Everyone is talking about showrooming. It is certainly not the death-knell of retail, as some pundits would have us believe. Consumers will browse the web while in your store, hotel or check-in counter because they are looking for reviews, assistance or   solutions. The real opportunity lies in exploiting the full capabilities of mobile web in-store or on-property by locking your consumer onto your mobile site or app.

A recent survey by Deloitte on mobile influence showed that forty-eight percent of U.S. consumers said their phones influenced their decision to purchase an item in-store, and more than 60% of consumers use their smartphones in the store.  Purchases influenced by a mobile device are predicted to increase to $689 billion dollars by 2016 (19% of total store sales). Smartphone users are 14% more likely to make a purchase in a store than non-smartphone users.[i]  These statistics show that mobile has tremendous untapped potential in influencing shopper behavior in the store!

More about that study here: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/177740/deloitte-smartphones-helping-not-hurting-retail.html

Make mobile on-property work for you

A successful mobile on-property strategy starts with having a compelling mobile website, and making sure that consumers are aware of it.  Your mobile site should be designed for mobile and should take advantage of all the things that makes mobile different.  Don’t fall into the trap of serving up your company website on the mobile device. Your customer will find the brand that makes it easy to get reviews and quick information about the products and services they need, even if it is your competitor!

A mobile-only campaign can help make your customers aware of your mobile site.  Are you tracking how many of your campaign emails are being opened on a mobile device? Chances are that figure is at least 30% and it is higher if your brand appeals to a younger demographic. At minimum, you should actively integrate QR codes into your print ads to drive traffic to your mobile site.

Store-finder is one of the most-used aspects of mobile browsing today. Your mobile site should be location-aware and have the ability to switch to on-property mode when your customer is near or in your store. On-property is the magic that will keep your customer on your site by providing special offers targeted at on-site customers or scan-able coupons available right from the device.  Product display pages should include reviews that are filterable by social media types.

On-property is ideal for the travel and hospitality industry. For hotels, the on-property features could offer the ability to contact the concierge, order room service, browse menus and provide lists of local attractions.  You may even want to let your guests check into popular social sites; share their purchases and their experiences. Providing free WiFi will encourage use.

On-property apps enhance the brand experience

A successful mobile strategy will likely include apps for loyal customers. An app with on-property mode is even more effective at building loyalty and creating experiences that access more of the native device capabilities. Examples of interesting uses include a barcode scanner for retail clients to show the scanned items product display page, with reviews, of course.  A hotel could have self-guided walking tours of the area around the hotel, using the native mapping and navigation system on the device.  Today, it is essential to build social into your app.  After all, you want your customers to be your advocate and brand ambassador, but don’t make them leave your app to do so.  A great example of an app that provides many of the features described above while building the luxurious image of the brand is the Ritz-Carlton Hotel app for iPhone or Android.

The reality of the ubiquitous mobile web is that it is a real opportunity to redefine the customer experience. By taking into account what your customers are likely to do while mobile, you can create experiences that make your mobile site sticky and might even take customers away from your competition.  And that’s a good thing.

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