The path to purchase has been forever altered by mobile and a new by study xAd and Telmetrics shows just how much. The study, entitled the Mobile Path To Purchase, is summarized here for you by Chuck. This study shows the growing influence mobile is having on not only how we buy but what we buy and where.

Accuracy in location based marketing is the ESSENTIAL ingredient for success. Can you imagine if your highly-targeted, location-specific ad is being displayed 6 miles off target? According to new research from Thinknear, only about a third of ads are being displayed in an acceptable and actionable geofence. The rest? meters or miles off target - which means meters or miles off from enticing customers into your place of business.

 

This may be the most important and frightening conversation for the location-based ad world. One that needs to happen. One that needs to lead to more accountability. One that you should know about right now.

In zombie parlance, the retail supply chain is all but dead except for that little piece of the brain that runs on instinct. You know, it's the one that thinks it's a good idea to eat humans...

 

One of the bigger implications of our new mobile world is the hurt it is putting on the retail supply chain. There used to be a day when the only way a consumer could get a product from a specific brand was to find it in a store. That isn't true anymore. With so many brands now reaching the consumer directly and the expectations of the consumer reaching orbital requirements, what will happen to the legacy supply chains still being used by most retailers today? RSR released a report on the impact that mobile is having on the supply chain and, in case you didn't know, it has been disruptive and destructive. More change in retail = more opportunity for differentiation.

It seems that the ability to buy from our phones is not enough, we now need to be able to buy faster - in 20 seconds or less to be exact. PowaTag is a new app that enables shoppers to purchase from where they stand from whatever they are looking at. A user points the app-loaded smartphone to the advertisement or product, confirms the particulars (size, colour, etc) and pays. No aisles, no cash registers, no lines, no hassles.

In a vast study across Europe by Ipsos on behalf of ING a number of key insights were unearthed. Among them was the notion that the more we rely on our mobile phones for commerce, the higher the likelihood of an impulse buy. The difference is that the average transaction on a smartphone is much higher than the same by other forms of payment. The question should be how do you find the right mix of product that creates the impulse to buy...and buy often

Humans are finicky. We complain when we get too much attention from pushy sales people on one hand and then we complain that shopping is becoming impersonal. Retailers are caught between too much service (seen as pushy) and not enough service (seen as uncaring) and right in the middle of all of this are the humans. This is all based on a recent report by the McCann Worldgroup entitled Truth about shopping. The conclusion? Newsflash...Humans are empowered and tough to please.

Scanbuy's numbers don't lie. The number of QR code scans are up 20% from last quarter and people are doing it from every corner of the planet. Chuck highlights the latest numbers here - including the demographic split, the preferred use and the top scanned categories.

A new study from ICM Research confirms the retailers worst fear: They have to embrace ALL aspects of mobile - the mobile web AND mobile apps. Mobile web dominates the first step of brand engagement however more sales are coming from apps. Confused? You should be. Solve the "why" of the mobile web to bring deeper customer loyalty and sales through the mobile app. The road ahead for retailers is getting much clearer, just not any easier.

At the recent OMMA Mobile in New York, 3 of the top pioneers in mobile retail offered up their best advice on how they are succeeding with their mobile strategies. First up is Jim Ensign, vice president, Global Digital Marketing, Papa John’s International. Second is Amit Shaw, vice president, online, marketing, mobile and social at 1800Flowers. Third is Tricia Nichols, global lead of consumer engagement, media innovation and partnerships for Gap Brand. Each brings a unique voice to the table but the bottom line is to learn from what they are doing and move your strategy forward.

SMS isn't dead, it is just widely misused. This according to a Hipcricket study. The results show the disconnect between the use and value of SMS as part of the marketing mix. Done properly, text messaging will be the retailers greatest ally. Done improperly, text messages become their greatest enemy. The simple truth is that if a message doesn't offer value, is not relevant and is too intrusive, it is not just disregarded it will harm the perception of the brand. 

 

How bad is it being done? Chuck summarizes in 90 seconds.