We are in the midst of the biggest, most profound transformation in the history of retail. On the one hand it’s exciting, because of the enormous opportunities, but it’s also creating some real challenges.
Smart phones and Tablets have become a personal item for practically every member of society. They are so ingrained into our modern culture that it’s now become the best, most effective place to reach consumers. The opportunity to access them on a level as personal as the device in their pocket or purse, holds significant potential for the growth of any brand or business. But you need the tools to make that happen. Here are a few ways to embrace this shift and participate in a mobile-first world.
[blockquote]Make your website mobile-friendly. This will not only keep users on your site, but it will provide the most important feature in a mobile-first world, customer convenience. Don’t forget to make phones numbers and addresses visible and clickable, because making this information readily available can significantly boost foot traffic. The smart phone and tablet trend will only continue to grow, so think mobile first when you redo your website, not desktop or laptop.[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Get an integrated mobile rewards program. In the future, payments will drive consumption, not the other way around. Starbucks has already made a compelling case for that assumption. To simply offer a credit card payment option isn’t enough. Today, companies are using a modern marketing technique called “the value exchange.” By combining advanced digital payment technologies with transaction data and analytics, they are able to deliver highly personalized incentive programs offering deals, discounts, and rewards. This type of marketing promotes repeat business and encourages customer’s to stay loyal to your brand. [/blockquote]
[blockquote]Rethink the future of payments, and be prepared. While Apple was hardly the first with contactless payments, the company’s solution has banks, stores, and companies jumping on the bandwagon. Apple Pay has quickly emerged as an alternative to EMV chip cards which are a major hassle for consumers, and has been growing at a steady pace since its initial release. This payment method is now supported at 35 percent of retailers in the United States (4 million locations), which is up from the 4 percent that supported the service at launch.[/blockquote]
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