How Location Changes Digital Marketing Pt. 2

Hi everyone

Apologies for the late post this week – so I’ll make it brief.

Following up from last week, I wanted to talk about the ways in which marketers are using digital in retail environments.

While we can’t yet do what GAP did in the film Minority Report, there are some big changes going on in the way we can enhance the retail experience and drive sales.

It’s important because research shows that up to 70% of purchase decision are finalized at the point of purchase. If we can use digital tools to deliver more engaging, more customized and more compelling product experiences this can have a big effect on our sales outcomes.

Let’s look at 2 areas that are making a difference at the shop store.

1. Digital Signage/ Product displays: Whether it’s in the shop window to attract people inside, or as part of the signage within the store, digital enables us to localize and customize the content depending on customer type, time of day or seasonal changes. Add to that interactivity, and it starts to become an interesting sales tool.

I love what Samsung are doing in the UK, and you see that digital retail is evolving from just pretty pictures, to far more interactive product experiences that enable people to control what they want to see, even before they get into store and feel the ‘sales pressure’.

Equally powerful but more communication specific is digital signage, like this example from Tesco Europe. The beauty of this signage is its ability to not only give information about products, but give customer/time/location specific offers or information throughout a retail environment, and connect to mobile devices as well.

2. Digital Interactive Sales Tools: Take the above examples and make them even more customized, more sales driven, more involved and you end up with something like this from Nike ID at the Nike store in Fukuoka in Japan.

A great concept which makes the most of a branded destination, by providing and customized sale tool to really put fun back into buying shoes. And isn’t that what we’d love shopping to be all about.

This type of marketing simply evolves from the interactive web site search and explore model that customers already understand. They are in control, and that’s the way they want it.

No matter what industry you are in – technology, automotive, fashion, you name it – there is a relevant retail application that can draw traffic and fast-track the retail sales process for you.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com