The target market for retail stores is naturally tech-savvy, with 6 in 10 shoppers using a smartphone to look up information while in-store. Retailers have a wide range of interactive technologies available to them to aid in engaging audiences. QR scan codes, smart shopping carts, augmented reality, automated checkout, VR showrooms, and interactive display windows are all tactics retailers have used to make a big impact on shoppers.
By far, the most affordable and easy-to-implement technology is a mobile shopping app. Although possible to create in-house, it’s even more affordable and convenient to partner with a third-party app like Shopkick that already has the necessary capabilities and infrastructure; all you have to do is create content to fit within the platform to expand your reach and inspire loyalty.
Interactive Mobile Platforms Scale the Target Market for Retail Stores
Interactive mobile platforms offer an affordable and effective way for retailers to entice new shoppers, as well as solidify the loyalty of existing shoppers. Two-thirds of brick-and-mortar shoppers use their mobile devices to look up deals, reviews, and information in-store, so it’s a viable communication channel to use to influence consumers at the point of purchase. Mobile is also often used to help narrow down purchase decisions or in deciding where to shop.
So if mobile is the channel retailers should use to influence their target market, exactly how do they go about it? Through rewards, of course! One study revealed that shoppers now more than ever understand how much their loyalty is worth to retailers and expect to be rewarded for it. Over half of customers rate rewards as important for both big-ticket and small, habitual purchases.
Shopkick is an example of a mobile shopping rewards app that is successfully introducing retailers to new audiences. After downloading the app, Shopkickers can browse wherever they are—at-home, on-the-go, or in-store—to see which partnering retailers and brands allow them to accrue “kicks” (reward points) for certain engagements, interactions, and purchases. Kicks can be earned not only by making purchases and scanning receipts, but also by visiting participating retail stores, watching branded promotional videos, flipping through curated lookbooks, and scanning the barcodes of select items in-aisle. Later, they can redeem their kicks for a gift card of their choosing. Not surprisingly, many shoppers even choose a gift card from the same store where they earned their rewards.
Research by Visa found that 57% of sales driven by Shopkick were incremental and 73% of incremental sales came from new customers, further supporting how a mobile app partnership is an ideal way to expand retail brand recognition to a previously untapped audience. Best of all, just a 7% increase in loyalty can boost lifetime profits per consumer by up to 85%.
How to Boost Retail Traffic and Sales With Interactive Technology
How and why interactive mobile apps are so effective at expanding a retailer’s target market relies on a number of factors. Shopping apps like Shopkick make use of all the best trends in marketing today.
Omnichannel Marketing
Mobile apps bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds. A shopper can begin the purchase process with digital research and finish in-store, or use a mobile device to order a product that’s not currently in stock. Increasingly, mobile devices are being used as payment methods, loyalty cards, and virtual coupons. Consumers are even using mobile devices while in-store to enhance their shopping experience—whether through continuing research, conducting comparisons, or interacting with an in-store gamification activity. Retailers who offer fluid shopping experiences across channels will pick up a larger slice of the market as consumers enjoy the flexibility and convenience.
Personalization
The vast majority of shoppers (90%) are willing to hand over personal data if it means a better retail experience that’s customized to their unique preferences and tailored to their needs. In fact, 80% of consumers will only shop with retailers who personalize the experience for them. Apps that keep users logged in, allow in-app messaging, greet shoppers upon entering the store, and offer helpful suggestions based on past or current activity are the advanced features shoppers expect from modern retail personalization.
Proximity Marketing
Proximity marketing strategies use mobile devices, beacons, or NFC technology, allowing retailers to communicate with shoppers in the local area. Google PPC advertising is often touted as a great way to attract local store traffic, but mobile proximity marketing has been found to be 16x more effective.
User Experience Gamification
Interactive mobile apps can send shoppers on scavenger hunt-type “scan missions” to find and engage with products at-shelf. One household cleaning company partnered with Shopkick to gamify their in-store strategy, which increased in-store foot traffic by 232% and purchase conversions by 92%. Bonus kicks were earned when shoppers located and scanned the barcodes of multiple “bundled” items with their smartphones, but those who purchased the bundles earned even greater rewards.
Video Marketing
Video is one of the most engaging ways to obtain and sustain consumer attention. Whether it’s to share an insider glimpse behind-the-scenes of your retail store or expound more practical information to facilitate a purchase decision, in-app videos increase awareness, build meaningful relationships, and leave a favorable, lasting impression. As app users navigate the store, video messages can offer the right information at the right time to guide purchasing decisions.
Interactive Mobile Technology Awaits
Shopkick has an established user base in the millions—an audience just waiting to interact with your retail brand.
The app can help customers locate items at-shelf, receive personalized suggestions, engage with video content, narrow down purchasing decisions, gamify their shopping experience, and earn rewards while doing it all.
Tap into Shopkick’s user base and interactive mobile technology capabilities to increase your target market for retail stores. Read our success stories or contact us to become a partner and start expanding your target market today.
Image courtesy of Syda Productions
