Category: Mobile Marketing

Mobile coupons usage could nearly double in three years

This form of online and mobile marketing is predicted to grow in popularity.

According to a new report from Juniper Research, the number of eCoupons redeemed will rise almost two times by 2017, increasing from 16 billion in 2014 to more than 31 billion in 2019, and the report claims that redemptions will be driven mostly by mobile coupons.

Many shoppers look for mobile or online coupons before making a purchase.

Print-at-home coupons are not as popular as coupons that can be redeemed online or barcode based coupons that can be scanned and redeemed in stores. The report suggested that consumer behavior is changing. More consumers are engaging in eCouponing and are choosing to search for online or mobile coupons before they make purchases in-store or on the web.

The report cited that on retailer websites, as well as VoucherCloud and other aggregator sites, there was a sudden increase in visits to these site’s couponing sections. Also, the number of consumers storing coupons on devices via wallet apps such as Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet or Passbook, to redeem these digital coupons at a later time, is on the rise.

When mobile coupons or any eCoupon is deployed correctly, this increases CLV.

Mobile CouponsThe Juniper Research study argued that analytics regarding consumer purchase patterns were necessary to enable an increase in Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). According to the report’s author, Dr. Windsor Holden, “Coupons should offer discounts on products that a consumer might be interested in purchasing, rather than those purchased on a regular basis.” Holden added that “Otherwise, coupon redemption represents a loss to the brand or retailer.”

Other report findings included that one of the primary adoption hurdles is many retailer POS lack scanning infrastructure. Moreover, when couponing platforms are integrated with leading social media, this presents considerable opportunity for the delivery of targeted offerings. In addition, the report found that there is less of an opportunity for targeted couponing when high profile data thefts occur because they can lower the uptake of store loyalty cards, which can negatively impact targeted couponing.

Nevertheless, based on what the report has found it is very likely that there will be an increase in the adoption and redeeming of eCoupons and mobile coupons in upcoming years.

Geolocation data tracking limited by privacy watchdog in France

Retailers now have new regulations to which they must adhere with location based marketing.

When it comes to mobile marketing, geolocation has provided advertisers with an unparalleled opportunity to understand their customers and communicate with them at the perfect moment in the shopping experience.

Location based marketing does involve the collection of a customer’s position, of which a privacy watchdog is highly aware.

In France, a privacy watchdog has looked into the use of geolocation technology as a marketing method and has now implemented limitations for retailers and tracking companies with regards to what they are permitted to do. The goal of these restrictions is to help to protect the privacy of smartphone carrying customers. While the Commission National de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) says that it is trying to keep private data safe, at the same time, many French retailers now feel as though they have had all of their opportunity for this technology cut off.

The geolocation rules that have been drafted by the CNIL provide strict guidelines regarding what can be tracked.

geolocation targeting - mobile shoppingSome retailers feel that their ability to use location based marketing through geolocation has been nullified by the CNIL rules. The idea behind this type of mobile marketing is to track the movement of consumers throughout a brick and mortar location, or to know when a customer has approached a store so that advertising and promotions can be sent to them at the moment that they are most receptive to information about deals, opportunities, products, or brands.

This type of tracking can also provide a mobile advertising firm or a retailer with the route that customers take while they are within a store as well as the length of time that they spend viewing a specific ad. With this information, advertisers can change their strategies to better appeal to consumers because the information and offers that they provide will be more interesting and relevant to the people who are actually shopping.

However, the privacy watchdog feels that the type of data collection through geolocation places the customer’s privacy and mobile security at risk. It has demanded that if these techniques are used by a retailer, that company must first report this to a special committee and also inform their customers of the techniques being used and the purposes for which the data is being collected. Moreover, as soon as the customer has left the store, any individual data must be deleted. No camera images can be collected and stored and none can be passed to a third party.