As holiday shoppers get ramped up for the 2013 season, marketers are scrambling to make sure they are on top of the hottest channels of communication with potential customers. In retail publications such as WWD, Shop.org and NRF, articles about MOBILE FIRST and O2O (Online-to-Offline) MARKETING have been prolific.
For many consumers, their mobile device is a multitasking tool- they use it professionally, socially, and to manage their own productivity. Often, it is the device they use most to access the internet. Over the past year alone, research points to over 150% growth in mobile. So what does mobile marketing really mean?
The concept of 'mobile first' is a means by which marketers can look to better target and engage consumers. It does not mean the prioritization of a mobile channel over others, but rather that mobile can, and often is the customer's first point of introduction with a brand or product. Mobile connects the customer to the product or brand throughout the shopping experience, regardless of where the customer ultimately checks out, or purchases the product. Consequently, the focus of mobile marketing should be on using data to augment the customer service relationship. This notion, that mobile is a constant touchpoint, turns the traditional concept of the linear purchase funnel or path to purchase somewhat on its head. Instead of discovery --> consideration --> purchase --> loyalty, it now looks more like introduction followed by a continuous circle of engagement and relationship building.
Discovery --> Introduction. With the location-based benefits of mobile, the initial introduction of the brand or product to the consumer can be more targeted and thus more relevant. Research has shown that local relevance followed by targeted coupons and promotions are the 2 features that drive increased mobile click-through the most.
Consideration --> Engagement & Relationship Building. The goal of Mobile advertising is typically geared either toward building the frequency of interaction with a particular group of customers, or building buzz and awareness with many customers. Key to this engagement is the quality of content. Mobile content needs to be both inspiring and educational- acting as an aesthetically simple but attractive information source for product research. This content needs to be integrated with other touch points - like digital, print, and in-store so that the consumer can come and go seamlessly to and from whichever touch points they decide they want to get information or experience from.
Example: The Dollar Shave Club. The Dollar Shave Club realized that 35-45% of their internet traffic was being driven by mobile. Looking for ways to improve their mobile interaction with their customers, they engaged a company called Instart Logic to speed up the load time of content when accessed via mobile. Instart Logic does this through a type of streaming technology that allows the viewer to begin to experience content before the entire content has been fully downloaded. The effect was decreased wait time by 20-80% depending on the quantity/type of content on the page. Ultimately, it has been a huge success and has led to stronger and longer engagement with customers and ~17% higher conversion rates.
Sources:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Sephora-Mobile-First-Means-Connecting-Customers-Experiences/1010361
http://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Retailers-Using-Mobile-Changing-Path-Purchase/1010368
http://www.businessinsider.com/social-commerce-ahead-of-the-holidays-2013-11
http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/dollar-shave-club-sees-126pc-conversion-increase-on-samsung-galaxy-s3-with-ab-testing
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