By Elena Perez

Mobile has worked its way into every aspect of our daily lives and shopping is, of course, no exception.

Nielsen recently reported that half of U.S. consumers say their smartphones have influenced their purchase of an item in-store. Meanwhile, an OPA study affirmed that tablet users are making purchases from tablets, spending $359 on their devices in a 12-month period.

It is numbers like these that are inspiring retailers to make greater investments in mobile rich media advertising. But dollars alone do not translate to success. Here are a few tips to ensure that retailers get the most out of your mobile rich media campaigns.

1. Embrace mobile creativity
Mobile devices offer an endless range of creative possibilities.

From multimedia capabilities such as video to touch-based interactions including tap, swipe and drag, mobile provides a fresh palette with which to capture and keep your audience’s attention.

Retailers can create swipe-able product galleries, 360-degree images and video demos and keep product details, features and pricing literally at consumers’ fingertips.

To extend the impact of the creative, build in email subscriptions and social media features that keep you connected to consumers after the campaign ends.

2. Make sure you are mobile-ready
One of the great benefits of mobile rich media is the ability to create a deep experience within an ad unit without even asking the consumer to visit a Web site landing page.

This means you can create mobile rich media experiences even if your Web site is not quite ready for mobile traffic.

That said, if you do choose to direct users to a Web page, make sure that you are ready for them.

A non-mobile optimized Web site experience is a quick way to cut engagement short.

3. Do not get too hyper on geo
There is a lot of geo-innovation happening in mobile.

The classic go-to example is the ad unit that targets consumers within the range of a store location to drive them inside.

But it is important to keep in mind that this level of targeting can limit reach without necessarily increasing relevancy.

If in-store traffic is your goal, there are rich media features to consider.

A store locator, for example, can leverage GPS when enabled or simply prompt users to enter a ZIP code to find the nearest location. It is an efficient way to provide location information without limiting the reach of your campaign.

4. Success is a story, not a number
One of mobile rich media’s great values is the ability to view detailed insights into the performance of your ad creative.

Success is not told in a single data point. Explore metrics such as the number of expands, engagements, time spent and, importantly, custom metrics based on the creative of your ad unit.

Find out what products are users tapping on the most, which items are users viewing pricing details, which video demos are watched most frequently. These are actionable metrics that can bring value beyond the life of the campaign.

5. Do not delay
It is true that keeping up with mobile technology and trends, from in-store product research to location marketing to mobile payments, can be dizzying.

But mobile is a dynamic space that will continue to evolve over the next months and years. As such, waiting for innovation to slow down will not benefit anyone – except your competitors.

Fortunately, mobile rich media advertising offers a more accessible path to reach smartphone and tablet advertisers.

Sure, many brands are pushing the envelope in mobile creative. But you do not need to operate on the cutting edge to try mobile rich media.

The creative capabilities described in this article are already being implemented today.

World-class brands are already using mobile rich media metrics to tell detailed stories about their campaign impact. And best practice is already in place to make it easy, even if it is your first mobile campaign.

In other words, mobile rich media advertising is ready for you now. Why wait?

Elena Perez is director of marketing at Medialets, New York. Reach her at [email protected].