Starbucks has just been awarded the "mobile marketer of the year" award in the US.
They're a great example of a (big) brand who has gone all out to trial and integrate mobile into their marketing strategy. I particularly love their use of geo-fencing which offers customers (who opt-in and are located within the geofenced area) discount vouchers for products at their closest store.
According to Mobile Marketers, "Starbucks taps mobile for the medium's strengths: location, timeliness and immediacy, convenience and measurability.."
The future is mobile and according to Fast Company, Apple is helping it edge forward another step.
Currently under development, iphone 5 due for release in 2011 is being touted to feature cashless payment technology.According to the article in Fastcompany, Apple has just taken out a patent on RFID technology which will enable them build an RFID loop into their iphone circuitry to act as both an RFID tag or tag reader.
This is an exciting revelation that provides further proof that retail has truly shifted to being ‘anywhere a transaction happens’.By thinking of the ‘store’ in these terms, brands open up new opportunities to create even more value, convenience, delight (and differentiation) for shoppers.
The penetration of smart phones will be at the heart of the digital path to purchase.In the USA, Nielsen predicts 51% of all consumers will own a smart phone by 2011. Whilst Morgan Stanley has predicted that by 2014 more Americans will be accessing the internet via mobile devices than desktop computers.
This has massive implications for brands and retailers who will be defined by how they adapt, harness and apply convergent digital solutions into their marketing.
According to the In-Store Marketing Institute, marketers will need to do the following to take full advantage of the new digital era:
Focus on insights
Look beyond the brand to solutions
Focus on message, audience and technology (in that order)
Develop relevant content
Target
Commit the organisation
Integrate activity
Test
Scrutinise partnerships
Be ready to adapt
For me, the key points here are integration and ensuring that technology remains the servant (not the master). An exciting time.
Brilliant article about what Macca's Japan are doing with their contactless payment system, "Toku". According to the article published in Mobile Commerce Daily, 8 million customers have already signed up.
“Customers (now about 18 million of them) register as members of McDonald’s “Toku” promotional program. On a weekly basis (in time for the weekend), McDonald’s sends program members a mobile e-mail, with a list of coupons and promotions available that week. Customers then have two choices. One is to use their mobile browser to open mobile coupons, which are shown to McDonald’s cashiers (a promotional code is clearly visible). The other, if customers have already downloaded the McDonald’s app (which 8 million have already done), is to download the coupons to their contactless mobile wallet.”
What's amazing about this is that we're not only seeing a contactless payment system in place but a loyalty-redemption program that can be tailored to specific shopper preferences.
There continues to be a lot of talk in the market at the moment about NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled devices with iphone 5 (and Nokia next-gen) predicted to be the handset leaders in 2011. Having NFC enabled mobile phones will likely be the tipping point for contactless payment in the US.....probably about 5 years away in our market but definitely still something for us to keep a close watch on.
