Category: Marketing

Mobile marketing is more important for today’s businesses than ever before. According to a recent survey, consumers spend 70% of their total digital media time on smartphones. For advertisers, of course, such figures haven’t gone unnoticed, as mobile ads accounted for more than two-thirds of the recent annual digital ad spend.

But while there are major opportunities for growth in the mobile marketing space, challenges also arise. How can you be sure you’re reaching the right consumers where they spend most of their time in a way that’s seamless and relevant? To answer that question, marketers must be able to measure user engagement with robust and accurate analytics. In using such data strategically, it’s crucial to coordinate consistent messaging across all channels. Read on to uncover specific solutions to these complex mobile marketing challenges.

Mobile Apps

Mobile traffic centers on apps. According to a recent survey, consumers spend 88% of their mobile time on apps, with the remaining time spent on mobile sites. This means that in order to reach your target audience, marketers must successfully penetrate this area through a proprietary or third-party mobile app.

 It can be tempting to focus simply on outbidding competitors on mobile platforms. Yet some note that with a limited ad budget it can be difficult to gain a foothold in a saturated mobile market. Others suggest that higher-spend apps advertise greater rewards to marketers but often underdeliver on such promises.

 Instead, customer rewards platforms that offer rewards in exchange for engagement not only capture the dominant form of mobile traffic, but also encourage brand loyalty by deepening relationships with customers. With such rewards apps, marketing spend goes further by both gaining new customers and strengthening engagement with existing ones.

Analytics and Metrics

Mobile marketers need to capture accurate analytics to determine the success of their campaigns. But many worry about issues regarding the transparency and integrity of mobile data analytics. Lately, this sentiment has only magnified since recent studies found that fraudulent user data has increased by 15% in the past two years.

A comprehensive mobile analytics platform provides accurate data, interprets it, and acts on it. But in addition to descriptive analytics that determine when, where, and to whom products are being sold, mobile marketers need to find a way to gather real-time information on consumer buying behaviors. Shopping apps offer a benefit that other sources of data collection don’t: the ability to travel with the consumer throughout the buyer’s journey from awareness to purchase. Through Shopkick or similar apps, brands can discover trouble spots that might be impairing the consumer’s path to purchase.  

Omnichannel Coordination 

How can mobile marketers coordinate consistent messaging across different channels? It’s widely known that users transition between multiple devices throughout the day. But even when confined to mobile, users have a variety of ways to access information. A successful omnichannel strategy must work seamlessly to integrate the different mobile communication paths. 

In-app messages are one of the most common ways to communicate with mobile users. These can include ads with images and a call-to-action which can strengthen user engagement with your brand. In addition to ads, mobile users can also receive push notifications. These messages, which a user must opt into, offer a sense of urgency that can lead multitasking users back to an app. Text messages have a similar urgent quality — for many today — even more immediate than a phone call — which contrasts to some extent with the medium of email.

Strategic Mobile Marketing

Marketers know that gaining and retaining customers is an ongoing challenge with any strategy, and mobile is no exception. Yet, by leveraging a strategic approach to apps, analytics, and omnichannel communication, marketers are rising to the challenge with smart solutions.

Shopkick is an established mobile rewards shopping app that helps brands and retailers keep their stores, brands, and products top of mind throughout the entire shopper journey, driving incremental engagement and sales. We have a proven track record of helping mobile marketing spend go further by collecting real-time, actionable first-party data for our partners. Our mobile programs are pay-for-performance against our opt-in audience, eliminating fraud concerns and wasted spend. To learn more about how Shopkick can help optimize your mobile marketing strategies, contact our team.

Last year, the coronavirus had a devastating effect on traditional retail. As shoppers rapidly shifted to e-commerce, foot traffic dropped in physical stores as much as 82.6% in the months following the pandemic. This year, however, in-person retail is beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. As more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine, more and more opportunities to entice customers back to brick-and-mortar shopping are beginning to pan out.

Yet, where there are post-pandemic retail opportunities, challenges also emerge. On the one hand, many customers with online shopping fatigue are eager to get back to spending money in-person. Some outlets that saw slumps are now preparing for “revenge spending,” as customers are ready to overindulge after months without shopping. On the other hand, traditional retail stores have to work against online buying habits that have become routine for many.

So, how can brands provide post-covid experiences that are more inviting, innovative, and enticing for in-person shoppers? This article looks at how brands can use face-to-face customer service, omnichannel shopping experiences, and enhancements to the traditional retail experience to drive customers back to physical stores.

Face-to-face Customer Service

If there’s one thing that online shopping experiences simply cannot offer, it’s face-to-face customer service. The brands that are proving to be most successful at bringing customers back to physical stores are those that use exceptional customer service to make each shopper feel special and like their needs are being met.

Powerful customer service begins with listening. Consider a customer shopping for a high-quality home stereo setup. Rather than pushing a large set of high-end speakers, a patient salesperson listens and learns that the customer lives in a small apartment. In response, the salesperson suggests an ergonomic audio setup that fits the environment without sacrificing quality. 

Omnichannel Shopping Experience

Today, more than 65% of consumers use multiple platforms before making a purchase. Omnichannel retailing uses various data sources to let retailers and brands meet customers where they are, regardless of the device. Making this as seamless as possible, regardless of the platform, is key. In-store shopping should integrate with online use by offering a consistent and engaging customer experience. 

An omnichannel strategy takes multiple channels into account when messaging customers. This includes, for instance, sending contextually specific information based on location data or previous behavior. The luxury retail chain Barney’s, for example, created a mobile app that allows them to send promotions based on customers’ proximity to the physical store, and recommendations based on their in-store behavior and selections. Brands that leverage such tech alongside loyalty and rewards apps are likely to be at the forefront of the return to brick-and-mortar.

Enhanced Shopping

Retail outlets are also feeling increased pressure to provide a sense of novelty and newness for the in-person shopping experience. This kind of “retailtainment” or experiential retail can take many forms. Think of in-store play centers, celebrity appearances, virtual reality demos, collaborative cooking—these are just some of the ideas retailers are experimenting with to drive foot traffic back to stores.

At the same time, of course, retailers will need to balance such exciting in-person experiences with customers’ need for safety in a post-covid environment. Forbes suggests that various forms of built-in physical distancing, along with calming colors designed to soothe anxious customers, are here to stay.

Optimistic for In-Person Retail 

Brick-and-mortar retail was significantly impacted by the coronavirus, but many are optimistic about the consumer demand for in-store shopping. Expanding face-to-face customer service, omnichannel communication, and enhanced shopping experiences are some of the ways brands are meeting this demand while driving even more customers back to physical stores.

Shopkick is an omnichannel solution that allows brands and retailers to engage and influence shoppers throughout the entire path to purchase, in-store and online. We share key intel on ever-changing consumer shopping behaviors and trends, and provide our partners with real-time shopping data, helping them fill gaps in the customer shopping journey and invest marketing dollars wisely. To learn more about how Shopkick can help you drive awareness, incremental sales, and customer loyalty throughout the full-funnel shopping journey, contact our team. 

Any retailer knows that building brand loyalty is key to achieving business success: not only do you have to hold on to existing customers, you also have to attract new ones. And because it costs more to attract new buyers than to retain the ones you already have, strategy is key. Fortunately, there are endless ways to satisfy your current clientele, woo new customers, showcase your brands, and—oh yes—increase sales. 

The Shopping Experience Has Changed…

… But you already know that. The omnichannel customer experience is the new black, and you need to meet this challenge head-on. This is not your mother’s shopping experience: retailers now use multiple channels to reach both existing customers and the ones they have yet to meet. It’s all about the customer here—and most of them are highly distractible. And with such a dizzying array of choices at their fingertips, who can blame them? Here’s where a customer loyalty program is your friend. Customer loyalty incentive programs help build trust between a retailer and its customer. And in a world where 71% of Americans say it takes only one less-than-stellar experience to switch them to another brand—can you really afford not to?

The best customer loyalty marketing strategies work by creating the most convenient shopping experience possible—that’s doubly true if the customer is new. Enter a mobile app. As a tool to build brand loyalty, a mobile app is a no-brainer. As anyone who has ever ridden on a bus can attest to, people love their phones. In fact, the average American checks their phone at least 52 times a day, according to a study by Deloitte.

Building Brand Loyalty 

People don’t put their phones away just because they’re in your store. They might be checking messages, swiping left or right, or pulling up a picture of that to-die-for sweater that brought them there in the first place. If you want to reach a new customer, do it through their devices. A mobile app also lets you send personalized messages to new and existing customers alerting them of exciting offers they can take advantage of.

A popular customer loyalty program idea is the “VIP-pre-sale.” It works on the premise that the customer is valued, loyal, and just a bit better than the rest. These customer loyalty programs often offer an advance sale available exclusively to longstanding and repeat customers—and they work like a charm. Better still, existing customers instinctively forward the offer to friends who they think might be interested.

Referrals Are Retail Goals 

As an active marketing strategy, word of mouth is king. In fact, 92% of consumers say they trust friends and family’s recommendations over all other forms of advertising, even when they don’t know the person. That’s why referrals are such a powerful tool. Recommending a brand is like texting your bestie about a fabulous new restaurant they simply must try. It’s personal. And humans like the personal touch.

Referrals come in many shapes and sizes, including written testimonials, which you can easily incorporate into your marketing materials. You can also reach out to a customer still giddy from a recent purchase and ask them to recommend the brand to 3 friends. This is called the network effect and is a highly proven strategy to pull in new fans. Video testimonials are another powerful way to market your brand and outperform both text and photos. 

Listen—Really Listen—To Your Customers

Your customers need to feel supported. An integral part of customer service is addressing your customer’s issues and any negative experiences they may have had with your brand. Consider their demographics, including, age, gender, income, education, and occupation, to create on-brand messaging that resonates. You’ll also want to continually take the pulse of your customers through surveys, focus groups, communities, and forums—and of course, one-on-one connection. Promotions, giveaways, contests, and social media games are also a great way to build brand loyalty.

Automatic Incentives 

People are more likely to spread the love about your brand or post about it if there’s a little something in it for them. A customer loyalty program provides that extra bit of encouragement. You can also incentivize through bonuses like complimentary premium features or credit toward future buys.  Creating incentives via a charitable donation is another great strategy. Bonus marks if you personalize the donation. It sparks a connection between the customer and the donee and makes them feel like they’re making a difference.  

Another powerful customer loyalty rewards program strategy is geotargeting or location-based marketing. By tracking someone’s real-time location, marketers can deliver the “right message at the right time.” Push notifications are a great example of this. When a customer is in the general area of a retailer they like, they’ll receive notification of an offer they simply can’t refuse. After all, people adore convenience, and everybody loves a bargain. And you’re not just limited to your own brand. With location-based marketing, you can also direct ads at your competitors and nab their customers too.

Shopping Rewards Apps 

Shopping rewards apps like Shopkick work by creating a fun way for shoppers to get rewards in-store and even online. This could be for interacting with in-app content, engaging with products in-store, and of course, purchasing. Like a great game of Candy Crush, the best part is making it to the next level.  

In a world where every new product is seemingly better than the last and convenience reigns supreme, you have to evolve to grow your brand and thrive in today’s retail climate.