embraced proximity marketing through beacon tech; according to the Global Location Trends Report 79% are already taking advantage of its remarkable personalization capabilities.
While museums are only beginning to deploy location-based engagement tactics, as they seek cutting-edge ways to activate visitors and members, we can anticipate a steady adoption of geo-targeting and beacon technology by cultural organizations in the years to come.
As the world continues to go mobile, museums and cultural institutions must keep up with tailor-made technology solutions. By employing new communication tools such as SMS Text Messaging and proximity marketing along 5G networks, their patrons can benefit from an optimized experience on smartphones. This helps guarantee that museums and cultural organizations can continue providing patrons with a unique, forward-thinking user journey that will keep them engaged in this ever changing tech landscape.
Looking to learn more about how mobile solutions can help you drive visitor and member engagement? Schedule a demo with Cuseum.