There’s no denying that in the past decade, consumers have migrated to the internet for their holiday shopping. And can you blame them? There’s something compelling about avoiding traffic, long lines, and possibly cold temps in lieu of surfin’ the web in flannel pajamas. 
But all of this online shopping has offline retailers wondering what they can do to engage customers more, particularly during this holiday season.
Considering that 71% of consumers believe they are more likely to get a better deal online than in stores, brick-and-mortar business owners should start by offering holiday deals, then finding engaging ways of pushing those offers.
What’s the absolute best way to improve your customers’ offline shopping experience and inspire brand loyalty at the same time? Through in-store mobile engagement.
According to Deloitte’s 29th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey, mobile phone usage for holiday shopping is on the rise. In fact, the probability of converting a smartphone shopper to purchaser this year is 59%. These are the people retailers must target and mingle with if they want their bottom line to feel merry and bright.
While in the physical store, these consumers will be using their smartphones to search for sale items, compare prices, find gift ideas, and read product reviews. And every time they do, retailers must be ready to connect with them, offer deals and relevant information, and help customers along their buying journey.
Having said all of this, there are some definite complexities to understand and rules to follow for campaign success. Here are 4 ways you can successfully leverage in-store mobile this holiday season:
- Think from Your Customer’s POV
If you want to get on your customers’ good side, create your mobile campaigns from their POV. Holiday shoppers have definite time constraints and you should keep this in mind when crafting compelling yet to-the-point messaging. This means offer them only your best products and promotions and keep all intrusive and potentially-annoying messages out of the mix. Customers will be more than happy to engage with brands that craft campaigns with them in mind.
- Let Your Customers Decide to Engage with You First
In case you haven’t noticed, consumers hold the power. They no longer want to be marketed to - they want to engage if and when they feel like it. With this in mind, when it comes to proximity marketing, it’s always best to let your customers engage with you first.
The good news is, after you’ve offered relevant and helpful messaging, most customers will begin to trust your brand. This initial trust will inspire engagement, which will inspire brand loyalty, which will inspire repeat business throughout the entire year.
- Don’t Focus Solely on Technology
Regardless of how it’s delivered, exceptional content is the reason all campaigns succeed. It doesn’t matter if you’re engaging through print, billboards, or mobile, ensure your content delivers the goods. And by goods we mean it’s compelling, relevant, and highly-targeted.
- Go for Seamless Engagement
It’s the holidays, which means everything you offer customers should be enjoyable. You know what’s not enjoyable? Campaigns that weren’t tested before being rolled out that contain one (or more) glitches.
Before you launch any campaign, it’s critical you test, test, and retest to ensure messaging is satisfying and redemptions are seamless.
When you make in-store mobile marketing a component of your overall strategy, your customers will begin to rely on and look forward to this satisfying communication from you. This will inspire them to keep coming back for more.
