Going Mobile
Survey Says ...
Mobile’s Time Has Come
After more than 15 years of online shopping under the guise of E-commerce, there are clear signs that consumers are poised to put heir money where their mobile devices are
and engage in mobile commerce. According to a recent
survey from Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase Inc. and
a company that enables mobile information services for
mobile operators, financial institutions and enterprises,
a third of the 1,000 consumers polled said they would
purchase goods or services using their mobile phones if
presented with mobile-based incentives and their current devices allowed them to do so.
Without a doubt, current economic and social conditions have created an environment ripe for the mobile
economy to take hold in completely new ways. Not
surprisingly, the recent holiday season has provided a
catalyst. This is not to suggest retailers, merchants, tel-cos, banks and application developers have been playing
a waiting game. Quite the contrary, the build-out of infrastructure, innovative merchant platforms and a steady
beat of pilot projects have provided the momentum that
consumers now appear ready to act on. The latest data
clearly suggests that we’re transitioning from mobile
commerce awareness building to the next phase — enabling customer transactions.
Appetite for more mobile services and applications is
growing, as demonstrated by the 2010 Global Consumer
Acceptance and Usage Report Sybase conducted last
March. The global survey found that 70 percent want
additional services, and a significant portion of those
users are willing to pay for these services. Retailers and
marketers should take advantage of the current mobile
economy. With 400 million mobile commerce users
worldwide today, mobile devices — the “fourth screen”
— are quickly becoming a valuable channel for advertisers to gain and retain customers.
Currently, 22 percent of respondents from the most
recent Sybase 365 survey are already using their mobile
devices to conduct research or
compare prices when shopping.
More encouragingly, when asked
whether mobile-based incentives
(coupons or discount offers, text
or E-mail alerts or gift cards)
would entice them to make a purchase on their mobile
device, 32 percent of respondents said they would. Momentum is building for a widespread mobile commerce
deployment and mobile advertising and marketing may
be crucial to driving mainstream adoption.
SMS text messages will be an entry point for mobile
commerce. It’s apparent that consumers are already
using their mobile devices at various points of the purchase cycle, and SMS can be the gateway to mobile
transactions. The ease and appeal of SMS text coupons
and discounts could be the stimulus to finally convince
consumers to redeem time-sensitive, geo-targeted offers
and cross the threshold to make a purchase via mobile
phones.
Despite this propensity for SMS messaging, when
asked their preferred method of making a purchase
on mobile devices, only 9 percent of respondents who
would make purchases on their device chose SMS text
messages as their preferred means. While SMS text
coupons are valuable marketing vessels to initiate the
mobile commerce process, marketers and retailers should
take into consideration the consumers’ preference to
complete transactions via mobile sites.
The growth of E-commerce during the past decade
has been staggering, and now that security standards
have been implemented and retailers have adopted a
solid E-commerce strategy, it seems likely that more
consumers would be willing to replicate that experience
on their mobile devices.
The mobile channel, as a means to increase convenience for customers, is becoming a priority of the
marketing strategy for most major retailers. Rite Aid’s
RX alerts are one example of how retailers are putting
mobile commerce solutions into action today, and the
program’s success will lay the groundwork for enhanced
mobile services that will enrich the customer experience.
With this RX Alerts system, Rite Aid customers
who “opt-in” will receive SMS notifications when their
prescriptions are ready to be collected, as well as refill
and will-call reminders and other status changes. This
deployment illustrates how retailers can put mobile
commerce solutions to work to engage and strengthen
customer relationships. ■
