Ever since Apple’s revolutionary introduction of personal computing in the early 1980s’, there has been an exponentially growing influence of technology in the lives of mainstream consumers.

It has been exactly three decades since the launch of the first Macintosh in 1984, and it was the first-ever computer device with a Graphical User Interface (GUI), and it had left the industry stunned at that time. Of course, today, GUI is taken for granted, though its steady development and omnipresence in desktop and mobile devices have made it possible for even toddlers to navigate games and apps!

The personal computing industry has come a long way since then, and it has witnessed numerous revolutions in terms of hardware and software. These gradual improvements made computers a must-have accessory in modern-day homes and offices, and eventually gave birth to the digital marketing platform. However, computing devices have continuously evolved ever since their introduction, and nowadays it has taken the form of mobile devices.

The dire implications of smart devices on our personal and professional lives have led to the creation of an alternate marketing channel, which, under the umbrella of digital marketing, runs parallel to other marketing media and that is mobile marketing. Over the last couple of years, the global marketing world was taken by storm when it realized the incredible promotional platform that mobile devices have to offer to businesses.

All around the world, the retail industry has gained tremendously from mobile marketing by activating a wide range of mobile marketing strategies that cover everything from QR codes to branded application development. According to a post published by eMarketer in 2013, “The number of US mobile coupon users will rise from 12.3 million in 2010 to 53.2 million in 2014, driven by the rapid adoption of smartphones.”

Obviously, there is a thriving new digital marketing platform emerging, and it has already gained substantial traction all around the world. Though, being marketers in Bangladesh, begs the obvious question, “What’s happening in Bangladesh?” To describe the mobile scene in Bangladesh in one word, it is simply thriving.

As of April 2014, the BTRC reports 115.7 million mobile phone users in Bangladesh i.e. 11 crores 57 lakh Bangladeshis are connected via mobile phones! According to Wikipedia, this makes Bangladesh the 10th country in the world in terms of mobile phone subscribers. Of course, this is just raw data and probably not enough to get your imagination running.

What we need is more context to this data – what are people doing on their mobile phones? What scopes are there, if any, for your brand to engage with customers through mobile devices? Hopefully, the infographics developed by the data experts at WebAble Digital are going to help answer some of those questions.

Since WebAble extensively deals with interpreting data all over the internet, we managed to gather certain insights into the usage of Facebook concerning the devices and the mobiles being used to access the social networking site.

An astounding 6.4 million Facebook users in Bangladesh access the website through mobile devices. That is 76.2% of the total Facebook users in Bangladesh. The majority of these users are smartphone users, amongst which 89% run the Android operating system. Furthermore, we can also ascertain that 33% of these Android users are running on Samsung phones.

The second infographic also gives in-depth insight to compare user engagement levels across different platforms. Surprisingly, it shows that desktop usage is on the decline with only 13% of Bangladeshis accessing Facebook through desktops (only); however, Bangladeshis spend 21% of total time on Facebook through their PC (mainly windows). That means, of the total time all Bangladeshi users spend on Facebook, 21% are desktop users, falling third to the 32% of feature phone users and 33% of mobile web users.

Feature phone users describe users who are accessing Facebook over wireless access protocol (WAP), while mobile web users describe users who are using browsers, e.g. Google Chrome on their smartphones.

See also: Latest Changes In Facebook Marketers Need To Know

All of this information helps us come to one inevitable conclusion: People are on the move in Bangladesh. They are connecting, interacting, and networking on the go, and the next time you get on the bus or are stuck in traffic in a CNG cab, look over and you will see people fidgeting with their phones – evidence of how connecting online using mobile devices have become a part of our everyday lifestyle.

However, mobile marketing would not be entirely new in Bangladesh. In fact, we are exposed (and probably annoyed with) one of the most popular forms of mobile marketing – SMS. While mobile marketers can put up a strong argument on the importance of SMS marketing, a lot of local marketers may doubt its effectiveness. In our personal opinions, we feel that brands are missing out on one of the most important aspects of communications with their SMS marketing – Relevance.

When someone did not sign up to receive updates from your business, they are likely to feel an invasion of their privacy when you send them an SMS. Always make sure that people are aware of signing up for text updates. This way, not only do you respect the privacy of your recipients, but you are also likely to get higher fruit falls from your SMS campaigns.

One of the best organic practices for increasing subscribers for your mobile marketing campaigns (whether that be SMS or otherwise) is to provide value to the user in the process. This increases brand equity and greatly adds to the buyer experience.

After all, superior user experience is exactly what the GUI interface offered in the original Macintosh. It marked the beginning of an iconic era that brought the creative power of technology to the people. Thirty years have passed since then and technology has progressed at an incredibly fast pace. People, however, are moving just as fast, if not faster. Marketing on the go is a proven and lucrative avenue for brands looking to connect and interact with customers on the move!