Mobiles are changing consumer behaviour as we know it. Customers are using the devices to access a range of information at any time, be that at home or on-the-go. According to the latest Google Shopper Marketing Council figures, 84 per cent of smart phone shoppers use their phones while in a physical store to research product information or price comparison. In addition to this, customers who use mobile are also proven to spend a greater amount in-store. The retail experience is changing, so retailers must evolve to reflect the consumers’ emotional attachment to their phones. This means offering a more engaging and interactive store experience by thinking mobile first.
Mobiles are unique because they have quickly become the most important accessory that people have in their pockets outside the home – even more so than wallets, keys and handbags. This provides marketers with an opportunity to engage consumers and drive a multichannel shopping experience in physical stores that empowers the consumer. Diesel, for example, has introduced a new app that gives shoppers a 360° view of product ranges in-store. Shoppers can scan items to access further details, videos and even blogger reviews via their mobile device. This allows customers to engage with the brand beyond the item on the shelf and on a far deeper level.
Taking this further, obtaining information such as the customer’s in-store location through Wi-fi, and the recently introduced Apple iBeacon, is fuelling a richer consumer experience as well as social discovery. This technology enables retailers to supply the customer with information about products or even in-store maps, alerting them to additional items that are likely to be of interest.
Making a store or business easy to find on a mobile has become imperative. Foursquare is even launching a scheme where customers are rewarded for visiting a store. This app serves to drive footfall into high street shops, tackling the show-rooming challenge that has become the lifeblood of many high street retailers. Yet the in-store experience also needs to be spot on, to make it really worth visiting in person.
Personalisation is one such way to entice consumers to physical stores. Burberry used mobile innovation recently by creating an app to allow shoppers to customise their clothes in-store via their smart phone, which are then made to order. The technology also lets customers order clothing straight off the rack to suit their needs. This successfully bridges offline and online worlds, bringing the benefits of both into the hands of the consumer.
The key for brands is to facilitate a range of experiences and ways to interact in-store. Although the introduction of Wi-fi to shops is proving popular, retailers should also find ways to tap into the consumers desire to explore and create. Understanding this will open further possibilities for marketing new products and services. Technology such as augmented reality, visual search and motion gesture lends itself to this trend by allowing for customisation and interaction with products through a mobile device. Imagine holding up your phone to identify the product and see what an item might look like in a different pattern or colour. All the while behind the scenes the device could be searching the store’s database and displaying recommendations that can be tailored to each individual viewing the device and navigate them at the blink of an eye. The possibilities round the corner are boundless.
We’ve already begun to see forward-thinking retailers setting up trial stores in order to test-out new mobile technology that is highly sophisticated and provides a more personal way of connecting with their customers. These savvy retailers are learning more about what each customer is doing in-store, improving purchasing options and customer service, as well as enriching the in-store experience with location data. As technology continues to evolve at lightning speed, it won’t be long until shoppers discover that mobile is the only way to shop. And for retailers, mobile marketing isn’t an option; it is the way forward.
By Chris Minas, Founder of Nimbletank.
PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.
comments powered by Disqus