M-Commerce 2 2.0.pdf · of Agile Commerce, a March 2011 report by Forrester Research, Brian Walker...
Transcript of M-Commerce 2 2.0.pdf · of Agile Commerce, a March 2011 report by Forrester Research, Brian Walker...
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M - C o m m e r c e 2 . 0S P E C I A L R E P O R T 1 9b r o u g h t t o y o u b y
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"#$%&" '% Power Retail’s Report
M-Commerce: Retailing On the Move.
The mobile device is perhaps the most powerful
symbol of the era of agile commerce. Devices such
as smartphones and tablets are highly personal,
always-on and deeply social, finding a deep
resonance with the cross-channel customer. This explosion of mobile
commerce is far from theoretical. Earlier this year, PayPal Australia’s
MCommerce: Secure Insight Report predicted that smartphone
penetration would reach 100% in two years that total mobile payments
volume 2010 increased 14 fold to reach $42 million. It expects to exceed
this figure in 2011. Mobile technologies such as QR codes, GPS and
context-aware service offer ample opportunities for innovation and
personalisation and are set to drive m-commerce into the future.
This report explores the current m-commerce climate and tackles the
key predicaments faced by retailers while building a mobile strategy that
works. It brings together case studies, expert insights and analysis to help
you use mobile commerce to connect with your customers and grow your
business.
We’d like to thank our industry sponsors and contributors who have
provided best practice advice and commentary into this fast-growing
aspect of online retail.
Neha KaleBusiness Writer
Power Retail
CONTENTS
Moving Towards a Mobile Future 3
Converting Shoppers on the Move 6
Comparing PPC Performance Rates: iPhone Versus Android 7
Sponsor Q&A 8
Innovator Spotlight: Gilt Groupe 9
M-Commerce Gallery 11
Solution Providers 18
FOREWORD & EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
W
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Moving Towards a Mobile Future
n the past few years, technological evolution has given rise to a
landscape that is based not on single retail channels, but on a prolif-
eration of touch points. At the heart of this environment is the new
‘connected customer’, – agile, mobile and prone to swinging seam-
lessly between devices. The mobile phone, or specifically, the smartphone
has played a critical role in this new retail paradigm. In Welcome To The Era
of Agile Commerce, a March 2011 report by Forrester Research, Brian Walker
describes the way this new paradigm has transformed customer behaviour:
“Customers now use a rapidly evolving set of devices as a means of en-
gaging across touch points, which they don’t distinguish from the brand
or business. Customers are empowered with more information than ever
before. As businesses still struggle to deliver cross-channel experiences,
the stream of innovation and market transformation continues to flow
unchecked.”
With its ability to tie together different channels and cater to customers
on the go, the mobile device is the most powerful symbol of agile commerce
– and one widely embraced by customers. Across the world, consumers are
using their iPhones to shop for clothes, accessing product reviews via their
Androids, browsing product catalogues with their tablets and paying for
goods with their Blackberries. Once a sidebar to online retail, mobile com-
merce is now an integral and fast-growing part of customer’s lives.
Earlier this year, PayPal’s MCommerce: Secure Insight Report outlined the
startling growth trajectory of Australian mobile commerce and offered vital
cues for retailers about shaping a mobile strategy. The report found that in
the last year alone, PayPal Australia’s Total Payment Volume grew 14-fold
to reached $42 million in October 2010. It also predicted that smartphone
adoption rate was set to reach 100 percent in the next two years, increasing
the call to action for an effective mobile strategy.
For Frerk-Malte Feller, Managing Director at PayPal Australia, these
findings highlight the need for an innovative and scalable mobile strategy.
“Advances in technologies and changing consumer behaviours are creating
a melting pot of innovation in retail – particularly when it comes to mobile
payments. The explosion of smart phones is changing the way we behave
and interact and is rapidly breaking down barriers between on and offline,”
he says.
“The staggering uptake in mobile payments shows a real consumer desire
for the way they shop and pay to catch up with the way we live. Every day
people are becoming more familiar with buying things on their mobile
phones.”
Feller urges retailers to take advantage of the unique capabilities offered
by mobile devices and use these to shape a compelling and innovative
mobile presence.
“Our retailers are telling us every day that an increasing number of their
customers are visiting their websites via their mobiles. Your customers
are already using mobile as a channel so you must be too. The first piece
of advice I would give would be to focus and innovate – the mobile device
has different capabilities to the PC, and these should be taken advantage
of. Retailers should not just be looking to develop a scaled down version of
their website,” he continued.
Although aspects such as screen size may seem limiting, the mobile device
offers a range of benefits. The mobile is highly personal, always connected
to the Internet and is single click optimised – a factor that makes for a fast
and user-focused shopping experience. Mobile apps can also function in
offline mode, be customised to leverage device capabilities, and drive brand
awareness.
I
WORDS: Neha Kale
“The staggering uptake in mobile payments shows a real consumer desire for the way they shop and pay to catch up with the way we live. Every day people are becoming more familiar with buying things on their mobile phones.” Frerk-Malte Feller, Managing Director, PayPal
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According to Lucas Challamel, Netbiscuit’s Senior Sales Manager, Austra-
lia and New Zealand, “an app-only strategy is very risky if retailers want to
reach a broad audience.” He says that while mobile sites are destinations,
which can be visited and searched for, native apps can easily get lost in the
marketplace or App Store.
Challamel suggests that for a customer-centric mobile strategy, mobile
apps and mobile websites should co-exist, as they offer customers separate
benefits. He cites eBay as providing an excellent example of a mobile strat-
egy that makes use of the capacities of each.
“eBay use both apps as well as the mobile web to offer different points of
entry for their customers. Even though the company is proactively diverting
traffic to apps, the mobile web revenue growth is increasing at the same pace
as the mobile app business. From their perspective as a retailer, it is therefore
important to have a mobile strategy that includes both mobile sites and
apps,” he offers.
Matt Hampshire, Managing Director of Contiigo echoes the view that
retailers should use both apps and websites to address customers.
“I believe there is a role for both. Applications can typically provide more
native and immersive experiences utilising more of the features of the device
They can encourage loyalty, as their presence on the customer’s device screen
can act as a reminder of the relationship the customer has with your brand.”
Hampshire identifies that mobile websites are more cost-effective than
apps and can better leverage features such as location-based technology.
“A mobile website is a critical requirement for every retailer. You must be
able to instantly satisfy a client that’s just heard about you or a promotion
you have going, allowing them to view and purchase and ideally if they are
near a store, to pick up straight away. Mobile websites are typically cheaper
and increasingly they are able to utilise more of the phone’s native features
such as GPS,” he elucidates.
For Challamel, location-based and context aware services have become a
major driver of mobile revenues and will play a more significant role in the
future of mobile commerce.
“These services enable retailers to reach out to the consumers with cus-
tomised and highly targeted product offerings. The integration of mobile
barcodes, mobile couponing, location search and in-store comparison
features on top of the aforementioned services are directing consumers to
the point of sale and contribute directly to revenue growth.”
Steve Timpson, President of Siteminis says that before retailers address
the apps versus mobile website question or work out which features of
mobile to deploy, they should “determine an overall strategy for entering
the mobile space.”
He offers the mobile strategy pyramid as a blueprint for retailers looking
to make their first foray into mobile.
“The pyramid gives the progression of the building blocks to canvas the
mobile space for the greatest impact. As with any strategy, a client must
evaluate use cases and internal resources for effectiveness. In many cases,
outsourcing elements is much more effective for speed to market than inter-
nal development. It is key to recognise that all of the layers of the pyramid
work together- mobile is not a standalone vertical.”
FOCUS ON TABLET COMMERCESteve Timpson President of Siteminis tells us why tablets will play an increasingly important role in mobile commerce.
The tablet so far has been fitting into a niche of ‘lean back’ usage, taking up user access in what in the past had been ‘negative dwell time’ - the time one spends sitting on the couch or in the bedroom watching TV.
In many cases, consumers are watching TV, using a tablet and using their mobile phone. The challenge is developing meaningful use cases for a company that takes into account the native operating system as well as the variety of screen sizes. The space will only get more fragmented in the next several years.
Tablets excel in the use of video and that will be where much of the bandwidth usage will come for tablet users, making this device a target rich environment for marketing
Each mobile devices plays a specific role in the mobile ecosystem and engage consumers in highly personal ways. The more agile a company is at creating methods of allowing consumers to choose how they, individually transact with a brand the better that company is at outpacing their competition.
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Mobile Commerce Snapshot
!"##MILLION
The value of the Australian m-commerce market in 2010
Android
36%Apple iOS
26%Blackberry
23%SymbianWindows
Palm
15%
SmartphoneUsage
50% of online Australians have accessed the internet
from their mobile phone in the past year
In 2010, PayPal Australia’s total mobile payments
volume grew 14 fold to reach $42 million
One in ten Australian customers shop from their
mobile phone
The global m-commerce market will be worth $US23.8
billion in 2015
51% = The compound yearly growth of tablet device
ownership between 2010 and 2015
#$%
#"%%$"$-%$"#
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Converting Shoppers on the Move: Best Practice On-Site Search for M-Commerce
ccording to Nielsen, ‘one in ten Australian online shoppers use
their mobile device to make a purchase.’ Due to this rapid
ascension of mobile commerce within the local landscape,
offering an optimised and easy to use mobile website or
application has become paramount to ensuring success
within this channel.
The screens of smartphone devices such as the iPhone, Android or
BlackBerry are simply too small to provide a user-friendly experience
when accessing standard web-based sites. Therefore, the first m-
commerce must is to build a site or application that specifically takes into
account these physical constraints.
Retailers also need to take into consideration the intention and needs
of a customer who accesses information through a mobile device. Nielsen
research has found that the peak times for mobile purchases were during
transit (on the bus or train), at lunch or at home after dinner , suggesting
that convenience and perhaps a touch of ‘filling out a spare moment’ is
perpetuating mobile browsing and transactions.
Drastically reduced screen real estate and typing functionality, coupled
with the varying data speeds from mobile providers can hinder mobile
browsing activity, making on-site search a critical element for providing
an efficient, optimised m-commerce experience.
Without fast and relevant on-site search, retailers will struggle to create
an m-commerce experience that encourages visitors to purchase. Consumers
will also struggle to quickly find what they want on a mobile site that doesn’t
offer easy searching capabilities, and will abandon their search (and the
eventual purchase). It’s a vital part of the mobile web-browsing experience.
In order to enhance the on-site search for your mobile applications
retailers should keep in mind the following best practice tips:
1. Consider giving the search box prominent placement on a
mobile site. Whether you choose a browser-based or app-based
mobile site, the search box should be even more prominent than the
placement on your standard website, preferably located at the top of
the page. This is crucial because the search box enables users to find
the product they are looking for faster, leading to quicker conversions.
2. Ensure search results are relevant. Scrolling through pages of
results or clicking on refinement options requires more time for
additional page loads. If the results are relevant and display the infor-
mation customers are looking for on the first page of results, this will
eliminate the need for scrolling and enhance the user experience.
3. List the most popular items first. The odds are good that when a
customer conducts a search on a mobile device, they are looking for
a product that others have successfully searched for. Push the most
popular results for a given search term to the top of the list, so that
customers can complete searches faster.
4. Offer results for synonyms. Accounting for synonyms is also a
good idea, so visitors don’t have to type in a new term. In case shoppers
aren’t sure of an exact product term, it helps to offer a link to results for
similar keywords. Links to similar results help shoppers avoid having
to type in additional search terms, and speed the way towards purchase.
5. Include ‘sort-by’ options at the bottom of the results page.
Showing the options to sort by price, brand or popularity should be
moved to the bottom of the page, in order to prevent pushing too many
results below the fold. You can also give users the option of refining
their search via a single click expandable link, which means the refine-
ment options don’t take up screen real estate until they’re clicked on.
6. Include easy access to product ratings and reviews. One use of
the mobile shopping site is to access product ratings and reviews while
shopping in-store. User reviews can be the best way to give visitors the
detail they need to make a purchasing decision, so it is important to
include them in your mobile site. For example, Motorcycle Superstore
includes star ratings for their products in the search results pages.
7. Make it possible for customers to ‘check availability’ at local
stores from on-site search results. Provide this as a link so that
customers can enter their postcode and see what nearby locations
might have the item in stock. You can take it a step further and allow
them to place the item on hold, to be picked up at a later time.
i PayPal, ‘mCommerce Secure Insight’, March 2011, Australiaii PayPal, ‘mCommerce Secure Insight’, March 2011, Australia
AWORDS: Mark Brixton, Country Manager, SLI Systems Australia
Bio: Mark Brixton is the Country Manager for SLI Systems in Australia.
Mark’s previous roles have included working for Australian online
directory company Sensis, one of the largest providers of online media
in Australia; as an a!liate manager for Kiwi Gaming; and, most
recently, as a sales manager for APN.
About SLI Systems
SLI Systems provides full-service, customised, on-demand solutions
for site-search, navigation, merchandising, and user-generated SEO.
SLI Systems’ solutions empower businesses to enhance customer
satisfaction while increasing sales, reducing costs and increasing site
conversions. Unlike traditional search and merchandising software,
SLI Systems’ patented technology continuously “learns” from the
behaviour of visitors over time to deliver more relevant results. SLI
Systems is a privately held company with o!ces in San Jose, California;
London; New Zealand and Australia. For more information, visit www.
sli-systems.com.au , or read the company’s blog at http://blog.sli-
systems.com, watch the SLI YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.
com/user/SLISiteSearch, follow SLI on Twitter at http://twitter.com/
slisystems or listen to SLI hosted ecommerce podcasts at http://www.
ecommercepodcast.com.
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Comparing PPC Performance Rates - iPhone Versus Android
he rise of the smartphone can create uncertainty for mobile
marketers who often grapple with the best way to target
each platform. A recent experiment by e-channel Search
offers surprising insights into the mobile marketing co-
nundrum.
The era of the smartphone is definitely upon us with a 2011 IDC study
reporting that 46 percent of all Australians own a smartphone. Of those:
Australian smartphone ownership has increased 25 percent in the
last 12 months, and Telstra predicts it will reach 60 percent by year-end.
With smartphone ownership on the rise, mobile marketing is becoming
increasingly important for online business growth.
Business analysts at IBISWorld predict mobile shopping will grow by
50 percent in 2011/2012, with 50 million in purchases predicted. An-
droid smartphone ownership popularity is soaring, and could potentially
override iPhone ownership in 2011. iPhone won’t take the competition
lying down and is set to challenge the growth of Android with the release
of the iPhone 5 in September this year.
PPC SHOWDOWN $ IPHONE VERSUS ANDROID
Wanting to delve deeper into the iPhone versus Android competitive
landscape, e-channel Search investigated which device performed bet-
ter for mobile pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. The aim of the study was
to understand the users of both platforms, in terms of interaction, web
browsing, search and buying behaviour.
To investigate further, e-channel examined the mobile search market-
ing results for a major group buying site and a media company offering
news and information about the Australian Football League (AFL).
KEY TAKEWAYS
This study highlights the importance of considering the demographics of
your target market before undertaking mobile paid search campaign. Al-
though differential response rates between platforms are useful, what should
be of even greater importance is the total, or aggregate level of response.
As the use of smartphones continues to grow, and customer bases evolve, these
response rates are also likely to change and normalise. Therefore, the answer is
in the data, which smart marketers will always leverage to their advantage.
Retailers should also make use of the advanced functions in Google Ad-
words, such as the ability to target specific carriers. This experiment proved
that mobile search marketing should not just be targeted at iPhone users
just because they buy more and claim a larger ownership base.
There are significant opportunities to be gained from having a deep
understanding of the interaction between the product category being
advertised, the smartphone platform, and the differences in how users
are searching.
T STUDY %: USER BEHAVIOURThe first stage of the study analysed Android versus iPhone user behaviour towards group buying site ads, over a four-day period. The results shown in the table below:Phone Display of Ads (Impressions) Clicks on Ad CTRAndroid 2313 40 1.73%iPhone 15851 404 2.55%
The iPhone mobile marketing campaign proved to be a much greater success – the level of impressions for iPhone users was generally much higher as was the CTR. The iPhone owner’s conversion rate was also almost 20 times greater than the Android’s.
STUDY ": DEMOGRAPHICSThe study then examined the demographic profiles of smartphone users and the demographics of buyers purchasing from group buying sites.
According to Groupon, 77 percent of group buying customers are female with the main demographic comprising women aged 18 to 34. The higher response rate by women purchasing on iPhone could be attributed to the fact that more group buying deals are marketed at woman and are designed to appeal to female iPhone owners.
The demographic profile of the Android customer base is largely made up of men with women accounting for only 27 percent of total users. The iPhone o"ers a more even split with females comprising 43 percent of users.
A second analysis was conducted within a more traditionally male-oriented product category - AFL. The results of which are shown in the following table: Phone Display of Ads (Impressions) Clicks on Ad CTRAndroid 7589 689 9.08%iPhone 30973 2668 8.61%
Although conversion rates and CTR switch with content that appeals to di"erent demographic groups, there is still a five-fold di"erence in impressions for iPhone users compared to Android.
The experiments highlighted a significant disparity in search volumes between platforms. A possibility is that Android users just aren’t as ‘search happy’ as iPhone users, and/or that Android users are on smaller data plans than iPhone users who are more willing to use their phone for browsing, searching and ultimately shopping online.
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Q& A with
MICHAEL BROWITTBusiness Development Director, Powerfront
.MOBILE COMMERCE IS BOUND FOR +-% GROWTH IN !/... WHAT DO YOU PREDICT
THE KEY SHIFTS WILL BE IN THE NEXT .! MONTHS FOR MOBILE COMMERCE?
I think that in the next twelve months,
retailers will start to open up their eyes to
the opportunities in mobile. More and more
consumers are moving online and using
smartphones and retailers are in a position
to benefit from this. Australian retailers are
starting to realise that the best opportunity to
reach customers in Australia is via mobile.
!WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF DEVELOPING A MOBILE APPLICATION
AS OPPOSED TO A MOBILE WEBSITE?
The easiest way to work out whether you
should develop a mobile app as opposed to a
mobile website is to consider how many people
you have in your database and how many of
those use iPhones and Androids. This is the
most e"ective way to determine whether you
should develop a mobile website. Unless you
are a bank or an organisation that starts o"
with a very large database, a mobile website
presents a better opportunity to reach your
customers than a mobile application.
(WHAT SHOULD THE FIRST STEPS BE FOR A MULTICHANNEL OR PUREPLAY RETAILER
LOOKING TO OPTIMISE FOR MOBILE?
It is important to recognise that a customer
using a smartphone is accessing and browsing
the internet in a di"erent way to a customer
using a PC. This is why it is essential to strip
down your mobile site and make it as easy and
streamlined as possible for the smartphone
user. Navigation on a mobile website should
be smooth and intuitive and provide a clear call
to action. It is also vital to keep your site and
application design simple, and display content
as clearly as possible.
There are various factors that retailers
should consider before optimising for mobile,
and screen size is one of the most important.
You can’t just shrink your existing website to
make it fit on a mobile screen. It is important
to understand that customers need to be able
to read your mobile site easily and they should
be able to easily use their finger to click on a
product and checkout.
)WHAT EXAMPLES CAN YOU GIVE OF RETAILERS WHO HAVE ACHIEVED A
CUSTOMER0CENTRIC MOBILE WEBSITE?
Starbucks and Nike are both excellent
examples of customer-centric mobile websites.
In particular, the Nike mobile is simple, easy
to use and o"ers a great customer experience.
The site features minimal instructions,
compelling and images and highly intuitive
navigation.
*What impact are consumer mobile applications such as location-based
services and context-aware services having on mobile commerce?
We think that this is the very beginning of time
for these applications.
+WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK THE TABLET PLAYS IN MOBILE
COMMERCE GROWTH?
Tablets are just in their infancy – all major
manufacturers are racing to bring capable
tablets to market and this is seen as one of the
next areas of growth for PC manufacturers
and it is now believed that we are now in
the decline phase for desktop PCs. This
represents another fantastic opportunity
for online retailers to create sites that are
optimised for tablets with navigation that is
made specifically for the touch screen and the
smaller resolution of a tablet.
,HOW DO YOU THINK RETAILERS SHOULD OVERCOME THE
CHALLENGES OF OPERATING IN THE MOBILE SPACE?
I would say that mobile commerce provides
an opportunity rather than a challenge.
The mobile channel allows retailers the
opportunity to acknowledge that your
customers are in the mobile space and to
deliver content and be active in these spaces.
BIO: Michael Browitt is the Business
Development Director at Powerfront.
He started his IT career at ANZ in 1987. In 1996,
he moved to London and worked in the ANZ
dealing room where he provided support
for the financial markets dealing systems.
Michael moved back to Melbourne in 1999 as
a project manager and successfully managed
the design, testing and implementation of
Symantec Norton AntiVirus to 15,000 ANZ
PCs worldwide in over 20 countries. During
the e-commerce boom in 2000, Michael
moved on to become the manager of the
ANZ e-commerce infrastructure support
team covering over 200 servers in both the
Production and Disaster Recovery sites. It
was here that Michael learnt the importance
of high availability and system robustness.
The Infrastructure Support team provided
support for ANZ.COM, Internet Banking,
eAuto.com.au, esanda.com, myANZ.com
and runningmybusiness.com.au.
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Innovator Spotlight: Gilt Groupe
n an industry crowded with imitators, members-only fashion e-
tailer Gilt Groupe is the genuine article. The flash sales site may
take its name from false gold, but there is nothing manufactured
about its growth path, which has seen it take on the ailing luxury
retail market with its much-copied limited time shopping model. The
figures don’t lie - Gilt Groupe is currently valued at $US1 billion, counts
vicinity of $US400 million this year. The company’s midday sales attract
100,000 to 150,000 visitors each day, who line up for deep discounts on
labels such as Helmut Lang and Christian Louboutin.
Gilt Groupe’s ability to stay ahead of the curve extends to mobile
commerce. Gilt’s flash sales business model is ideally suited to the on-
the-go, time poor shopper, strengthening the imperative for a seamless
m-commerce strategy built around the customer experience. An early
adopter of the mobile channel, Gilt Groupe has embraced this by rolling
out a series of innovative apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android. Christo-
pher Gonzales, Director of Mobile Product Management at Gilt Groupe
speaks to Power Retail about the part mobile has played in the retailer’s
success story.
WHAT ROLE HAS MOBILE COMMERCE PLAYED IN DRIVING
GROWTH AT THE GILT GROUPE?
Mobile is playing a large role in driving Gilt’s business - both as a channel
to better serve our existing customers as well as to acquire new ones. We
have been seeing mobile’s contribution to Gilt’s overall revenue increase
steadily to date and currently attribute approximately 16% of weekday
revenue and 29% of weekend revenue to purchases made on mobile
devices. Nearly 2 million people have downloaded Gilt apps across the
iPhone, iPad and Android. We have also observed that customers who
access Gilt on mobile devices tend to spend more.
On iPad specifically, the average value of purchases is approximately
highlight, as well, that one of the most expensive items ever purchased
on Gilt, a vintage Rolex watch for $24,000, was bought on an iPad.
WHAT FACTORS DID GILT GROUPE CONSIDER WHEN
DEVELOPING ITS MOBILE STRATEGY?
Gilt wants to serve our customers wherever they are - be it on their desk-
top at work, on their mobile phone while in transit or on their tablets
when relaxing on the couch.
Although accessibility is cen-
tral to the mobile channel, our
strategy is optimised for phone
versus tablet, and the specific
ways in which customers use
each.
Our iPhone app, Android
app and mobile website are
designed to satisfy our cus-
tomer’s need for immediacy
and tailored to a speedy shop-
ping experience. These apps
are intuitive, facilitate quick
exploration and discovery and help lead customers to fast and easy check-
out. In turn, our iPad app is more conducive to increased exploration,
and addresses the fact that browsing a tablet is a more leisurely activity
and that customers spend more time on these devices. To this end, the
iPad app also highlights Gilt’s beautiful imagery, makes interesting use
of gestures and animations, and encourages customers to browse our
product catalogue while still making shopping expedient.
As mobile is an emerging channel, we view it as an area to be innovative
and experiment with new ways for users to shop. We are always looking
ahead.
WHAT GLOBAL TRENDS IN MOBILE COMMERCE HAVE MOST
INFLUENCED GILT GROUPE AND HOW ARE THESE SHAPING ITS
MOBILE PRESENCE?
While we closely follow industry trends, Gilt allows its business model
and customer needs to drive mobile strategy. Furthermore, improve-
ments in platforms are a key factor in the features, upgrades and launches
we pursue. New technologies that improve performance and afford new
ways to shop are key to continued mobile growth.
HOW HAS THE MOBILE CHANNEL HELPED THE GILT GROUPE
ENGAGE ITS CUSTOMERS?
Mobile is a natural way for Gilt Groupe to engage with its customers. Our
sales begin at specific times and run for a limited period, creating a sense
of urgency. When our sales commence, users may not be able to access
I
“As mobile is an emerging channel, we view it as an area to be innovative and experiment with new ways for users to shop. We are always looking ahead.” Christopher Gonzalez, Director of Mobile Product Management, Gilt Groupe
FAST FACTS
weekend revenue to the mobile channel
iPhone, Android and iPad apps
releasing the Gilt on the Go app for iPhone in September 2009.
their desktop computer to shop, but our mobile apps and mobile website
offers them easy access to us wherever they are. In turn, mobile has cre-
ated a new customer touchpoint for Gilt. A simple and effective example
of this is the notification that we send to customers using our iPhone,
Android and iPad apps whenever a new sale starts. Customers love the
reminder and will immediately open their app to shop.
We are also experimenting with technology common to mobile devices
that can provide new ways for customers to explore and shop. The Gilt
Colour feature in our iPhone app gives a customer the ability to focus the
phone’s built-in camera on a color for products of a similar colour to be
returned. It’s a feature that our customers find fun and inspiring while
also having a practical component of matching items to one another such
as a belt to a shoe.
Feature Rich Mobile Sites and Apps for M-‐Commerce and Retail
Each month, more than 25,000
Reach more than 100 million unique mobile users 8.5 billion 100 million
Netbiscuits Pte Ltd Netbiscuits ANZ
2011-08 - letter - Online Retailer Event_v1.indd 1 11.08.2011 14:19:41
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ON TARGET FOR CUSTOMER SERVICETarget’s mobile strategy has always lived up to the precision implied by its name. The US multichannel retailer was an early devotee of the mobile revolution and has evolved its m-commerce presence alongside customer expectations. Target’s mobile app includes a store locator, barcode scanner and top-of-the-line search functionality, allowing shoppers to find out if an item is available and determine the exact aisle location. However, Target gets props from Power Retail for its My List feature, allowing customers to make and manage shopping lists and share these with friends. Target’s mobile website features one-click checkout and is as user-friendly as the app. “We look to drive what is useful and desired by our consumers and that’s first and foremost,” said Dan Fine, Director of Digital Experience for Target speaking at the M-Commerce Summit 2011. “Our employees are there to help service our guests and any apps that we do are to serve our guests.”
THUMBS UP: Target has made the most of the potential of mobile for driving customer service and adding another dimension to the in-store experience. The MyList feature is irresistible to list obsessives while o"ering the rest of us an easy way to manage our product choices.
Part art, part science, the following mobile apps are taking m-commerce strategy to the next level and have reaped powerful rewards for the retailers’ behind them. It’s time to be more creative about your own take on m-commerce.
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THUMBS UP: One-click checkout is a killer m-commerce tool – simple, easy and e"ective. It removes customer fears of entering wrong credit card information, makes it easy as possible for fumbling fingers and takes the risk out of the shopping process.
THUMBS UP: Though retailers may be debating the true value of QR codes, The Home Depot shows how powerful this tool can be when it is based on a close understanding of the target customer. Information-hungry and with a DIY bent, the Home Depot shopper is naturally placed to embrace mobile barcodes.
M!COMMERCE GETS A NEW LOOKUK retailer New Look was built on a knack for anticipating high-street trends and has applied the same smarts to its mobile commerce strategy. The new mobile site prioritises search functionality by making New Look’s entire product catalogue highly accessible to mobile shoppers. The store cuts the journey time from homepage to product page and allows shoppers to browse products using one, two or three columns. The site employs a powerful zoom, allowing products to be viewed in detail, as well as a store locater integrated with Google Maps. Shoppers can also choose their own delivery day. The mobile store makes shopping easy by o"ering customers a one-click checkout and linking to social media and email accounts to let customers share their favourite products.“Research suggests that in 2012 access to the Internet via smartphone devices will even supersede the desktop PC, so this is a clear opportunity,” said Dom McBrien, E-commerce Director at New Look in a statement. “As a result, New Look is launching a market-leading mobile-optimised site.”“Crisp and zoomable product imagery, social media integration and an easy one-click checkout for registered users are just a few of the cutting-edge features.”
THE HOME DEPOT NAILS QR CODE STRATEGYThe Home Depot may be the one-stop shop for eager home renovators, but the retailer is taking the pain out of product research as well. Earlier this year, The Home Depot teamed up with Scanbuy to roll out QR codes across print ads, signage and in-store. When activated, these codes allow shoppers to tap into how-to videos, accessories, product demos, buying guides and project guides. If customers access the codes outside the store, the codes bring up a Buy button enabling easy checkout. Home Depot also lets customers share the product on Twitter or Facebook, or email and check available inventory at the closest outlet.
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FOURSQUARE POWERS CROSS!CHANNEL MARKETING AT DOMINO’SDomino’s recent partnership with FourSquare is a powerful example of the role of mobile in bridging online and bricks and mortar channels. The pizza giant recently partnered with the mobile social network to use geo-targeted o"ers to drive tra#c to its new e-commerce site. First launched at Domino’s Pizza in Liverpool, the campaign o"ered the “Mayor” one free pizza a week. For the uninitiated, Foursquare extends “Mayorships” to users who regularly check-in to certain venues – Mayors are then privvy to special deals or “Mayor Specials” extended by businesses
The campaign was then rolled out at Domino’s stores across Britain, resulting in 9,617 check-ins and 3,000 unique visitors to bricks and mortar outlets. The collaboration also sparked major social media buzz, with 2,764 Facebook posts and 3,714 tweets in its first few months.
KIEHL’S MARRIES LOCAL AND MOBILE WITH SMS MARKETING CAMPAIGNAlthough SMS messages may lack the cool factor of other types of mobile marketing, they can o"er customers a simple and e"ective call to action. Kiehl’s, a beauty retailer known for its hip packaging, recently made a strong case for the role of SMS in mobile marketing campaigns. The retailer asked customers to sign into its new location-based SMS service, which would see them receive news and sales alerts on their smartphones when they approached a nearby Kiehl’s store. The SMS alerts accelerate in-store tra#c by putting the latest promotions, o"ers and discounts directly in the palm of the user. Participating customers are only subject to three messages a month and are o"ered an opt-out option from the outset.
THUMBS UP: While this campaign might not win in the glamour stakes, it powerfully demonstrates how mobile and local can work together to engage the customer. When paired with GPS technology, the humble text message is transformed into a compelling and relevant call-to-action with easily measurable results.
THUMBS UP: Joining forces with a hot social network such as FourSquare was a smart move for Domino’s – the campaign saw sales skyrocket while establishing a powerful social media presence for the brand.
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CONVERSE DRIVES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH AUGMENTED REALITYCynics who dismiss augmented reality as an e-commerce buzzword would stop in their tracks at the new iPhone app from Converse. The shoe retailer has used the technology to create a riveting mobile experience while helping customers find the perfect pair of kicks. The app allows users to try on any shoe from its product catalogue, just by pointing an iPhone in the direction of their feet. The app then uses augmented reality to superimpose a virtual shoe over each foot, without having to wait for a sales assistant to return with another shoebox. When the shopper finds a style they like, a few clicks will take them straight to checkout – or share it with friends on Facebook for a second opinion.
FUN WITH APPSThe retail rush to take advantage of shopper’s obsession with their smartphones has seen hundreds of apps released to the market each week. Here are three of our hot picks:
GAP STYLEMIXERThe Gap StyleMixer app for Android allows customers to pull together and accessorise outfits, explore trends and watch videos from fashion leaders.
HOLLISTERThe iPhone app from US denim retailer Hollister takes the catalogue experience to the next level with its highly addictive jeans guide. Aside from displaying size and fit, the app lets users toggle between the front and back view with a swipe of the finger.
COUPON SHERPA Put away your coupon books - Coupon Sherpa rounds up the best coupons on the web and compiles them in one handy iPhone app. It also lets you tailor lists of favourite stores, email coupons to friends and allows coupons to be scanned by most optical scanner.
THUMBS UP: Converse’s Sampler iPhone app cleverly exploits the iPhone’s built-in camera and shows us that augmented reality applications can be both practical and fun to use.
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Q&A WITH SPORTSGIRLLocal fast fashion retailer Sportsgirl recently sped up its mobile commerce strategy with the launch of a new mobile website. Sportgirl’s Kate Evans gives Power Retail the scoop.
WHAT ROLE HAS MOBILE COMMERCE PLAYED IN DRIVING
GROWTH AT SPORTSGIRL?
Our new mobile site allows customers to engage with Sportsgirl in a meaningful way in their own environment and interact with the brand on their terms. If e-commerce o"ers the opportunity of a transaction outside of traditional bricks and mortar locations, m-commerce takes that a step further by allowing the transaction at ANY point. It really represents the next step in 360 degree engagement.
WHAT FACTORS DID SPORTSGIRL CONSIDER WHEN
DEVELOPING ITS MOBILE STRATEGY?
The main factor that was considered was the brand’s ‘digitally savvy’ target market. Sportsgirl wanted to make the most of the rapid growth of mobile usage amongst this group.
WHAT RECEPTION HAS SPORTSGIRL HAD TO ITS MOBILE
WEBSITE? DOES IT HAVE AN APP IN THE WORKS?
Our girls are definitely engaged with the new platform. The purchase profile of our customer on mobile is very similar to the online profile. We can confirm that the girls engaging and making transactions on our platform are on the rapid incline every week. An app is in the works.
HOW HAS THE MOBILE CHANNEL HELPED SPORTSGIRL
ENGAGE ITS CUSTOMERS?
We have been able to engage our customers through the following features…
news and blogs
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TOYS “R” US USA TALKS MOBILE COMMERCEMobile phones are an integral part of busy mum and dads’ lifestyles, and we continue to look for exciting new ways to engage our customers and present them with the most streamlined, on-the-go shopping solutions.
Last holiday season, we announced several new advancements in our mobile technology capabilities, including coupon barcode scanning and a mobile messaging program to provide multichannel shoppers with additional convenience. In addition,
customers have the ability to shop our mobile-enabled e-commerce sites, and take advantage of our dedicated Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us apps for Blackberry, iPhone, Android and iPad. By introducing these advancements, we are able to build stronger relationships with our customers by providing them with new ways to learn about and take advantage of “R”Us promotions by simply using their mobile devices.
Since launching our initial mobile initiatives late last year, our customers have
responded favorably to the ability to access our brands on-the-go—from locating a store to researching products. We also continue to test location-based check-in services like Foursquare and Facebook Places. Last year, we saw the power of these services particularly on Black Friday as thousands of customers thronged to our stores for our 10pm openings across the country.- Jennifer Albano, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Toys “R” Us USA.
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Netbiscuits enables its clients to develop, publish and monetise cross-platform mobile sites and apps. Our world leading cloud software platform serves the mobile internet services for premium online, media and retail companies such as eBay, Universal Music, MTV Networks, HSN and Axel Springer, as well as leading agencies such as SapientNitro, Publicis, Razorfish, and Ogilvy. Globally Netbiscuits processes more than
in 2000, the company has over 100 employees in the USA, Germany, UK, Singapore, and Australia. The award winning Netbiscuits platform is available as a cloud-based software service (SaaS). At www.netbiscuits.com all tools, interfaces and mobile enabling technologies are provided to develop, publish, monitor, and monetise professional mobile web applications. By using Netbiscuits, media companies, agencies, retailers, brand owners, developers, and service providers achieve a faster path to profit from their mobile Internet programs.
The company has continuously been included in reports produced by mobile industry analysts Gartner Inc. and Forrester Research Inc. respectively. In Gartner’s ‘Magic Quadrant for Mobile Consumer Application Platforms’ published on July 30, 2011, Netbiscuits was positioned as ‘Visonary’ with the highest ability to execute. Forrester’s ‘Market Overview: Mobile Commerce Solutions for Retail’, published on August 4, 2011 provides a detailed analysis of the capabilities of 14 mobile platform solution vendors in North America and Europe with a focus on and a proven record of implementing transactional mobile commerce for online retailers.
Just recently, Netbiscuits’ customer CBS Interactive was honoured with the prestigious 2011 Me"ys Award for the Best Mobile Website for m.cbs.com.
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