3 Tips a Marketer Need to Know to leverage the mobile devices to increase sales

Mobile commerce is the trend that no retailers can afford to ignore.  Industry analysts predict that the mobile commerce will increase to 31% of total digital purchase and generate $109 billion of revenue in 2017. As an IMC graduate student in Medill School in Northwestern University, I have done research on how the m-commerce trend affect the fashion retailers, and two articles explaining the industry future integrating the mobile devices catches I attention.

Dylan Richard, co-founder and CTO of a mobile-only e-commerce company, discusses the different consumer purchasing behaviors on mobile platforms, with computers and in stores. Dylan points out that when consumers shopping on mobile devices, like all online shopping experience, they are driven by fear on whether they make the right choice. Unlike shopping with computers, however, they are looking for easier and quicker shopping experience when they shop on their mobile devices, as they tend to shift between different apps and activities fast on their phone or tablets. 

Source: www.ohlalapps.com/wp-content/uploads/header_shopping.jpg

The Guardian article emphasizes on the importance of social networks and apps in m-commerce. While the trend helps small luxury brand to be more cost efficient, it also requires brands to provide a seamless service from seeing a picture on social media app to purchase the product. 

As the previous two articles mentioned, while the m-commerce trend is a great opportunity for fashion retailers, the retailers need to understand the different consumer purchasing behaviors on mobile device and adjust the shopping experience accordingly to generate new revenue. Based on my experience in the IMC program, here are three actions I would recommend to all fashion retailers:

• Optimize your mobile sites: optimize the mobile shopping experience is not just about a larger button. The customers need to be able to find essential information/graphics they need in the small screens and make purchases within several touches.

• Link your site with your social media accounts: always provide the links of the product with the pictures you post on social media (or use hyperlink) so consumers can access your mobile site from their social media apps easily. If you are looking for a more creative way to do it, IKEA Russion innovatively use Instagram as a catalog to increase consumers’ engagement and lead them to their website. 

• Integrate the mobile device into your store: QR code, Geo-fencing etc. are all great way to enhance your consumers’ store shopping experience while leading them to your mobile apps or sites.  

   

Cindy Du is Master of a Master of Science Candidate in Integrated Marketing Communication at the Medill School in Northwestern University. Cindy has studied and worked in Boston for four year in communication and public relations. Cindy now dedicates in delivering actionable digital marketing strategies for fashion retail brands through data-driven methods. Connect Cindy via @Cindy_SiyingDu.

As a CEO Concerned with Technology and Social Media, Focus on Interactions with Consumers

As a CEO or an executive engaging in how a company converses with its consumers, it is important to monitor how emerging technologies can help improve customer interactions and relationships. As a graduating senior from the Medill School of Journalism and IMC program at Northwestern University, I have found two articles that provide key insights and action steps on how companies can better engage with their customers with the world’s latest, and most popular, technology. With e-commerce transforming the way consumers purchase, and sites such as Twitter influencing how consumers view businesses, it is essential that companies take note on these two emerging trends and know how to successfully utilize them.

The first article was released by Market Watch via PR Newswire stating the latest trends in global B2C e-commerce trends, which shows in the coming years consumers will expect a more personalized experience, ideally through mobile phones. For any company looking to expand their e-commerce business, operations through a mobile phone, customized to the buyer experience, will be necessary. The article highlights the following points: m-commerce (mobile commerce) is expected to play a larger role by 2016; worldwide B2C e-commerce growth will increase mostly in Asia-Pacific regions, which is expected to account for more than a third of global B2C e-commerce revenues, but the USA is projected to remain the largest B2C e-commerce market worldwide in 2013.

The second article, written by Paul Chaney, was distributed by Practical ecommerce, revealing the top 25 ways for e-commerce companies, or really any company, to successfully use Twitter to connect with customers, build relationships and “influence conversations to meet business objectives.” The article touches on Twitter basics, such as ensuring businesses have a recognizable Twitter username, but in my opinion the best tips included a cohesive, brand relevant profile; engaging effectively with the Twitter world in that you know what consumers are saying about the market, your competition and your company; and finally, make sure Twitter is used to strategically interact with consumers.

After analyzing these two articles, I recommend these three actions are implemented to better discover the potential of these two emerging technology trends:

• Remain current: Stay up to date with what your company's consumers are doing. It is imperative that companies recognize and adjust their brands to fit in these emerging, and long-lasting, trends consumers are actively engaging in.
• Be accessible: Make sure your company can appease any and all types of consumers by becoming accessible across platforms, because as shown by e- and m-commerce it is obvious consumers like and want control, as well as various options to receive what they are looking for.
• Match Tech to Business Objectives: Once business objectives have been developed, select the technologies that will best serve as a strategy to meet them.

In summary, ensure your company not only engages with its consumers, but follows their lead. Dive into the technologies they are not only using but the technologies they find important, easily accessible and necessary in some way for daily life. By paying attention to one's consumers and merging what is technologically important to the customer to what is technologically important to the company, there is now a possibility for great success.

Aja Edwards is a graduating senior at Northwestern University with a major in journalism, minor in religious studies and a certificate in integrated marketing communications. For questions or comments, she can be reached via Twitter at @aedwards19.