Consistent brand messaging is the key to any successful marketing campaign. If a consumer receives mixed brand messages, the impression the marketer leaves will be dull at best and, at worst, confused. Instead, reiterating the same messages and theme in the same tone throughout a campaign can not only convert shoppers into customers but, critically, it can increase brand loyalty.
With e-commerce at a point of relative maturity in the UK, and with m-commerce taking over quickly, the number of customer touch points has never been so high. The necessity for a consistent message across all channels has never been so important. For many years, retailers have run mobile- or online-only standalone campaigns. However, now, each channel is simply one part of the retail mix, with mobile acting as the bridge between online and offline.
Brands that align their offline, physical presence with a strategic online marketing campaign will more readily stand out in front of their audience and win their business.
We recently collaborated on a study with Telmetrics and Nielsen that analysed the mobile path to purchase of more than 1,500 UK mobile device users (tablet and smartphone). The results were fascinating. They highlighted the increasingly interwoven nature of the modern shopper’s purchase journey. An interesting habit highlighted by the research showed that many consumers are actually within a physical retail environment when they research a purchase on their mobile device. We also found that 40% of consumers combine mobile research of a product with in-store visitation before committing to a final purchase.
A year ago you will have heard the word “showrooming” on the lips of many retail business owners. It was a scary prospect; consumers were checking out similar products (often competitors’) on their phones while browsing in-store. This was a race that began to be won by sites such as Amazon, which was able to offer myriad products at tempting price points.
However, what our study uncovered was a new shopping trend taking consumers across the globe by storm: reverse showrooming. Today, shoppers are just as likely to find a product as they browse on the go, before heading into a store to purchase. In fact, 25% of mobile shoppers stated they are more likely to go on to make a purchase in a physical store after researching it online.
The result of this is that retailers have more opportunities than ever to both drive customers along their purchase journey and interact with them to upsell or cross-sell.
However, with increased opportunities comes greater emphasis on aligning messages across all channels to ensure consumers receive the same brand experience no matter what environment they’re in. By targeting consumers with discounts, deals and location-relevant information when they are in-store or nearby, retailers can act on prior research carried out by the customers and tip them towards purchase.
Reverse showrooming, combined with location-aware incentives, can be a powerful mix for retail marketers. In this respect, the importance of mobile doesn’t just sit within the shopper journey, but on truly impacting bricks-and-mortar sales.
Theo Theodorou is head of EMEA at xAd
This article was first published on the Advertising Week Social Club website
To find out more about the potential of location marketing, get in touch with the xAd team at contactus@xad.com
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