There is one brand marketing strategy that companies—and especially CPG brands—can’t afford to ignore, and that strategy is mobile marketing. In fact, mobile marketing has become so prevalent that many companies are choosing to take a mobile-first approach by making mobile marketing their primary outlet. There are several factors contributing to the popularity of mobile marketing, all of which center around the strategy’s extremely effective way of connecting with consumers wherever they go.
In many cases, smartphones are consumers’ primary methods of communication and entertainment. No longer are these devices merely conveniences. They’ve become necessities that consumers rely on to plan their days, research information, and even make payments and purchase products. Any CPG brand that wishes to stand out in today’s competitive marketing environment needs to prioritize mobile marketing. Below are five reasons why this medium is crucial to implement in today’s digital age.
#1: Consumers Use Mobile in the Store
One of the major mobile marketing trends to be aware of is way that consumers have turned their smartphones into digital sales assistants as they browse the store shelves. In one study, 77% of consumers reported using their mobile devices while they were in the shopping aisle to gain information on a product. Two factors—convenience and transparency—drive this use.
It’s much more convenient for a consumer to pull out their mobile phone and research product information than it is to locate a sales associate and ask them brand-specific questions. It’s very unlikely that a sales associate will be extremely familiar with the ins and outs of a given brand, meaning that the consumer may not be able to get their question adequately answered. The popularity of in-store mobile use presents an opportunity for brands to deliver the right message as the right time, while shoppers are already on their phones.
Transparency is also essential as the consumer may be seeking out information that a sales associate wouldn’t be willing to provide—like where the product may be available at a lower cost. Consumers may want to find reviews and other details on products that retailers don’t have. In this case, it would be wise to partner with a shopping app, like Shopkick, to provide this transparency while still controlling the branded message.
#2: Mobile Shopping Has Overtaken Desktop Shopping
For anyone looking to increase sales in the digital space—including CPG brands—having a mobile shopping presence is imperative. As of 2017, mCommerce accounted for nearly 60% of digital sales. This growth is only going to continue, meaning that eventually mobile will account for the majority of online sales. Additionally, popular digital shopping alternatives which don’t work as seamlessly on desktop—like voice shopping—are better designed for mobile experiences.
#3: Mobile Offers More Innovative Features
When most brands are looking for new ways to offer exciting features in digital marketing, they seek out mobile options. Mobile innovations that create unique and seamless experiences, like digital wallets, are increasing consumer dependence on smartphones for shopping. Additionally, the popular augmented reality features that several brands are working to introduce are primarily designed to work with mobile devices. These innovative features are in high demand and the easiest place for consumers to access them—and sometimes the only place—is on a mobile device.
#4: Mobile Is the Preferred Platform for Video
Video marketing is extremely popular because video is the preferred form of content for most consumers, and mobile is the platform on which consumers choose to view that content. Mobile video accounts for 59% of all video traffic and short-form content, such as advertisements.
As there is such a high demand for video, and consumers prefer to watch on mobile devices, this can be an excellent opportunity for companies to serve one of the most popular forms of video advertising—rewarded video. With rewarded video, consumers receive incentives like rewards points (or in Shopkick’s case, kicks) for viewing branded content. These incentives increase watch-through rates for videos and by extension, brand affinity.
#5: Mobile Provides Real-Time Shopping Behavior Insights
One of the most beneficial reasons for using a mobile marketing platform is the opportunity it provides in gaining signals of purchase intent while consumers are in the shopping aisle. By understanding how consumers interact with products in the store, brands can create strategies designed to direct consumers to their products.
By offering rewards points for scanning UPCs, for example, brands can incentivize consumers to seek out their products in the store. This metric can provide insights for brands on how motivated consumers are to find their products and how easy the products are to locate, along with other valuable information.
CPG brands don’t necessarily have to place mobile marketing first on the list when creating a marketing campaign, but it should be a top priority.
Making Mobile Marketing a Priority in a Brand Marketing Strategy
CPG brands don’t necessarily have to place mobile marketing first on the list when creating a marketing campaign, but it should be a top priority. Partnering with a third-party shopping app like Shopkick helps a brand strengthen their mobile marketing presence and reach new audiences with innovative digital strategies. Making mobile marketing a significant part of any campaign is an absolute necessity for brands that want to stand out in the crowded CPG sector.
Shopkick offers our partners the ability to leverage the power of mobile marketing while limiting the high cost of developing and retaining an app audience. To add our app to your marketing mix, contact us.
Image courtesy of Oberon
