The future for retailers in a mobile environment

Mobile seems to be everywhere you look and is changing the way people interact and use information. You can now find information instantly from practically wherever you are and at any time and this is changing the face of retail.

Gone are the days where you could only shop when retailers were open. With the introduction of the Internet, people are able to shop from home, or on breaks at work, allowing people to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Now, mobile is able to offer even more convenience as customers can shop wherever they wish - from home or on the move - and they can use even more channels to connect to the Internet such as a traditional PC, laptop, tablet and smartphone to do so. This improves the customer experience as it allows shoppers to fit shopping into their busy lives, using whichever device they wish. Retailers must recognise this growing new channel and respond appropriately.

An article in Tech Advisor, The promises of "Omni-Channel" retailing, proposes that location, product, price, quality and service are no longer differentiating factors for retailers and there are five new factors which are relevant today in a mobile environment. These are:

1. Connecting - shoppers connect to the Internet or mobile to find product information. This needs to be available to both the shopper and staff in the shop.
2. Predictive - retailers must look at customers and predict in real time, rather than relying on historical data.
3. Personalisation - making a personal offer to each shopper in real time.
4. Context aware - making the offer at the right time and the right place whilst in your store or nearby. 
5. In-store experience - shoppers today are looking for information, product details and product comparison and this should be enabled within the store.

These five factors focus on real-time information, knowledge and treating customers personally with tailored offers.  Even better, it focuses on ensuring that staff within a store are equipped with as much knowledge as a customer. This helps ensure customers find what they are looking for in a convenient and speedy manner.

An article in The Guardian, Omni-channel retail: joining up the consumer experience, states that retailers are able to improve engagement and convenience through omni-channel retail. They, as well as many others, argue that it is important for retailers to provide a consistent experience across all channels that shoppers may use as if retailers fail to offer this, they may lose that customer completely.

The retail experience within a store cannot be undervalued. By visiting a store, shoppers can have a face to face interaction, compare products more easily and have questions answered quickly. However, showrooming is becoming a more prominent trend within retail where shoppers go online via their mobile phones to compare in-store prices with competitors’ prices. This is why it is crucial for retailers to adopt an omni-channel approach to guarantee they price competitively and also ensure the in-store experience is first class, as well as the customer experience across all other channels.

Mobile is certainly changing the face of retail and it is vital that the importance of this channel is recognised by retailers to secure their continued existence.  Find out how retailers can enhance the mobile shopping experience or read our Retail section to find out more.

For further information regarding HSL Mobile, visit us at:

http://www.hslmobile.com

follow us on LinkedIn, @hslmobile, Facebook or Google+

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605 260

or email us at sales@hslmobile.com

Retail and Marketing say Ahoy to Mobile Communications Services

Using mobile communications in the retail industry is not a new phenomenon and is fast becoming common place. Customers are quickly embracing mobile as part of their shopping experience to research products and services, find reviews and even check prices whilst in store to see if they can buy it cheaper elsewhere.  

 

As a result, strengthening customer relationships and loyalty is becoming even more difficult in a world where customers are able to find an abundance of information at the touch of a button and search for the best deals around. 

However, mobile communications also opens up the possibilities of developing and nurturing relationships with customers. Retailers can keep in touch with customers via updates about new product ranges, special promotions, developing apps to enhance the shopping experience and so on.

In 2006 one of the leading companies who specialise in advertising boats for sale decided to utilise SMS for mobile marketing and developing customer relationships. They launched a new innovative service to enable visitors to describe what type of boat they were looking for and to then be notified of any potential matches by SMS. The company has a long history of being the first to offer new services to their sector. From used fishing boats to new power cruisers, the company pride themselves with helping members, individuals and businesses to buy or sell boats quickly, easily and cost-effectively.

The company decided that whilst it was feasibly possible for them to build an SMS system that could integrate with their existing systems, it would be to their advantage to instead use an established supplier with worldwide knowledge and agreements for sending SMS.

HSL fit the bill for what they were looking for. We have been providing mobile services to enterprises worldwide since 1999, giving the client peace of mind. With our competitive pricing and ease of integration the decision to select HSL as their SMS supplier was made even more simple. The client began using us purely to alert visitors of product matches but this has extended to also using our services for keeping in contact with their clients.

With SMS services suitable for all enterprise types, HSL's robust technology, coupled with their creative and flexible approach to enterprise requirements, positions HSL uniquely within the industry as a highly reliable, reputable and forward thinking SMS service provider. As a direct result of using HSL's outbound SMS services and continuing to keep their visitors informed with up-to-date boat availability, the company has enhanced their relationships with visitors and potential customers which means that when visitors next need to search for a boat, they are likely to be their first port of call.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com

Treat yourself with more sales this Christmas

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.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com