January 27, 2010
Unless you have been living under a rock, you most likely know that the Mobile World Congress is happening in Barcelona next month. This congress is the forum for mobile leaders to gather, collaborate, conduct business and learn about the most cutting edge innovations of our industry. Placecast is honoured to be a part of this year’s event and we proudly announce that the SONICsignals™ program has made the shortlist in the Best Mobile Location Based Advertising Campaign category with our partner Alcatel-Lucent.
The SONICsignals™ program is a location-based mobile program powered by Placecast’s location-triggered messaging platform in conjunction with Alcatel-Lucent’s geo-fencing technology. The program enables customers to opt in to follow SONIC® and receive mobile alters containing valuable information when they are near a point of interest for the brand or an actual SONIC® location. Combining location and geo-fencing technologies with marketing intelligence creates a 1:1 relationship with customers and builds context relevancy between place and time.
The winners will be announced at the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, on Tuesday February 16 and we appreciate the sentiments of Rob Conway, CEO and Memeber of the Board of the GSMA:
“Our congratulations to all nominees for the Global Mobile Awards 2010. Competition for these awards is fierce, with more than 500 entries - including many of an exceptional standard - and a highly discerning independent judging panel to impress; to be shortlisted is quite and achievement. We look forward to the unveiling of the winners at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.”
December 18, 2009
On Tuesday December 15, Placecast hosted a webinar aimed at finding new approaches that are working for retailers to increase brand affinity and drive repeat traffic into their stores. Moderate by Janye O’Donnell, the retail reporter for USA Today and co-author of the book, Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-somethings are Revolutionizing Retail, the discussion provided insights for retail marketers, agencies and mobile vendors alike.
It’s fairly safe to say that the “year of mobile” was slated to be 2007/2008/2009 and now, we’re looking to 2010. Outside of the ever-changing forecast, it remains that mobile is becoming increasingly important and to frame the discussion of the webinar, panelists where asked: WHY? Jeff Montgomery, Chief Revenue Officer of 1020 Placecast, notes that retailers want to know how they can leverage the unprecedented access they have with consumers via the mobile device. One of the general themes throughout the discussion is the power in the relationship based and medium that such a personal deceive holds.
As for how do consumers view mobile marketing and what appeals vs. detracts from the experience, Kathryn Koegel, President of Primary Impact Research, shared some of her extensive research on the subject. Koegel’s observations have found that consumers are open to mobile marketing as long as two key elements are present: relevancy and opt-in. A powerful way to create relevancy is by combining the concept of location to the mix, as pointed out by Dustin Jacobsen, Technical Director for Barkley.
One of the issues with tying the power of location to mobile is scale. When asked what mobile marketing options are working at scale for retailers, right now SMS is the only channel that is doing this effectively. The cost effective medium allows you to, as Jacobsen mentioned, “start basic and utilize key learnings (that can be rolled out to additional initiatives); test, test, test!”
To hear the entire discussion, including topics such as how mobile fits into your overall marketing mix as well as what retailers are doing this well today, listen in by downloading the recording here.
December 1, 2009
Timed with the official kickoff of the retail industry’s most critical period and the climax of holiday season offerings, this week marks the wrap-up of our six-part investigative series.
With our Alert Shopper in-person interviews and third-party studies, we pioneered research in retail as it relates to understanding the role of mobile in commerce and mobile advertising. Over the last few months, you met Karyn M., 52-year-old mother who depends on a few select stores to make finding same-day sales and deals easy; Anthony C., 39-year-old early adopter who researches gadget specs online before making purchases; Garrick L., 16-year-old student who doesn’t mind being interrupted to receive messages about a good sale going on; and Joni, 46-year-old mother who brings her phone with her while she’s out shopping and checks her messages throughout the shopping trip.
Our final video clip will highlight significant trends uncovered throughout our interview series: mobile devices are an integral part of consumers’ daily lifestyle, not only for everyday communication, but for research on sales and deals at stores like Levi’s, Jamba Juice, Target and Best Buy.
We also underscore precedential data from our recent Harris Interactive survey. After surveying more than 2,000 consumers, we learned there is a high interest in receiving mobile messages from consumers’ favorite establishments, especially among young consumers, ages 18 – 44. We also learned there is a strong interest among both men and women to receive opt-in mobile alerts from consumers’ favorite establishments. Among these establishments, food, entertainment and fashion top the list.
This comes as no surprise to the National Retail Federation, who reported shoppers’ destination of choice as department stores, with nearly half of shoppers over the Black Friday weekend visiting at least one department store, an approximate 13 percent increase from 2008. Electronics was a popular category this last weekend, with Best Buy reporting an increase in foot traffic over last year. Overall, 195 million consumers visited stores and websites over the weekend, 23 million more shoppers than last year.
Indeed, economic recovery is on the rise, as the four-day weekend totaled $41.2 billion, up slightly from $41 billion last year. These figures show why some retailers such as J. Crew are noticing improving demand heading into their holiday shopping season. J.Crew reported higher profit on a 14% sales increase for Q3 and American Eagle recently posted a higher quarterly profit.
A recent survey conducted by Deloitte shows mobile devices will be used more than ever this holiday shopping season. Fifty-five percent of consumers plan to use their mobile phones to search store locations; 45 percent will use their phone to research prices; 40 percent will use their phone to locate product information; and 32 percent will find discounts and coupons on their mobile phone this holiday season. Among young consumers, ages 18 to 29, mobile usage for shopping is expected to increase even more, with 4 out of 10 (39 percent) planning to use their mobile phone for holiday shopping.
Now that we know mobile devices improve consumers’ shopping experience, do consumers feel their cell phones will become even more important to them in the future? This is what we’ll explore in our final video here:
As illustrated throughout our Alert Shopper series, location and relevancy tied to place and time are become increasingly important to consumers. Mobile marketing as a service rather than an intrusion can connect consumers with the brands they love. Stay tuned for Placecast powered ShopAlerts, a service coming soon to your phone…and stores near you.
November 3, 2009
According to a new report from Pew Internet and American Life Project, mobile phone use has climbed steadily among teens. From 2004 to 2006, mobile phone use grew from 45% to 63%, and up to 71% in early 2008. Our Alert Shopper Series #5 examines this demographic.
Our in-person interviews provide insight into teen mobile usage, receptivity to message alerts and the increasingly important role the mobile phone will play in the future for this group. The teens we surveyed depend on their mobile phones throughout the day for a variety of functions, and find themselves checking text messages or phone calls frequently.
According to a recent comScore report, the most popular mobile activity for teens is texting (74%) and instant messaging (13%). Our video interviews highlight how essential this device is to teens, and that they welcome relevant text messages and monitor for messages throughout the day. Check out Oriana, a 19-year-old who checks her text messages while she’s out shopping, and Nick, a 16-year-old who doesn’t mind being interrupted to receive a message about a good sale going on.
A new report on Nielsen Wire shows that teens are now out-pacing the growth of the total mobile online audience, and texting outpaces calls by a factor of 10x among 13 – 17 year olds. One thing is for sure: teens have their phone next to them every waking hour of the day. Check out Rashane, an 18-year-old who has her phone with her all day, even beside her bed and in the shower!
Another common thread among the teens we interviewed is their phone will become even more of an important communication tool for them in the future. Teens rely on their mobile device to stay connected and are most embracing of technological advancements – they even welcome mobile ads. According to a recent Nielsen Global Devices Insights Report, the teenage demographic group is the most accepting of mobile advertising; the acceptance rate declines as age increases.
But don’t take our word for it – see for yourself in the video below:
October 26, 2009
According to recent data released by Nielsen in 2009, close to 60 million consumers accessed the web via mobile devices in July 2009, up from 42.5 million last year. Specifically, the male mobile audience grew 26 percent of that period. Our Alert Shopper Series #4 examines this segment.
Interviews we conducted offer a window into male shopping habits, brand loyalty and how men research their purchases. Whether they’re shopping at Best Buy, Jamba Juice, Target or Levi’s, interviewees are quite savvy when it comes to combining online and mobile research into the purchase process.
It’s no surprise that many of the men we spoke to exhibit purpose driven shopping habits. Check out Travis - a 30-year old who sifts through Craigslist, eBay and used items online to find the best deals, and even researches deals on his mobile phone while he’s out shopping. Then there’s Kevin, age 23, who mentions he has a solid handle on sales and deals in stores before he goes shopping. 39-year-old Anthony bought a camera from Target after researching its specs online.
Some of those surveyed admit that occasionally, other priorities get in the way of conducting online product research. Joseph, age 31, admits that he sometimes gets backlogged on emails and this prevents him from thoroughly researching products he’d like to buy. For the busy man, a quick mobile search in store is very valuable.
In fact, according to Alert Shopper #3 and our Harris Survey on consumer preferences for mobile marketing, 51% of men ages 18 to 34 expressed some interest in receiving alerts on their phones on new deals and promotions at their favorite establishments, which is significantly higher than interest among females of the same age group (34%).
Brand loyalty also appears to be a consistent theme among the men highlighted in our series. Kevin considers himself a pretty loyal Best Buy shopper, and reports shopping there about three times a month, while Anthony admits he shops at Target about once a week.
More interesting detail can be noted in the video above.
October 19, 2009
Last week, CNBC did a story on mobile devices and shopping. It’s exciting to see much of the findings of our Harris survey included within this piece.
Click Here to read the full article.
October 14, 2009
Today we announced our study with Harris Interactive on Americans and location-based shopping.
The survey, which was conducted online from July 20 to July 22, 2009 among 2,029 adults ages 18 and older, measured consumer sentiment towards using mobile devices as it relates to shopping, sales promotions and impulse purchases.
Some of our key findings included:
Consumers are interested in receiving alerts on their mobile phones from brands that they care about, provided they can opt-in and the messages are relevant. The responses indicate that 42% of 18 to 34 year olds and 33% of 35 to 44 year olds expressed some interest in receiving opt-in alerts on their cell phones from their favorite establishments.
9-in-10 U.S. adults have made an impulse purchase when they were out shopping in a store based on a sale or special going on around where they were. There is an opportunity to influence impulse purchases using a mobile phone: nearly a quarter of adults owning cell phones (22%) make this type of impulse purchase at least once per week or more often. Among women with cell phones ages 18 to 44, 27% report making at least one impulse purchase a week; among men 18 - 34, this number rises to 31%.
About 2-in-5 of these adults would like to receive alerts about sales for:
-Movie/event tickets (43%)
-Weather information (39%)
-Clearance or liquidation sales (37%)
About another 3-in-10 of these adults would want to be alerted about:
-Pizza (31%)
-Clothes (30%)
-Fast food (27%)
About one quarter would want to be notified about:
-Electronics (25%)
-Music (24%)
-Happy hour specials or bar and night club offers (21%)
If you are interested in learning more about this report, please contact cynthia.levitt@placecast.net
September 24, 2009
There’s no question that moms are the primary decision maker when it comes to household purchases. Our Alert Shopper video series #2 examines this segment and is entitled “Moms and mobile marketing.” According to a DM News article, the mom is the most powerful consumer group in the U.S., comprising 75 million Americans with $2 trillion a year in spending power. That’s a lot of power and a very influential group. Ad agency Razorfish adds an important nuance in their latest report the Digital Mom. Marketers and retailers specifically should speak to women as both moms and women because their interests extend beyond her children.
Not unlike other superheroes, the American mom realizes that with great power comes great responsibility. Whether its managing family finances, balancing work priorities or planning vacations, our Alert Shopper mom interviewees do get frustrated when they miss out on sales. You’ll see a consistent theme throughout our video on this topic– moms repeatedly mention that their busy schedules leave them little time to research products and sales happening around them. In the video, 52-year-old mom, Karyn, often cannot find time to research products before she goes out shopping, so she depends on a handful of her favorite stores to make finding same-day sales and deals easy.
Despite the economic downturn, there are some promising reports on spending for the holiday season. The Marketing to Moms Coalition, a nonprofit industry group, surveyed 1,225 moms with children under 18 living at home and found that most moms plan to spend the same amount this year compared to last year, though moms are likely to spend more money if their kids are older. So when the holiday season surprises us all with how early it starts this year and moms are heading to Target, Walmart and Costco to do their holiday shopping, how can their mobile phone help them?
Irina, 38-year-old mom, thinks researching purchases before her shopping trip is very important, especially when budgets are tight. She frequently conducts research on her phone while shopping, and finds smartphones very helpful in searches for sales and specific products. Joni, 46-year-old mom, finds shopping research helpful only if she’s searching for something very specific; this leaves her occasionally feeling like she missed out on good deals. While shopping, she often brings her phone with her and checks her messages throughout the shopping trip.
Irina and Joni aren’t alone; moms across the country find their mobile phone a helpful shopping companion. In a recent ReadWriteWeb Article, visits to the Johnson and Johnson Babycenter mobile site is up 348 percent, and 91 percent of moms say they would never leave home without their phone. Razorfish’s Digital Mom report adds that moms choose mobile internet browsing (22%) and text-messages (17%) for research as they get closer to a purchase decision.
September 9, 2009
Today at Placecast we are proudly announcing a six-part study known as The Alert Shopper.
It’s our expectation that The Alert Shopper will pioneer research in retail as it relates to understanding the role of the mobile device in commerce, mobile advertising and coupons. There’s been a lot of talk and hype about location-based services but it’s time to hear from real people on how mobile devices can improve their shopping experience.
The Alert Shopper is a series of both in-person and third-party research in conjunction with Harris Interactive on consumer shopping habits and interest around the use of mobile devices and alerts when shopping.
Over the next few months you will meet several consumers including Joni, a 46-year-old mother who talks to us about her dependence on her cell phone and her way of being a savvy shopper. Lauren, a 22-year old Twitter user would appreciate receiving alerts on her phone if there’s a sale in the area. You will meet Joseph, a 31-year-old early adopter, who shares how he looks for sales and what Levi’s can do to improve his experience. Rashane is the quintessential teen - an avid shopper who always has her phone on her. And you will meet Travis, a tech-savvy, careful shopper who researches products extensively online before shopping. These people and others offer unique insights into the mobile usage patterns of today’s American consumers.
Here’s a little teaser on what’s to come.
The Alert Shopper will cover trends as they relate to mult-location retail outlets like Target, Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Home Depot, Walgreens, Lowes, CVS, Sears, SuperValu, Rite Aid, Macy’s, Publix, JC Penney, GAP, Meijer, Staples, Toys ‘R’ Us, Office Depot, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Menards, Dillard’s, Giant Eagle, Auto Zone, PetSmart, Neiman Marcus, The Shack, Sheetz, Starbucks, and Dick’s — to restaurants like Sonic, Applebee’s, Chili’s Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Friday’s, Burger King, McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Subway, Wendy’s, Outback, Arby’s, Chick-Fil-A, Quiznos and The Cheesecake Factory .
Also we take at look at specialty stores such as REI, American Eagle, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Children’s Place, Brooks Brothers, Coach and Chanel.
