This January 20, 2010 article on Mobile-Financial.com features results of a survey of mobile commerce shoppers that retailers would be wise to review. As we have blogged about before, comparison shopping on mobile devices represents a challenge to retail marketers, one that begs for compelling engagement strategies to keep customers from leaving stores for better deals elsewhere.
The survey finds product recommendations accessible via mobile devices as a huge opportunity for retailers, with 65 percent of those surveyed saying they would make purchases were it easier to find products of interest. Retailers heeding this advice will implement mobile-accessible product reviews and recommendations based on factors such as real time inputs by a consumer (looking for a plasma screen TV, what are my options?) and historical transaction data if available (purchased TV in the past, suggest a DVD player).
A potential battleground retailers need to keep eyes on is the mobile product reviews/recommendations/comparison space. On one hand, retailers can develop branded mobile experiences for their customers that are essentially “closed” environments by virtue of product selection limited to that one retailer. Combined with clever engagement strategies such as mobile promotions, this can effectively combat third parties that aggregate product information, prices and reviews across retailers.
These services could render retail store environments as mere “pick up” spots for products browsed, reviewed, and compared by mobile shoppers. The retail sector may be in store for a complete shift in power unless mobile engagement strategies rise to the top of marketing plans and priorities.
