Retailers are embracing mobile marketing, as ubiquitous smartphones let shoppers research, browse and buy products from the global shopping mall at their fingertips. Remaining relevant means retailers need strategic mobile marketing to earn consumers’ attention and sales.
During the 2017 holiday sales season, 85% of shoppers used their smartphone for holiday shopping, according to VentureBeat. In addition, eMarketer found two-thirds of Internet users buy on mobile, proving mobile has evolved into an omnichannel retail necessity. In response, mobile marketing helps retailers directly reach, engage and build loyalty with customers.
5 mobile marketing tools
Retailers need to make it easy and convenient for consumers to shop from anywhere. These five proven tools can help your company stand out and sell to today’s mobile shopper.
Digital coupons
Successful retailers create captivating marketing that prompts consumers to act – including digital coupons. Kroger has earned billions from using shopper data to determine which products a specific individual actually wants to buy, then sending them custom digital coupons for several products, sparking sales. Testing different types of coupons can help you determine whether consumers prefer to receive dollar discounts, free products or access to exclusive events.
SMS marketing
Marketing campaigns sent using SMS text messages reach consumers almost immediately. As Mobile Marketing Watch reports, an astounding 82% of consumers read text messages from businesses within five minutes of receiving them. For timely offers, use SMS text messages, including push notifications for mobile shoppers – without spamming them. Effective SMS usage involves a judicious approach to content, plus data insights to limit notifications to those most likely to trigger a purchase of something the consumer otherwise wouldn’t have bought. (Conversely, annoying customers with too many non-meaningful notifications will cause shoppers to either ignore future notifications or disable that feature.) In addition, tying marketing efforts to existing loyalty programs allows retailers to send shoppers rewards using SMS text messages.
Geolocation campaigns
Captivate consumers while they shop – or entice them into nearby stores – with location-based promotions. Geolocation marketing includes technology like beacons and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which contain sensors that help retailers connect with and engage nearby customers in real time. Geolocation campaigns can help retailers increase sales and deliver a better customer experience by communicating with and influencing shoppers closer to the point-of-purchase.
QR code apps
Today’s consumers demand to know exactly what they’re buying and where products come from. Yet product labels are often insufficient to address the questions of in-store shoppers. That’s why more retailers are using QR codes, which consumers can scan using a mobile app, to access detailed product data. For a competitive edge, grocers can use QR codes to provide more content on nutritional details and product sourcing to boost brand trust.
Mobile payment
Mobile is the new wallet. Consumers now savor the convenience of “going cashless” by simply tapping their smartphone to pay for products and earn loyalty points. Retailers are adopting mobile payment services, including Apple Pay, Android Pay and Google Wallet, will continue to grow in popularity.
Using these tools to adapt to mobile trends can help retailers deliver more effective, engaging and consumer-centric marketing in 2018. These tools can make retail marketing more magnetic, and inspire consumers to connect, engage and shop.
Flannery Higgins leads the Global Marketing team at PCMS, one of the largest independent retail software vendors in the world. She is an energetic B2B marketer with 15 years of marketing experience and a passion for retail and retail technology. She joined PCMS in 2013 and has overseen successful brand strategy and creative development initiatives for the company.
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