According to a recent study by Parks Associates, more than 25% of shoppers use their mobile devices to research products when buying consumer electronics in brick-and-mortar stores. The figures are even higher at the nation's largest retailers, with 54% of Target shoppers and 38% of Walmart shoppers using at least one m-commerce app while shopping in a store.
We've all heard about "showrooming," the practice of examining merchandise in physical retail stores and then shopping for the same products online, with Amazon frequently cited as the biggest beneficiary. However, a recent innovation, the Estimote Beacon, is giving retailers like Target and Walmart an opportunity to fight back.
How does it work? Each beacon can push specific information, such as special offers, stock lists, pre-order capability, to a smartphone or tablet device up to 50 meters away, and also feature wireless and virtual wallet payments. The beacons trigger these different actions based on the consumer's arrival time, distance from the product, interaction with the product (e.g. touching the product or trying it on).
The ability to reach consumers with personalized, micro-location based notifications and calls to action spells opportunity for marketers. Imagine being able to reach your target consumer in the aisle with a specialized, compelling offer that has a very high likelihood of conversion given how far he or she is down the purchase funnel. The market for this kind of advertising will probably be competitive and expensive from the start, but well worth consideration by marketers in highly commoditized and competitive categories.
We've all heard about "showrooming," the practice of examining merchandise in physical retail stores and then shopping for the same products online, with Amazon frequently cited as the biggest beneficiary. However, a recent innovation, the Estimote Beacon, is giving retailers like Target and Walmart an opportunity to fight back.
How does it work? Each beacon can push specific information, such as special offers, stock lists, pre-order capability, to a smartphone or tablet device up to 50 meters away, and also feature wireless and virtual wallet payments. The beacons trigger these different actions based on the consumer's arrival time, distance from the product, interaction with the product (e.g. touching the product or trying it on).
The ability to reach consumers with personalized, micro-location based notifications and calls to action spells opportunity for marketers. Imagine being able to reach your target consumer in the aisle with a specialized, compelling offer that has a very high likelihood of conversion given how far he or she is down the purchase funnel. The market for this kind of advertising will probably be competitive and expensive from the start, but well worth consideration by marketers in highly commoditized and competitive categories.
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