Enterprise marketers understand that mobile is a critical marketing strategy, and many have embraced it via mobile advertising, mobile application development, and mobile customer communications. When a new channel is introduced, there is often a rush to get involved without fully understanding it, but mobile strategies are maturing. Today’s brands are learning from early mistakes through trial and error, careful consideration of user engagement, and knowledge of effective use to further enhance their strategies. Savvy marketers understand that channel strategies must be integrated, and the most effective marketing strategies implement all channels working in concert. Mobile development work is occurring in digital agencies, in-house facilities, and even among outsourced providers that have not traditionally handled mobile efforts—including print service providers.

In mid-2016, InfoTrends completed a study entitled Service Expansion Opportunities for Document Outsourcing. This research surveyed 250 enterprises across the United States and Canada, and conducted a series of in-depth interviews with industry stakeholders as well as enterprise clients and prospects. One of the key findings from this study is that the relevance of print-only outsourcing contracts is declining. This puts savvy, forward-thinking print service providers in a unique position to help their customers transition to more effective communication platforms. Although print remains a core component of the equation, it must be combined with other channels to create value-added service offerings. Many marketers are seeking integrated strategies in the mobile arena. When respondents to InfoTrends’ survey were asked about the initiatives they were putting the greatest emphasis on, mobile customer communications topped the list (65.5%).

A number of firms are outsourcing mobile development for customer communications. This was particularly the case for firms with fewer than 2,500 employees.