‘Tis the Season for Mobile-Motivated Sales
Nothing makes the holidays jolly for retailers like increased foot traffic, elevated sales, and full cash registers. Here’s how new hyperlocal mobile ad technologies this year are helping retailers who target some of their marketing efforts at mobile devices significantly increase their odds of achieving the jolliness they’re hoping for.
Store in Sight, Screen in Hand
Foot traffic increases in front of and around stores during the peak holiday shopping days, but not all businesses benefit equally from that increased traffic. Marketing definitely helps — whether it is better window signage, flyer hawkers on the street, sandwich boards or other gimmicks. Hyperlocal mobile also joins that advertising mix, directly targeting folks on the sidewalk in front of their stores.
These holiday shopping pedestrians present great opportunities for suggestive selling: they are already in the mindset of making purchases; and they are interacting with mobile devices. Mobile offers marketers a simple means of communicating with them and drawing them in. Directing hyperlocal messaging to consumers when they’re already willing to digest holiday information, offers, or savings can lead to more in-store purchases and the always-sought add-on sale: According to a recent IBM study, 72% of consumers will act on a call to action in a marketing message if they receive it while in sight of the retailer. As more marketers embrace these hyperlocal mobile options, 2012 may become the season of “mobile-motivated sales.”
Inform and Incentivize Local Traffic
Consumers out on a holiday shopping mission might not be aware that the retailer nearby has a popular item, a significant sale, a fun promotion, or another draw. But through their mobile device, nearby stores may send them messages about discounts and events, loyalty rewards, limited-time sales and incentives, free samples, giveaways, guarantees and more. The mobile device essentially acts as a sandwich board, advertising a business while the potential customers are in the direct vicinity.
Consider this scenario: A man leaves work at the end of a long day. He’s heading for the train station when he glances in a store window and spies a sweater his wife might like for Christmas. He opens his phone to check the train schedule and sees a message from the store letting him know that all knitted garments are discounted 30% today. He scoots in, makes the purchase, and grabs a sweater for his daughter, too. The hyperlocal mobile ad got his attention, got him into the store and even brought about an add-on sale for the retailer.
Adjust to Local Traffic
The beauty of mobile is that it’s designed for both ease and frequency-of-use. Easy access and affordable advertising price points make it attractive, as does the ability to regularly provide updates every time a retailer wishes to communicate to its customers and the surrounding store traffic.
Some mobile ad solutions also provide analytics so that retailers can learn which messages work well in which locations. This capability allows savvy retailers to plan campaigns with greater turnaround and market intelligence based on the previous day’s activity.
The bottom line: As the sidewalks heat up with holiday shopping foot traffic, hyperlocal mobile ads may give some retailers the edge over others—translating into sales during this jolliest of seasons.
Ryan Golden is CEO of Moasis, a company that simplifies geo-centric content delivery and analytics to mobile phones, tablets and beyond utilizing its proprietary Geo-Grid technology. The innovative Moasis Geo-Grid Display Platform helps businesses deliver messaging to their target audience wherever they are. The Moasis platform and its real-time bidding engine create a level of accessibility for companies of all sizes.