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Google acquires Incentive Targeting

| December 3, 2012

 

Google announces acquisition of retail coupon firm

Google has announced that iIncentive Targeting Acquired by Googlet has acquired retail coupon firm Incentive Targeting. The massive technology company has been showing increasing interest in mobile commerce and marketing recently, hoping to engage a new generation of consumers that have become highly reliant on mobile devices. According to Mike Dudas, a member of Google’s mobile commerce division, the acquisition of Incentive Targeting will help Google focus on coupon marketing campaigns that will be directed at very specific demographics.

Incentive Targeting boasts of advanced sales analysis system

Incentive Targeting was founded in 2007 and has partnered with several retail chains to develop highly targeted marketing campaigns. Earlier this year, the company was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “a computer-implemented method and system for conducting a search of electronically stored information.” This system enables advertisers to analyze sales information and use this information to develop highly specialized coupon campaigns.

Google shows interest in coupons for advertising

This system is likely what caught Google’s eye in the first place. The company has made major strides in the field of online advertising, especially through engaging mobile consumers. These consumers have proven especially responsive to participating in mobile marketing campaigns that provide them with some sort of special offer, such as digital coupons. Though Incentive Targeting’s system is often used for physical marketing campaigns, it can also be tuned to be used for online business, something that Google has shown interest in doing in the past.

Mobile marketing continues to be a major focus of Google

Mobile marketing is becoming an ideal way to engage the growing audience of mobile consumers. More people have access to mobile devices now than they ever have, creating an opportunity for advertisers to establish a constant connection with these consumers. If Google can leverage the technology developed by Incentive Targeting to engage these people, it may be able to see a major uptick in its mobile marketing and online advertising business.

Mobile commerce sites slow to a crawl during holiday shopping

| December 3, 2012

 

Mobile Commerce Slow Mobile Shopping SitesMobile commerce may be a problem for site traffic

Mobile commerce had a strong showing over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend. Mobile sales this year set a new standard for much of the retail industry and proved how powerful mobile commerce can really be. Retailers are expected to show more enthusiasm in mobile commerce due to the gains they saw during the holiday shopping weekend, but they may also have to fine tune their mobile shopping initiatives to account for higher levels of traffic.

Keynote shows average load time exceeds 18 seconds

Though a vast multitude of consumers took to their mobile devices to shop for the products they wanted, many saw mobile commerce platforms slow to a crawl. Keynote, a site monitoring and testing companies, notes that many e-commerce and mobile platforms experiences a dramatic slow down over the holiday shopping weekend. This slow down was especially pronounced on Cyber Monday, with consumers flocked to retail sites to buy products. According to Keynote, the average load time for a mobile retail site on Cyber Monday reached 18 seconds — twice as slow as normal load times.

Consumers not apt to wait during holiday shopping

While 18 seconds may not seem like a significant amount of time, many consumers correlate slow load times with poor service. Though retailers have been investing heavily in mobile commerce, much of the effort these companies have been putting into the sector revolves around engaging consumers. As such, relatively few retailers were prepared for the massive amount of traffic they would experience on their mobile sites. Retailers may have to rethink  their approach to mobile commerce if they want to continue engaging mobile consumers.

Retailers may need to take new approach to their mobile sites

Mobile commerce is growing quickly, putting major strain on mobile websites that are designed to serve consumers. Keynote suggests that there may be a simple solution. Retailers must develop better mobile websites and adopt more rigorous testing procedures to ensure that their sites can handle high levels of traffic. Without adequate testing, a slow-loading website could be enough to have consumers looking elsewhere for service.