There’s long been debate over the concept of “proximity” in terms of marketing, but a new report out by Borrell Associates paints the picture of a quickly growing market for mobile proximity marketing — one that’s set to grow to nearly $6B by 2015.
According to the research, an estimated $200 million will be spent on mobile proximity marketing in 2010 — almost entirely (97%) by large national companies that have retail stores in many markets. As proximity-based technologies begin to mature, smaller local businesses are expected to enter the market, helping to propel it to nearly 30 times its current size by 2015. The $200M figure for 2010 is set to nearly quadruple by next year alone.
Mobile proximity marketing now accounts for a very small portion of overall mobile promotions spending — only an estimated 7% in 2010. In 2011, that share will increase to 12.5%, and by 2015, proximity-based marketing will account for roughly 29% of all mobile marketing spending.