The most effective advertising medium for many brands can be delivered through a mobile app. Whether brands are choosing to focus their attention on social media, grow their presence by using a branded app, or connect with third-party developers for unique features, these experiences must be optimized for mobile usage. Mobile advertising offers a constant connection to consumers which other mediums can’t.

Brands must continuously focus on growing their audience. Just as older consumers are aging out of a particular demographic, new ones are entering for the first time. Mobile advertising provides an effective way to connect with these consumers. That connection is nearly constant, as consumers typically bring their smartphones with them everywhere. The ability to go where consumers go and reach them as they make purchase decisions is what gives mobile apps an edge over any other medium.

The Most Effective Advertising Medium Travels With Consumers

There’s a critical gap in the sales funnel which marketers must contend with in every marketing strategy. That gap occurs between brand discovery and purchase. The longer a consumer lingers between seeing an advertisement and being physically near the advertised product to make a purchase, the less effective that ad will be.  

For example, a consumer sees an ad for a new soap for dry skin while watching television at home. If the consumer has dry skin, their interest is likely piqued. However, they aren’t so intrigued that they immediately seek out the product at the store, which might be inconvenient if they weren’t already planning a trip. Instead, they make a mental note about the product and think about seeking it out the next time they go to the store.

Alternately, consider a scenario where that same consumer goes shopping. While in the store, they use a shopping app, like Shopkick. Through that app, they are notified and incentivized to view branded content featuring a new soap for dry skin. Their interest is piqued, and they’re already at the location to make a purchase. It’s far more likely they will seek this product out as the gap between the advertisement and the consumer’s proximity to the product is minimized.  

Mobile apps expedite the steps between brand discovery and purchase by traveling with the consumer. These apps provide in-the-moment notification which leads to a higher potential for sales. This is one of the main reasons why mobile is such a powerful conversion medium.

Optimized Mobile Experiences Leverage Local Search

While digital channels have given global exposure to a lot of brands, consumers are increasingly looking to local markets for purchases. In fact, 82% of shoppers have used the “near me” tag in a search to find local products. While online shopping will increase in popularity, brick-and-mortar stores remain a critical component for sales. Mobile can be used to improve a brand’s results when consumers search for something local, even when that brand is national.

An excellent example of this comes from popular consumer app Starbucks. The brand may be global, but its mobile app is locally optimized. Consumers can use the GPS data on their phones to gain information on local stores, browse menus, make orders, and even get information about what music is playing on the store’s speakers.

Localized retail digital marketing helps expedite purchases for consumers and provide them with valuable information about products and brands near them. This type of advertising is a value-added approach to marketing, as it assists consumers through the advertisement.

Mobile Apps Keep Consumers Organized and Incentivized

In-store mobile app usage is growing rapidly, especially in relation to shopping apps. These apps see high demand as they’re designed to streamline rewards tracking and redemption for consumers. In the past, consumers used rewards cards or their phone numbers to manage the programs in which they participated. As a result, tracking and redeeming those rewards could be difficult. On the brand’s side, there was no way of offering non-purchase-based, scalable rewards in the store, reducing the effectiveness of the program.

With a mobile app like Shopkick, a consumer can automatically receive rewards points for entering a retail location. They can increase those rewards by seeking out participating products in the store and scanning their UPC. This creates a fun digital scavenger hunt for consumers while improving engagement for brands. Additionally, the app allows consumers to manage and track rewards from their mobile phones in an easily accessible way.

Mobile apps have also streamlined the redemption process, in some cases, even offering automatic redemption when the consumer reaches a particular tier. A simplified process increases app retention and activity as goals feel attainable. Retention and active use are critical for any mobile-based rewards program.

Through its diversity and flexibility, mobile advertising has proven itself to be the most effective advertising medium.

Through its diversity and flexibility, mobile advertising has proven itself to be the most effective advertising medium. It can travel with the consumer and deliver timely ads to improve sales conversion. It can offer a local presence to a national brand and make shopping easier for consumers. Brands should consider using a variety of branded and third-party apps to take advantage of the compelling medium that is mobile advertising.

Shopkick partners use our app in conjunction with their own mobile programs to improve customer engagement and sales. For more information on adding our app to your marketing mix, contact us.

Image courtesy of Georgejmclittle