Forbes Insights and xAd have put their heads together and wrote a white paper on the strategic advantages of location-based marketing titled “Location: a strategic marketing imperative. How location-based marketing is reinventing the path to purchase.”.
This link leads you to the full report, but we’ll give you the short version right here.
The importance of keeping mobile
Consumers are making more and more use of their mobile devices to make purchase decisions on the go. They are 45% more likely to make a purchase within the hour over consumers doing research at home! This indicates mobile searching behavior is based on a purchase intention, and people are likely to purchase quickly.
Not only mobile, also location plays an important role in connecting with customers and understanding their path to purchase.
As a growing number of apps use location to service customers, people are getting used to and even expect in-the-moment, personalized and relevant experiences.
Value for info
Customers don’t mind giving relevant information if they get value in return. You might ask for their location if, in return, yougive valuable information about your products, free WiFi or coupons.
This presents marketers with enormous opportunities: we can use one’s location to identify and deliver on consumers’ real-time intent. Combining local and mobile gives us the possibility to have a 1 on 1 marketing conversation with our prospects!
Get the right message to the right consumer at the right time and in the right place, creating purchase incentives and foster engagement.
Close the gap between online and offline
As Forbes Insights and xAd point out, this technology closes the gap between online and brick-and-mortar stores. If you’re able to target your communication on location, you can increase in-store traffic, leading passersby to your nearest retail store.
Now you can actually talk to consumers when they’re near your store, or influence them where your brands are present.– Angelique Krembs @ PepsiCo
The marketers’ goal shouldn’t be to replace physical stores with online shopping, but to enable a faster, smoother purchase process. 90% of retail transactions still happen in the real world.
Mobile devices can become great shopping assistants, providing superb customer service. They are bringing the digital environment into the four walls of the offline, brick-and-mortar store.
Location data can be used for different purposes; from predicting customer behavior to cross-promote products. By using location data, marketers can deliver personalized and relevant in-store experiences.
It’s all about the data – beyond search and social
Sure, we already collect a lot of data from Search Engine Optimization and social media channels. These are excellent tools for learning more about and connect with our prospects at home.
Location data, however, reveals more about what’s happening “now”, what needs your prospects have and what they are intent to do. Isn’t that more valuable than knowing which websites they visit?
Researching a car online shows interest; visiting a car lot proves the client is seriously considering to buy a car. In other words: location is one of the most important indicators of intent, immediacy and context.
Brands will be able to use location data to not only measure how much foot traffic a mobile ad drives into a store but where shoppers are most likely to head next.– Forbes Insights
If you know where your clients are, where they have been and for what period of time, you get the insight to act on consumer patterns in real time.
For example: if your customer spends some time in a particular section of your store, you can send more info about the monthly offers and promotions.
By matching real-time customer data to correct location context, brands can create innovative digital experiences that drive sales and increase loyalty.
Keep up with customer expectations
Consumers’ expectations are changing fast to demanding what they want, when and where they want it. In other words: marketing has to become more personal.
Supercharge your marketing campaigns by combining mobile, location, social and search into the perfect balance of location specificity and general messaging!
Want to learn more?
Just keep on reading!
If the mobile marketing concept is new to you and you want to know more about it, read our previous blog post on Mobile Sales Enamblement!
