Mobile Marketing For The 2013 Shopper

There is a new type of shopper that business owners and marketers are trying to reach. The shopper of 2013 is extremely mobile, educated, thrifty and socially engaged. The year 2012 was the first holiday shopping season where the majority of cellphone carriers’ customers own smartphones. With devices being smarter, mobile shoppers of the coming year can find deals, view and give consumer ratings and reviews, and share all of it with their friends and followers anywhere at any time.

New data from Nielsen shows that smartphone and tablet owners are using their devices to make the most of their retail experience. With more shoppers using “Showrooming” to get the best information about a product before they make a purchase, mobile devices and the retail experience now go hand in hand. The term “Showrooming” takes place when a shopper goes to a store to test out merchandise and then searches the web—often from a mobile device while in the store—for a better deal and ultimately buys the item online. Visual and statistics below by Nielsen)

So how can business owners and marketers reach this new breed of shopper? Below are easy options that now exist to engage and attract the mobile consumer.

1. Mobile Coupons – With 39% of mobile shoppers using coupons directly from their smartphone, it shows the market exists. Consumers want and use mobile coupons, so it’s up to more companies to start providing them. 
2. QR Codes – With these mobile barcodes showing up on everything from coffee makers to ketchup and everything in between, strategically using these codes for engagement is very important. Whether it is linking to reviews, more product information or your brand’s social media, or a mobile coupon, the QR codes’ popularity is still growing.
3. Mobile Application – By making it easy for your customers to get more information about your product or service for information, and purchasing by just one click makes the investment worth it. 
4. Mobile Ready Site – Whether you have an application or not,  be sure to make your website mobile friendly. Roughly 72% of consumers expect it, according to Google.  Just like a poor website experience online can make a visitor leave your site too soon, the best sites if not mobile ready can have the same results.
5. Location Based Services – Just making sure the basics are taken care of can mean a ton.  Checking your listings for checkins and results for searches on sites like Foursquare, Yelp, Google Places, and even Facebook.
6. Geofencing and Location Based Messaging – Having the ability to send loyal customers a custom message when they are in your area is extremely valuable. With or without an Application or even a smartphone a consumer can be recognized entering a Geofence and sent a Location Based Message. Contact us to find out how it can work for you.
7. Mobile Push via App – Ok, so you have an App downloaded on your customers’ phone and not sure what to do next. With Mobile Push you can engage customers to visit the application or just keep them up to date on your products and services.
8. Mobile Payments – Customers are slowly adopting the idea of paying with their mobile device with systems like Google Wallet and other NFC (Near Field Communications) payment providers so making sure you are there when they are will be important and easy to do. In the mean time, if you’re not already accepting all major credit cards, check into Mobile Apps like Square, Intuit, Paypal and Google Wallet.
9. Short Code Texting – Using a short code with a keyword makes it extremely easy to engage customers for many reasons. Example: By placing “Text the keyword DEAL to short code 5555 you will recieve special offers based on your location to our store” on your print advertising, you will be able to collect a database of customers interested in your products or services.

If you are interested in implementing any of these Mobile Marketing Services, we would be glad to help. Just fill out the form on our contact page for a free consultation.