It’s the storefront of the future — and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Retailers need to be where their customers are, and these days, it’s on their smartphone. With the integration of technology and social media, mobile commerce puts the convenience back in shopping — for the customer and the retailer, according to a blog post on Designrfix.com.
Mobile e-commerce is attractive for retailers because it doesn’t have the same overhead that brick-and-mortar stores do. This enables retailers to lower costs because they don’t have to buy or rent space to display all their products. Also, they can sell products directly from the manufacturer to the customer.
With the right blend of technology, merchandising and social media, mobile technology puts retailers in control of the three Ps of buying:
- Pre-buying: Through a mobile phone, customers can receive notifications of sales, events and new products, enticing the customer to visit the retailer via phone.
- Personalized buying: Mobile technology can record shoppers’ personal preferences. Other benefits include the ability to customize the buying experience by demographic and offer specials based on a customer’s buying history, the retailer’s inventory levels or the desire to clear out stock.
This is just another reason that business intelligence is becoming critical for retailers. Most retailers get detailed transaction information and they can adjust their assortment accordingly.
- Packaged buying: Mobile shoppers can browse multiple products in a matter of minutes. Mobile technology enables the retailer to sell bundled items, such as a shirt, pants and purse, making it easier for a customer to purchase three to four items in a matter of minutes instead of having to browse for each piece individually.
Source: Designrfix, June 2012
