According to a study by analytics firm Flurry, 1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the last week of December 2011, as part of consumer demand for mobile commerce sites, while a report by the Boston Consulting Group and supported by Google, states that the web economy will double by 2016 with 80% of all Internet users accessing the web via mobile device.
Retailers are finding that customers who use this medium are amongst the most loyal and also generate higher sales than through traditional channels. It is therefore critical that retailers attract, keep and monetise potential customers.
And because customers shop via so many channels in many different combinations, it is also critical that the brand and delivery on promise is consistent across them all, and that they are actually able to engage, browse and buy easily.
Near store
With the store now part of an omni-channel experience, its role has changed. No longer judged solely on its profitability per square foot, it must stimulate sales not just through its own footprint but online and via catalogues as well. As a showcase for the retailer’s brand and product, the store needs to be attractive, accessible and rewarding.
Mobile plays a part by boosting store traffic, with apps that assist customers in finding their nearest store through turn by turn directions and also advising the nearest shop which has a particular product in stock. There should also be an incentive that can be redeemed in-store to boost traffic further. In this way, retailers are able to provide a more joined up experience across channels to their customers.
In-store
Once in store, barcode and QR code scanners installed on customers’ smartphones, offer more information about products and provide customer reviews. These bar codes now appear in magazines and on advertising hoardings to the consumer who is able to tap into information, promotions, and web links wherever they are. This level of activity before the purchase is now referred to as the moment of truth, a process that continues after the purchase and demands that the retailer is present, through any channel and device.
Browsing & purchasing
Mobile apps enable users to browse categories and sub categories and view items that are currently on sale. The consumer journey is now very different, it may start on the sofa while browsing on a tablet and end in store making a purchase or indeed begin in store on a mobile device and end in the living room with a click of a button. It is critical that this process is seamless allowing customers to buy at any touch point.
At the recent National Retail Federation show in New York, there was an interesting presentation by Amy Africa who gave a series of tips on getting browsers to click ‘buy’. Chief among these is to get inside customers’ heads and understand their idiosyncrasies. Interestingly, navigation accounts for 40 to 60 per cent of the success of a site which is more like 80 per cent for a mobile site and key to this success is patterns. Customers like to see human faces which they find reassuring. It’s also important to have the top and left hand side of mobile sites as instantly recognizable.
Loyalty & retention
One of the most useful elements of mobile is fostering loyalty and retention, which in turn provides opportunities for cross and up selling. Customers can gain more information about special offers, bookmark favourite product categories, share products via social networking sites, create wish lists to share with friends and family and get alerts when the status of favourite products change. In this way, the shopping journey is extended into the social world and provided retailers handle this in ways that are complementary to the way consumers now live, they are well positioned to become a favoured brand.
Action directives need to be clear on every page so that customers know what they should be doing i.e. buying!
Choice regardless of platform
There is a fragmented network of app providers with various operating systems and manufacturers, it is imperative that retailers provide apps which can be used on any platform as the connection with the brand is key.
So in this brave new world, it is imperative that retailers and brands integrate their mobile offering seamlessly into their wider multi-channel strategy because one thing is clear – the customer holds all the power and will go elsewhere with a click of a button.
