Mobile coupons offer an excellent opportunity for retailers to appeal to customers on the go, and to drive them in stores with special offers and discounts. Retailers such as Target are offering coupons which can be downloaded to their phones and scanned at the checkout.
Here are ten reasons why retailers should consider the use of mobile coupons in their marketing strategies...
Drive sales in store - Mobile coupons can be downloaded by customers on the move, and the lure of a discount or some other offer can be enough to tempt more customers into stores, where they may buy more than just what's offered on the coupon.
Saves printing - I've eaten pizza several times in the knowledge that I could have saved myself money if I'd printed a coupon out beforehand. Downloading and printing out coupons requires customers to plan ahead, but mobile couponing means that restaurants and retailers can appeal to customers' impulses more easily.
Mobile coupons remove all the fiddly work and the advance planning involved, and thus appeal to more customers.
Measurability - Coupons can be an effective add-on to any multichannel marketing campaign, and can allow retailers to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. Using bar-coded coupons, marketers can capture the identity of the customer making the purchase, the promotional code and the amount of the transaction.
Proximity marketing - Mobile coupons allow stores to appeal to customers who might be in the area, looking for something to buy. Having a coupon accessible via mobiles means that customers can find offers and act upon them immediately.
Apps allow customers to search for businesses offering discounts in their local area, and this provides an opportunity for retailers to attract more custom. These apps also allow smaller retailers to have some kind of presence on mobile without the need for extra investment.
Improve success of mobile marketing - Mobile coupons can provide a measurable outcome for any marketing campaigns that involve mobile, and can be a persuasive tool to drive sales.
Allows retailers to test mobile commerce - Issuing coupons via mobile is one way to test the water, and see how their target audience responds to mobile offers, what kinds of phones they are using, and so on.
Broad appeal - Let's face it, just about everyone has a mobile phone, and more and more have phones with internet access. This means that the potential target market for mobile coupons is massive and growing all the time.
Customers want coupons - Coupons and voucher codes are already very popular online, thanks in part to the recession, but also the fact that people love a bargain. For this reason alone, mobile coupons will become very popular with customers, and they will actively seek them more and more.
Recent Deloitte research suggests that US shoppers were actively looking to receive coupons via their mobiles, while another Compete survey found that smartphone users want to use coupons.
It is cost-effective - Unlike the alternatives of offering coupons in newspapers or by direct mail, with mobile coupons, retailers only pay for engagement.
Gain an advantage over competitors - If customers are using apps to search for discounts while they are out and about, then retailers offering mobile coupons can provide a more compelling offer to customers than their competitors.
(This article was originally posted by Graham Charlton on Econsultancy)
David A Moore is a cross-media marketing junkie fueled by Mountain Dew. His habit is supported at Advantage Printing, a commercial print and marketing service provider serving churches, nonprofits and small businesses.
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