Mobile commerce has changed the way consumers behave. Today, not only can you order exactly what you want no matter where a retailer is located, but you can also check reviews and compare prices while on the go. Even your most exotic purchases can be made remotely - except, that is, when it comes to cars.

Despite a 2015 report from J.D. Power showing that more than half (51 percent) of new-vehicle buyers use a tablet or smartphone to conduct their car research — a 70 percent increase since 2012 — car buying today still means having to visit a car dealership. But for those car dealers, it's not business as usual. For them to succeed, they have to consider their consumers' new buying habits and use of mobile devices when pursuing the sale.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I really wish I could ask an expert about just how important having a responsively designed website is... or how to analyze my website performance... or how to bring more customers in my door with mobile marketing..." 

If so, you're not alone. And we're here to help. 

Small businesses often lament the fact that they're at a disadvantage against bigger brands, which not only have larger marketing budgets, but can afford to offer much lower prices. But local businesses still have their own attractions, including a focus on quality and a commitment to their communities.

Small Business Saturday has emerged as a smart means of raising awareness about the value of shopping local, as noted by Marketing Land. The event, which comes on the heels of Black Friday, encourages consumers to spend their money wisely with businesses that reinvest that money in their local communities. This national retail day depends on the entire small business industry to promote it for their mutual benefit. Local businesses need the support of their communities, and an annual day dedicated to this relationship can give businesses a big boost. Here are some effective digital strategies for raising awareness of the event and driving traffic to your stores on Small Business Saturday.

Much of the buzz surrounding mobile marketing revolves around creating online conversions and increasing digital sales. But did you know that mobile technologies are also essential for increasing sales within your store? In fact, Marketing Land notes that, according to data from Google, they're a driving force behind in-store purchases. The data shows mobile users are "closer to purchase decisions and often have immediate needs and desires," making them a prime audience for marketing efforts.

If you're not already using mobile technologies to get consumers into your store, you might want to start capitalizing on the many micro-moments you have to interact with your customers. Here are three areas where you can get started today and see immediate results:

Most people like to think that their daily routines offer some downtime where they can take a break from their smartphones and tablets. In practice, though, mobile device usage is often at the center of those relaxation periods. This habit also extends into vacations. BookingSuite notes that a TripAdvisor online survey shows that 90 percent of Americans surveyed use smartphones while traveling — even abroad.

This steady mobile habit presents an interesting opportunity for marketers. Consumers have their mobile devices with them everywhere they go — basically, if your target audience is awake, they're accessible.

The digital climate is changing rapidly as more and more people are using their mobile devices to interact with brands, purchase products and obtain information. However, Marketing Land reports that Mary Meeker, a Kleiner Perkins partner, found that though the average person consumes 20 percent of his or her media on mobile devices, advertising spend in the mobile sphere is still less than five percent.

Though there might be some hurdles that stand in the way of your organization achieving mobile success, you will be missing out on a vast number of opportunities if you do not invest in this channel. Here are three potential obstacles that might be preventing your organization from taking advantage of this market — and how you can overcome them.

The modern mobile shopper is taking a whole new journey when he or she makes a purchase, and what you don't know about this process can cost you valuable business. Nowadays, there's no longer a simple sales funnel: The circular cycle through which purchases are made has become an intricate set of interactions involving any number of competing brands. But, according to Think With Google, 93 percent of people who use their mobile devices to research a product or service eventually make a purchase. As such, in order to be viable in today's market, you need to know the new stages involved in the mobile shopping path.

Mobile display ads are often associated with generating website traffic or boosting social networking profiles. However, there's one key feature that marketers may be overlooking: the ability to generate calls to your business. Though traditional search ads are still a great way to reach consumers, the mobile variety has become an increasingly important component of campaigns, designed to drive calls in response to shifting consumer behavior patterns.

The Shift to Mobile

It's no secret that consumers are using smartphones to browse the Web more than ever. A 2014 study by the Pew Research Center found that "34 percent of smartphone Internet users go online mostly using their phones and not using some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer." That represents a huge shift in behavior, and it's important that marketers respond to it. While fairly few consumers use only their smartphones to access the Web, marketers looking to drive calls through display campaigns need to reach consumers where they are comfortable and where they will be most likely to respond instantly to these ads — on their smartphones.

According to Search Engine Land, mobile search has officially become more popular than traditional desktop search. Google recently confirmed this long-anticipated event, reporting that "more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the US and Japan." Google's figures count searches conducted through both mobile apps and mobile browsers, but these numbers are based only on smartphone data, as the company groups tablets with desktops.

Google's announcement solidifies the belief that marketers should be focused on developing campaigns with mobile in mind. This hard evidence of the shift in consumer behavior will be helpful in converting businesses that have remained skeptical of the rise of mobile.

If you want to deliver messages to the right audience at the right place and time, geo-precise targeting is the way to go. This marketing tactic helps you determine where your ideal customer is and deliver content to them based on that location. The increase in mobile users has made this hyperlocal strategy more relevant to a user's intent. Now you can serve up campaigns to people searching or viewing your products or services in a particular location, rather than where that user lives.

With geo-targeting, you leverage precise locations to increase your relevance to the user, as Google explains. This is ideal for targeting mobile users because you can set geographic boundaries (called geo-fencing) and deliver ads to mobile users when they enter this area.