Below, I’ll explore three reasons why retailers should consider integrating a powerful, branded mobile application, and how they can leverage it to create a more engaging in-store experience that capitalizes on the deep shopper-phone connection.
Marketing and Personalized Offers
In its simplest form, personalization requires anticipating what users may want or need based on what retailers already know about them. And when directly targeted to an individual shopper, most are open to receiving personalized offers, as it’s viewed as a retailer providing a service rather than an unwanted, generalized message.
While we all know personalization is important, a retailers’ ability to leverage consumer data and personal shopping history quickly and easily is essential in order to offer unique promotions to consumers – anywhere, at any time. For example, as a shopper enters the grocery store, location-based geofences or instore beacons can remind them that Halloween is approaching, and send a coupon for candy directly to their in-store app. Tests have shown that the redemption rate of coupons presented to customers while shopping is magnitudes higher then with traditional check-out couponing. With multiple in-store beacons throughout the store, customers can be encouraged to visit several locations in the store receive special offers, just like a scavenger hunt.
Loyalty
The main functions of loyalty programs, digital or physical, have remained the same for retailers: they serve as a way to identify repeat customers and their shopping habits. However, consumers now expect more targeted, relevant offers and rewards in exchange for their personal information.
Shoppers will always have their phone on them but might not want to carry around a physical card or even their clunky wallet. In tandem with personalized offers on mobile devices, integrated loyalty programs help provide a new level of excitement and value for shoppers on the go. One example of a well-performing mobile loyalty program is the Starbucks app. According to eMarketer, 23.4 million people will use the Starbucks app to make a purchase at least once every six months, and its usage is ahead of both Apple Pay and Google Pay. So, why is it so successful? Not only does the Starbucks loyalty program allow shoppers to pay with their phones, each purchase accumulates points-based rewards – striking the perfect balance between convenience and consumer benefits.
It’s important for retailers to remember that simplicity is key. Shoppers are constantly bombarded with information and new offers coming their way, so putting coupons and a rewards program alongside a payment method can bring a new level of integration and seamlessness into retail stores. By focusing on convenience, consumers will only be looking at you, and not the competition.
Self-scanning
Consumers have noticed how frictionless the checkout process is on an e-commerce site and expect the same in person. But it seems inevitable that whenever they’re in the biggest rush, they’re stuck behind someone who’s trying to make a return, or has sent for someone to retrieve a critical item they forgot. Thankfully, according to IHL, Mobile POS Software is one of the fastest growing areas in retail technology, so waiting in a checkout line will soon be a thing of the past.
When smartphones are used as a self-scanning device, the pain points involved in a traditional checkout process are eliminated. By turning mobile phones into tools and not distractions, the customer experience is instantly improved as shoppers check in with a QR code to connect with a store’s POS system. Then, consumers can freely scan items as they shop, and pay for them without interruption.
GK’s Mobile Customer Assistant at your service
What retailers once thought was enemy number one – mobile phones and pervasive web access - has become an essential tool for traditional retailers, as it’s the gateway to an omnichannel experience. Customers are actively looking for tools and apps that provide them a frictionless trip to the store, which explains why GK Software’s Mobile Customer Assistant app has been launched over 168 million times. This year alone, Mobile Customer Assistant has completed nearly 10 million loyalty transactions and redeemed more than 1.4 million coupons in just one month. Used in over 13,600 stores, our platform seamlessly integrates with existing enterprise systems, so there’s less work on the retailer’s end.
To discuss the landscape of mobile customer solutions, or to find out how GK’s Mobile Customer Assistant can impact your business, feel free to reach out.
