Last week Australia became the world’s first smartphone nation, when statistics released by market research firm Kantar revealed that over 49% of Australians own a smartphone, the highest percentage of any nation.

On average 10% of website traffic is now accessed via smartphones, meaning increased opportunities for businesses to diversify their online presence from e-commerce to m-commerce. While developing a dedicated app remains, for the moment at least, an expensive undertaking, there are many cost-effective ways for businesses to capitalise on the smartphone boom.

Get mobile

Configuring your website to be mobile friendly ensures customers will enjoy a more user-friendly experience accessing your site from their smartphone, while registering with Google Places allows your business to appear on Google and Google Maps. Offering incentive-based promotions via social media platforms such as Twitter and foursquare can be a valuable way to boost brand recognition while directly engaging with your customer base.

With Australian consumers leading the surge in smartphones, there are huge opportunities for businesses to benefit from this emerging marketplace.

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Article by: Dan Kuseta: @dankuseta