April 27, 2011
You and Mobile: Where’s The Fit?
The adoption of smart phones is exploding. As customers migrate from older devices to using what are essentially powerful, Internet-enabled hand-held computers, retailers face new marketing challenges. It turns out that camera phones, clever software, and high-speed data plans are turning customers into formidable comparison shoppers. How does this affect your future marketing plans?
Barcodes and QR codes are the weapons of choice that consumers are using to aggressively pursue discounts and bargains in today’s marketplace, so you may need to add these to your marketing mix.
How does it work?
Today’s shopper downloads a specialized app from Amazon, Target, Best Buy, or a generic app from several independent developers to their Android or iPhone. They stroll through the aisles scanning barcodes with the phone’s camera, and instantly compare prices and check inventory at competing locations. They can even complete their purchases at another local or online store while they’re tapping melons in the produce section at Walmart.
If this scenario sounds unlikely, consider that the first iPhone was introduced only four years ago and that Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader is even younger than that. It’s clear now that these devices have expanded users’ expectations for telephones and book reading. In the battle for the attention (and wallets) of shoppers, the QR Code looms as a similar transformation of retail shopping.
What to do?
Observers say the QR code is poised to go mainstream. Popping up everywhere, from the pages of magazine ads to the sides of buildings, scanned QR codes take the smart phone user directly to the merchant’s site and straight to the relevant offer or landing page. Forget about asking your customer to carry coupons or type in a url on a tiny cell phone keypad. Point and shoot is the emerging standard. Add geo-location, time stamping, and data capture and suddenly, you know more about who uses a discount, or takes advantage of an offer, than you would if they handed over a printed coupon at the register.
Smart marketers understand there’s no way to compete with a determined comparison shopper on price and features alone, but creative relevant use of QR codes can refocus attention to your offer and send shoppers exactly where they should be.
For more information on using QR codes, check out my blog from February 21st, Using QR Codes With Direct Mail.
