Posts tagged mobile marketing
Location-based mobile advertising enters a new era
Feb 25th
Location-based mobile advertising. There’s been a lot of talk, but not a lot of action with only a few brands taking advantage of the tool to drive footfall into their stores.
But if a new experiment from North Face takes off we could see a significant uplift in the practice.
The outdoor apparel retailer is to send mobile users text messages whenever users are near a store – the first time the brand has targeted customers depending on their physical location.
The tech involves ‘geo-fencing’, which draws a virtual perimeter around a particular location, and is being managed by Placecast, a location-based mobile ad company in San Francisco.
In urban areas, the fences are up to half a mile around stores, and in suburban areas they are up to a mile around stores. When a mobile user enters the geo-fenced area they receive a text message is sent - but only if they have opted in to receive messages.
Placecast uses the phone’s GPS signal and location data provided by carriers to companies to determine the location of users.
For now, according to the New York Times, the North Face will send texts about promotions, like a free water bottle with a purchase, and new arrivals, because the company’s gear is heavily seasonal.
A text message might say, for example, “TNF: The new spring running apparel has hit the stores! Check it out @ TNF Downtown Seattle.”
But as things develop, the retailer plans to eventually send branded texts when people arrive at a hiking trail or mountain to alert them about weather conditions or logistics for a ski competition.
According to Forrester Research advertisers are projected to spend $561 million on mobile this year and $1.3 billion by 2014. And location-based marketing will play a major role.
North Face’s experiment has set a new benchmark for mobile advertisers and others brands are jumping on board with five more companies working with Placecast on similar campaigns.
Our lives may never be the same again. So next time you leave a gig and receive a message from a local restaurant, you’ll know why.
iPhone apps boost mCommerce shopping experience
Dec 4th
Big things are predicted for mCommerce. eBay’s recent ‘Deals’ app was launched on the back of predictions that by the end of this year it expects more than $500 million in merchandise to be purchased via eBay mobile.
Launched just a year ago, the eBay iPhone app has been downloaded more than five million times – making it one of the most popular iPhone apps.
The company also claims a purchase is made every two seconds via eBay mobile and that users from over 165 countries visit the eBay mobile website and use the iPhone application.
For mCommerce to be a success it’s all down to apps being easy for consumers to use and them then working cleverly to make lives easier.
Which is why a new one has caught our eye that uses high tech to make the most of an old tech device – the barcode.
‘StripeyLines’ allows shoppers to swipe the barcode on goods they are considering for a price comparison and then saves these goods and profiles as a wish list on the StripeyLines website for later research and evaluation.
It’s already got the backing of Iceland and Tesco through its TJAM initiative., with more retailers set to jump on board.
So in the run-up to Christmas or during sale events it could be used to allow visitors to affiliated retail stores to touch and feel products while on the shop floor then use their iPhone to scan the barcode of their desired products and collect them later at a “customer collection point”, or scan them and add them to online wish lists.
Alternatively, in-store, or later over a coffee, shoppers can review what they’ve scanned to make an informed decision and perform further research before purchasing the items from their iPhone or desktop PC.
Scanned barcodes can be used to gain access to generic images and details via either the retailer’s adapted version of their catalogue or through look-up search engines such as Amazon, eBay, iTunes and Google.
Shoppers can choose to carry out a number of different actions on a scanned item including the ability to search for the item on Tesco.com and then add it to their online Tesco’s Grocery account shopping basket.
It opens up a world of additional possibilities. What if having scanned a product the user plans to eat or drink, the application could update how much the nutritional value of that product contributes to their daily allowance and calculates the number of calories they have remaining? Such a development is already in planning.
Retailer specific barcodes (the shorter 8 digit barcodes found on own brands) are being added to the StripeyLines search as retailers make them available. The first retailer to provide this data is Iceland Foods with data also being made available from Tesco.
The flip side are the advantages for retailers who don’t want to developing their own iPhone application.
The StripeyLines app enables them to develop simple plug-ins that are beamed to shoppers’ iPhones and highlight certain lines and promotions when related items are scanned.
It allows them to integrate their stores with a product show room on an iPhone where shoppers can ‘touch and feel’ items and use capture/scan technology to deliver enhanced product data, access the website, create wish lists, receive recommendations, and cross sell suggestions - limited only by the retailer’s vision.
Following the launch in July 2007, sales of the iPhone and iPod Touch had reached 43 million units globally in 81 countries by April 2009, with over 35,000 applications hosted in the Apple store. Recently 30,000 iPhones were sold in the UK on the Orange network on the first day of sale, according to the operator.
“iPhone users are early adopters, technology savvy and are eager to embrace new lifestyle options and services,” explained Paul Tough, CTO of Portaltech, the company which has developed StripeyLines.
If it takes off, the StripeyLines iPhone app has the potential to change the face of shopping for consumers, making it possible for retailers to deliver enhanced mobile shopping services in store to implement a true multichannel strategy with minimal development and investment.
“As it’s a plug-in extension to their existing web technology, retailers don’t have to learn about a new technology and they can update and disseminate information in a true multi-channel environment, enabling them to merge the online and in-store experience so it is seamless and convenient, added Tough.
Why do marketers get branded iPhone apps so wrong?
Dec 1st
With over with over 100,000 applications on the iTunes App Store, brands are left with the dilemma of how to get their offerings noticed.
So what’s the secret of becoming a hit? What’s the magic formula that will get you on someone’s phone and close to them 24/7?
According to a new report from Adweek.com, two factors come into play.
Firstly, it argues that brands operating in the digital space have the advantage over non-digital brands.
No great surprise there. Unsurprisingly they get the space, how it operates and the needs and wants of online users. Oh, and they already have a profile in the online sector.
The second is ‘Utility’ – offering something of value to customer.
Any marketer is faced with the challenge of persuading consumers that their product/service is something they can’t live without.
It’s no different in marketing apps. Bottom line is do some research and do it early. If the feed back is that what the app is offering is rubbish, it’s most likely rubbish.
But don’t simply our word for it.
According to VP of Business Development at Symsource, Tim Ocock, in a recent article on UTalkMarketing.com the three guiding priciples for any brand developing an app should be.
1. Make sure you understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology.
2. Do something that can only be done on mobile.
3. Build something useful, not a gimmick
Ahhh, ‘something useful’ as in a Utility then! Have we made our point?
Banks lagging in the innovative tech race risk losing custom
Nov 30th
How can banks win back custom after users turned tail and fled in the face of the recession?
The answer, according to self-service provider NCR Corporation is to be more flexible in their services by embracing technological developments.
A bank provider that enables customers to manage their finances easily via online, mobile and kiosk self-services was favoured by 80 per cent of 8,400 adults polled around the world.
Speed and ease of access to financial services such as payment deposits are key priorities for consumers, according to NCR’s research with 31 per cent of respondents surveyed demanding online, ATM or mobile bill payment services.
Services that banks are introducing include text alerts to notify customers when they are nearing their overdraft limit and the ability to pay bills at ATMs.
Obviously new smart phones are making it easier to introduce downloadable applications that enable customers to switch funds between higher interest and current accounts, and pay bills.
Mobile money transfers are to help generate transactions worth over (£300bn) $600bn globally by 2013, according to Juniper Research’s Mobile Payments Study.
Banks are facing increasing pressures, not just as a result of lost consumer confidence, but also from potential new entrants to the market.
According to NCR’s Managing Director for the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, Elton Birden, consumers are comfortable using a range of digital technologies to manage their lives and expect to be able to manage their finances in a similar way.
“Banks must respond to these demands or risk losing business. The banks that are succeeding are those that are now investing in technologies that offer customers instant access to an increased number of services and facilities, and greater autonomy over their finances,” he added.
In a bid to reduce operational costs, many retailers, leisure groups and international providers are using self-service to expand their offerings and move into the banking arena.
Self-Scheduler solutions now enable customers to schedule appointments with bank staff at a convenient time and location, via the Internet or touch screens in the branch.
The appointment is confirmed immediately by text message, e-mail or text-to-speech and reminders sent out.
From initial contact, the customer’s purchase process is monitored in detail, with their requirements for advice and information captured.
This enables bank to monitor the speeds at which customers are served and their needs met from a branch, regional and national perspective.
Already, consumers use over 40,000 NCR ATMs in the UK to get quick and easy access to their cash, make deposits and manage their bank accounts.
Similarly to eBay’s reasons for launching it’s latest ‘Deals’ programme, it’s about banks providing customers with services for what they want, when they want and where they want.
Miss that point and they’ll be missing out on next generation banking.
Orange looks to cash in on mobile internet with iPhone
Nov 3rd
The mobile internet has certainly been given a boost this year with the increasing popularity of Apple’s iPhone and the Android, now, French telecoms provider Orange is looking to further cash in on what has proved to be a natural progression for telcos – the mobile internet.
From next Tuesday (November 10), Orange will begin selling the iPhone, a long two years since its launch in the UK when the telco missed out on the lucrative contract when it went exclusively to O2.
The introduction of Apple’s handset is set to boost revenues at the UK third largest telco, which already boasts 4.7 million mobile internet subscribers.
Research from Juniper has revealed that the mobile internet ad spending could be well quadrupling from the current day £250 million to well over £1 billion by 2014.
An increase in mobile internet ad spend won’t not directly impact the revenues of the mobile network operators, but it is an indication of how lucrative the medium is going to be in the near future.
Last week, Orange reported a significant rise in its mobile internet customer base in its otherwise disappointing 2009 financial results.
It increased the number of mobile internet customers by almost two-thirds (64%) in the first nine months of 2009, compared to the same period last year – proving it can handle the ever increasing and demanding iPhone audience.
The network offers a range of mobile internet packages offering speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps which start from £4.89 a month.
In the build to its iPhone November 10 debut, Orange has launched a £4m outdoor and press advertising campaign to promote its 3G network, which it claims covers more than 93% of the population.
Orange has a strategy of looking to woo customers with its claim to have the best network based on third generation mobile technology, which enables reasonable web surfing on handsets.
Text me more marketing messages please!
Nov 2nd
It’s not something you hear everyday in the world of marketing but, nonetheless, findings of a recent survey show that a large number of consumers aren’t happy with mobile marketers because their favorite brand hasn’t yet marketed to them via their mobile device.
A massive 83% of people surveyed for HipCricket’s second annual Mobile Marketing Survey are staring blankly at their mobile screens just waiting for a marketing message that could direct them to a bargain from their favourite brand or provide them with a nugget of new product information.
Consumers are already using the mobile internet to find brands and products, with 85% of respondents agreeing that it’s a valuable source of information that interests them. A little over 40% have visited a retailer’s mobile website for such reasons as finding store locations (70%), store hours (51%), directions (39%) and searching for coupons or promotions (29%).
HipCricket’s September study, based on 511 email responses, also discovered that mobile Internet users are even paying attention to marketing messages they receive on their handsets. Almost half of those who had received mobile marketing offers recalled the brand and a whopping 94% remembered the specific call to action.
Yet, despite consumer want, mobile marketers just don’t seem to be pushing their messages to consumers.
With consumer interest in mobile marketing continuing to steadily increase, it’s clear that now is the time for brands to launch and execute their mobile strategy and programs.
Furthermore, mobile initiatives are succeeding because they connect a demand from the consumer with high levels of recall.
Time to get texting!
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