The smartphone is playing an increasingly important role in the purchasing process of Internet users. Mobiles are reassuring tools since they allow you to search, find, verify and compare information at any time and in any place. In all hands, this nomadic device must have a place of choice in your cross-channel strategy.
Even if very often, the purchase is finalized on computer or even on tablet, the mobile is central in e-commerce because it makes it possible to reach the Net surfers in a precise moment. This allows you to be closer to Internet users and thus offer them benefits at the right time.
Retail and cross-channel: mobile at the heart of practices
Physical stores and e-stores are important "places" for consumers and each of these channels plays an essential role in the company's retail strategy.
Complementary, the online and offline channels help each other to bring traffic back to the store or to acquire new customers online. The smartphone then has a real role to play in cross-channel.
Thanks to his mobile, a consumer can move forward more easily and quickly in his purchasing journey. For example, he can look at the features and reviews of a product in a physical store. E-commerce sites are also often consulted prior to purchase, in order to find information and feedback. In this sense, the "availability of the product in store" functionality on e-commerce sites seems to be an interesting idea in order to promote the adoption of all channels by Internet users. The interest? It's simple… A cross-channel consumer is more profitable than a consumer who only uses the offline channel or only the online channel.
Obtaining the availability of a product in a physical store on an e-commerce site is a great added value for consumers. Thanks to this feature, they are ready to go to the store, to travel, to provide time and effort in order to obtain the product.
If you cannot offer this functionality on your e-commerce site (or on your mobile site), you can offer an in-store digital kiosk that allows you to order online.
On the other hand, consumers are more likely to visit your store if they receive emails or text messages with special offers. Offer promotions in real time on smartphones!
Mobiles and Beacons: a winning sales strategy
Your objective is to combine offline distribution channels such as physical stores and online such as e-commerce sites in order to boost sales. How to harmonize your online and offline strategies? All the complexity of multichannel then surfaces. Smartphones are real assets. They allow access to information on the products or on the General Conditions of Sale upstream of the purchase.
How to take full advantage of the widespread use of smartphones by Internet users? The answer lies in beacons. These beacons detect, for example, consumers who enter the store, which allows geolocated content to be sent to them on their smartphone through push notifications or text messages. A consumer who passes by your physical store (and therefore your beacon) could receive a notification offering him a discount exceptionally valid for him that day.
Placing beacons in stores would send current offers to consumers entering a physical store. This would also make it possible to support consumers in the discovery of new products that they could appreciate (according to their purchase history, their centers of interest, etc.).
Retail and mobile payment: the right solution?
Smartphones are increasingly used in the purchase journey and the barriers to mobile payment are disappearing. New uses of mobile are then possible.
In stores, it is perfectly plausible to limit the queue by offering payment via mobile (scan of a QR code or bar code For example). The objective of the brands is then to evangelize payment via smartphones by supporting Internet users in this process and by emphasizing the benefits: time saving, accumulation of better advantages, etc. It's up to you to encourage mobile payment by offering special offers or exclusive discounts that other consumers won't get.
The field of distribution is currently in full evolution. The channels intertwine to form a unique overall experience in the minds of consumers. This experience favors smartphones as real tools for facilitating the purchase journey. It's up to you to work on your cross-channel strategy by integrating mobile devices particularly well!
