In the age of social media, online shopping and mobile commerce, it’s no surprise some people feel that brick-and-mortar retailers may soon become obsolete. However, these new technologies have recently been utilized to encourage shoppers to head back into stores.
WSL/Strategic Retail explains that a number of new mobile technologies, social media campaigns and shopping apps are hoping to use consumers’ behaviors and communication preferences to get them to shop at physical store locations. Retailers have figured out how to make shopping in stores as interactive and fun as commerce done over the internet.
“For the first time in many years, retailers are getting ahead of the trend, and the shopper, by introducing new mobile apps that create fun, entertaining and promotion-driven experiences at the malls and in the stores,” explained Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL/Strategic Retail. “By using mobile technology to access flash offers, search best deals and earn rewards, shoppers are, once again, able to make purchase decisions in-store, rather than online at home.”
According to a recent report by the retail trends firm, smartphones have been successful in aiding shoppers as they make purchases in stores. In fact, of those who have smartphones on hand when shopping, 56 percent use them to compare prices, 53 percent take pictures of products and 46 percent find coupons.
Shopping-related apps are also highly popular tools for smartphone users, according to WSL/Strategic Retail. Forty-six percent of mobile applications downloaded were designed to aid shoppers, and consumers are using these apps to receive in-store alerts on sales, read QR codes, navigate aisles and look up product information.
Shoppers have turned to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to make more informed purchases and follow brands or stores they enjoy, and businesses are increasingly offering rewards for these users, the firm found.
All in all, the company found that mobile technology is not the enemy of brick-and-mortar retail. Instead, the popular devices open more doors for retailers’ marketing efforts and, as a result, the number of social networking users who searched for discounts on these sites increased 31 percent over last year, and those looking for member-only benefits rose 50 percent.
According to the Sunshine Shopper, Victoria’s Secret is one company utilizing Facebook specials for fans. Recently, the shop offered free $10, $50, $100 and $500 reward cards to select Facebook followers.
Rite Aid has also started a new seasonal program allowing its Facebook fans to gain access to a limited number of coupons. Each deal debuts on the site, along with quizzes and pledges that can be easily shared through Facebook.
“The savviest retailers are using mobile technology to maximize shopper engagement at every point of contact,” said Candace Corlett, president of WSL/Strategic Retail. “Integrating it into sales service, providing Facebook and Twitter followers with exclusive ‘member-only’ rewards, and creating apps that are both exciting and efficient are the new keys to driving traffic and sales at retail.”
