Mobile marketing is misunderstood by 97 percent of retailers

Only a very small percentage of companies actually know what they’re doing when advertising on smartphones.

A recent study conducted by Boston Retail Partners has revealed that while many retailers are attempting to use mobile marketing to their best advantage, only a very small number of them are actually proving that they understand this channel and are utilizing it properly.

Smartphone ads and promotions have a great deal of potential for reaching a consumer at the best possible moment.

The opportunity presented by mobile marketing is a unique one, as the retailer would ideally be able to engage a customer using a device that he or she has available and turned on at virtually every moment. When that customer is already in or near a shop location, added enticements can be provided to encourage a sale – or a larger sale. However, as much as merchants do say that they want to be able to provide this experience, few have shown that they have figured out how to do it, quite yet.

Ninety five percent of retailers have identified customer engagement among top initiatives for mobile marketing.

At the same time, only 3 percent showed Boston Retail Partners that they had the ability to identify a customer when he or she actually stepped into a shop, according to the firm’s survey results.

The Commerce Benchmark Survey included the participation of 500 retailers and showed that within the next five years, the majority (three quarters) of retailers do intend to put technology into place that will allow them to be able to identify customers who have stepped into their locations.

That said, at the same time, the survey showed that retailers are starting to learn the ropes and they are discovering what they need to do when it comes to mobile marketing in the most effective way, through the use of location based technologies. Approximately 63 percent have intentions to provide real-time retail from their point of sale, while another 62 percent have plans to advertise over smartphones. Moreover, 61 percent intend to set up real-time analytics that will give them a measure of their effectiveness through proper analysis.