Holiday MOBILE strategies that keep on giving

With Black Friday and the holiday shopping season around the corner, retailers are hoping for a fourth quarter that’s good to them, delivering sales that fatten their bottom line. They’re also looking for opportunities to acquire new customers and stay engaged with current ones to ultimately convert them to loyal consumers who will continue to boost their top-line revenue for the year ahead and beyond.

Fortunately for brick-and-mortar retailers, the key to welcoming shoppers through their doors and accomplishing both is right in the palm of most shoppers’ hands: a mobile device.

Here are some ways to use mobile to make the most of holiday-driven sales.

Build brand awareness with digital handouts

Generating brand awareness is the first step to acquiring new customers. With holiday shoppers increasingly distracted with a multitude of shopping options, it’s harder than ever for brick-and-mortar retailers to create awareness of their brand — much less what they actually offer. The buyer’s journey goes nowhere if retailers can’t get shoppers to take that first step.

Reaching today’s shoppers via mobile translates into giving them a “digital handout” about a retailer that increases awareness and helps move them to the next step of their shopping journey. Searches of store directories on mall websites are an example of such a handout; once shoppers know what stores are available, they can take the next step to find out what sales and promotions the stores are offering.

Deliver the unexpected

Although the official launch of the holiday shopping season is just around the corner, shoppers started redeeming Black Friday-like deals even before snatching up after-Halloween deals on treats. Reaching Black Friday and holiday shoppers who are already well-primed with promotional offers requires retailers to stand out in unexpected ways.

Mobile offers the flexibility to react to trends in real time and draw shoppers into the store with limited-time or special offers.

“Unexpected” doesn’t always have to come in the form of a promotional offer, however. Mobile equips retailers to showcase unique or exclusive products.

Make shopping social

With the chaos of holiday shopping, in-store shoppers are more frequently turning to mobile and social media for product reviews and to watch video content about highlighted merchandise. They’re looking for information, feedback and support from friends and family to help them make buying decisions as part of the purchase process. Delivering offers via mobile makes sharing the savings easy.

Shopping journey begins with mobile

Mobile is already serving as a wide doorway for brick-and-mortar retailers this holiday shopping season, with the potential for record sales.

Retailers who employ mobile strategies that actively engage consumers from initial awareness to unique in-store experiences and products, as well as extend awareness through social platforms, will be well poised to generate long-term customer relationships that impact the bottom line for the holiday season and beyond.

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By Allan Haims
marketingland.com