In a world where people are watching their pennies more and more, retailers are having to work harder to survive. The festive period is fast becoming a crucial time for many retailers to increase sales as shoppers come out in force.
When it comes to buying, online and mobile are fast becoming the channels of choice for shoppers. A recent article in the Guardian, Mobile phones are changing the world of retail – at a remarkable speed, stated that the retail industry is going through a ‘revolution’ as mobile changes the way shoppers find and buy products and services. One of the major reasons for shoppers increasing their use of mobile is because of the sheer convenience of it – customers can buy whenever they want, from wherever they are. And let’s not forget that we can now obtain a wealth of information about the product or service and find out who is selling at the cheapest price – which is paramount in the current climate we live in. There is a growing trend where people are actually using their mobile phone whilst in shops to go online and check reviews and prices!
This Christmas researchers are predicting that mobile will continue to have a dramatic impact on sales. Whilst The Independent reports that Deloitte is expecting consumers to spend £330m straight from their smartphones, a huge £3.2 billion of Christmas sales is claimed to be influenced by smartphones as shoppers use their mobile phones to investigate prices, save their Christmas gift buying lists and interact with others over social media. Colin Jeffrey, the head of multichannel retail at Deloitte, asserted: "The strongest growth will be found online, with purchases completed on mobile phones double or even triple that of last year. It is also going to be a click-and-collect Christmas with those retailers who have invested in this service set to do well as these customers spend more and collections drive footfall into stores."
How to Increase 2012 Christmas Sales
1. Get with it - Develop a mobile friendly site
You must have a mobile friendly website. The ultimate aim for any retailer should be to make it as easy as possible for customers to find information and buy products and services. With shoppers increasingly using mobile, a mobile friendly site will help you gain visits to your website, encourage shoppers to stay and look around and help turn those visits into customers.
It is important to consider the buying experience when shoppers visit your website using a mobile. For example, it can often be more difficult to find information as screens are smaller and connection speeds can vary. Therefore, it is crucial that you ensure your content is mobile friendly on different mobile devices by making the site more simple with easy navigation and tabs. You can read further at Mobile Commerce Daily.
2. Finders keepers - Gift finder apps
Consider developing apps as they can be a very effective way to increase mobile usage. An app which we came across this Christmas and may be useful to consider is a 'gift finder' app. This could enable customers to sync their phone book to make gift lists and link with products and services. You could also highlight popular products and services through 'top gift ideas' and allow multiple delivery options to make it more friendly and convenient for the user. If you have a physical store, it is also worthwhile allowing shoppers to scan items when in store and add to gift list.
This can be an effective way to make yourself stand out from the crowd and drive customers to your store.
3. Who are you? - Know your audience
Shoppers are still being cautious when it comes to spending. Therefore it’s crucial that you know your customers well and meet their expectations. For example, will shoppers be entering your website from a smartphone or an iPad? Will they be wary about buying online from a mobile? These answers will impact on your website and whether you offer other ways to buy to ensure you do not lose sales.
Understanding the answers to key questions such as these will help determine the customer experience you deliver and influence your website design, navigation and layout.
4. Get to grips - Handle customer demand.
Capgemini is advising retailers that key dates to look out for are the two weeks beginning the 3rd and the 10th December as £920 million is expected to be spent using mobile. It is vital that you are able to process orders and meet delivery dates.
Therefore, plan ahead to ensure you have the necessary resources and infrastructure in place to handle customer demand.
5. Talk is cheap - Communicate, communicate and communicate!
An effective way to deliver great customer service and make sure your customers are having the best experience when reviewing and buying your products and services, is by communicating with shoppers throughout the buying process.
A quick and way to achieve this is via SMS communications. Retailers can use SMS to notify customers when orders are complete, due to arrive and have arrived as well as alerts on other products or services helping generate further revenue.
Message to retailers
Ensure you are not left behind the mobile trend. Tailor your website so it is mobile friendly, easy to navigate and allows customers to locate what they are looking for this Christmas. For more information about HSL's mobile messaging solutions, please see our Solutions and APIs.
This Christmas researchers are predicting that mobile will continue to have a dramatic impact on sales. Whilst The Independent reports that Deloitte is expecting consumers to spend £330m straight from their smartphones, a huge £3.2 billion of Christmas sales is claimed to be influenced by smartphones as shoppers use their mobile phones to investigate prices, save their Christmas gift buying lists and interact with others over social media. Colin Jeffrey, the head of multichannel retail at Deloitte, asserted: "The strongest growth will be found online, with purchases completed on mobile phones double or even triple that of last year. It is also going to be a click-and-collect Christmas with those retailers who have invested in this service set to do well as these customers spend more and collections drive footfall into stores."
How to Increase 2012 Christmas Sales
1. Get with it - Develop a mobile friendly site
You must have a mobile friendly website. The ultimate aim for any retailer should be to make it as easy as possible for customers to find information and buy products and services. With shoppers increasingly using mobile, a mobile friendly site will help you gain visits to your website, encourage shoppers to stay and look around and help turn those visits into customers.
It is important to consider the buying experience when shoppers visit your website using a mobile. For example, it can often be more difficult to find information as screens are smaller and connection speeds can vary. Therefore, it is crucial that you ensure your content is mobile friendly on different mobile devices by making the site more simple with easy navigation and tabs. You can read further at Mobile Commerce Daily.
2. Finders keepers - Gift finder apps
Consider developing apps as they can be a very effective way to increase mobile usage. An app which we came across this Christmas and may be useful to consider is a 'gift finder' app. This could enable customers to sync their phone book to make gift lists and link with products and services. You could also highlight popular products and services through 'top gift ideas' and allow multiple delivery options to make it more friendly and convenient for the user. If you have a physical store, it is also worthwhile allowing shoppers to scan items when in store and add to gift list.
This can be an effective way to make yourself stand out from the crowd and drive customers to your store.
3. Who are you? - Know your audience
Shoppers are still being cautious when it comes to spending. Therefore it’s crucial that you know your customers well and meet their expectations. For example, will shoppers be entering your website from a smartphone or an iPad? Will they be wary about buying online from a mobile? These answers will impact on your website and whether you offer other ways to buy to ensure you do not lose sales.
Understanding the answers to key questions such as these will help determine the customer experience you deliver and influence your website design, navigation and layout.
4. Get to grips - Handle customer demand.
Capgemini is advising retailers that key dates to look out for are the two weeks beginning the 3rd and the 10th December as £920 million is expected to be spent using mobile. It is vital that you are able to process orders and meet delivery dates.
Therefore, plan ahead to ensure you have the necessary resources and infrastructure in place to handle customer demand.
5. Talk is cheap - Communicate, communicate and communicate!
An effective way to deliver great customer service and make sure your customers are having the best experience when reviewing and buying your products and services, is by communicating with shoppers throughout the buying process.
A quick and way to achieve this is via SMS communications. Retailers can use SMS to notify customers when orders are complete, due to arrive and have arrived as well as alerts on other products or services helping generate further revenue.
Message to retailers
Ensure you are not left behind the mobile trend. Tailor your website so it is mobile friendly, easy to navigate and allows customers to locate what they are looking for this Christmas. For more information about HSL's mobile messaging solutions, please see our Solutions and APIs.
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