Mobile Marketing

Neiman Marcus is launching a new experience in four of its U.S. locations that serves to heighten customer service and the in-store atmosphere with a personal shopping mobile application. Designed for the iPhone, NM Service uses push notifications, location-based technology and QR code scanning.

Target recently ran a mobile advertising campaign that was executed poorly and not optimized for mobile devices. Since then the retail giant has redeemed itself by mobilizing the campaign and showing that it's never too late to get back on track.

More marketers are beginning to focus on new strategies to drive increased revenue in a changed email environment. The keys to success will be to send less email; leverage new data sources from channels like social media; better design for mobile devices; and extend personalized messaging in email beyond the inbox.

A mobile marketer’s toolbox is full of strategies and tactics they can leverage to interact and engage with customers and prospects alike. To successfully use mobile marketing to impact your company’s bottom line, you need to choose the right tool for what you’re trying to accomplish.

Best Buy is running a mobile commerce-enabled advertising campaign that offers consumers a free data transfer whey they buy a laptop. The company is running the mobile commerce ads within Pandora's iPhone application. Best Buy is enticing users to tap on the ad by offering the free data transfer — a $99 value.

Clothing retailer Benetton has plans to roll out a range of apps for different mobile devices as part of its growing focus on digital media. In a first for the company, the apps will enable consumers to view the brand's latest fashion collections on iPhones, iPads, Androids and BlackBerrys. 

Target's new mobile advertising campaign that aims to offer consumers coupons for the company's in-store groceries would have been more successful had it been optimized for mobile. The company is running mobile banner and full-page ads, as well as audio advertisements within Pandora's iPhone application.

Nordstrom is targeting aspirational consumers through mobile banner advertisements for its Nordstrom Rack locations in the popular gaming application Words With Friends. Nordstrom is promoting a sale in its discount chain that will serve to drive consumers in-store.

What's better to have, an app or mobile-optimized website? Retailers deciding which mobile initiative fits into this year's budget may feel confused about which option is right for them. It boils down to understanding your users’ needs and behaviors while on the go, and the technical implications of the decision.

The first key mobile insight every marketer should know is that consumers use their smartphones at many different points in their purchase path. Forty-one percent of those who used their mobile phone to help with shopping said they made a purchase directly on their smartphone; 46 percent said they researched an item on their smartphone then went to a store to make their purchase; and 37 percent said they researched an item on their smartphone then made their purchase online.