Email Marketing - Cross Channels in an Omni-Channel Retail Experience

E-mail marketing is no longer a stand-alone activity. It is now part of a broader conversation with retail consumers who respond well to an omni-channel experience.   Interactive marketing strategies aimed at individual customers are now possible with a Campaign which coordinates SMS opt-in calls to action, with social media follow-up between the customers first visit and subsequent visits to your store.  As a matter or perspective, consider the following:

Time it took devices and media to reach an audience of 50 million people

• Radio: 50 years
• TV: 30 years
• Internet: 4 years
• iPod: 3 years
• Twitter: 2 years
• Tomorrow: a matter of days?

Many retail businesses have adopted many different approaches to acquiring an email from a customer.  With a 20-30% annual churn rate being typical of in-house email lists, even among loyal customers, brands today must focus on proven strategies for organically leveraging and growing their email lists to remain competitive in this channel. 

Currently 75 percent of email marketers rate “growing a bigger opt-in list” as a top priority1.  Why? The answer is simple.  Active opt-in email addresses acquired with express permission (or “affirmative consent”) generate higher response rates, conversion rates, and revenue than emails acquired without it.  Many companies are even able to quantify the value of an opt-in email address to the organization.  Assuming an average of $5 to $50 per email, a database with 200,000 addresses can be considered a precious company asset worth between $1 million and $10 million.

The stakes are high and retailers are continually refining their "pitch" to their customers in order to organically grow their email opt-in data base.  It should be noted similar considerations apply to SMS opt-in best practices.  There are several "speed bumps" that cannot be ignored regarding email opt-in subscription lists and using them.  FTC rules governing unsolicited emails simply cannot be ignored and must be baked into any effective strategy.

The Rules:

In late 2005, the Email Sender & Provider Coalition (ESPC) established a requirement
stating that commercial email must not be sent to an individual unless prior “affirmative
consent” from the individual has been obtained. The CAN-SPAM Act defines “affirmative
consent” as the recipient’s express consent “to receive the message, either in response to
a clear and conspicuous request for such consent or at the recipient’s own initiative.”
Further, the acceptable use policy of most email service providers (ESPs) and Internet
service providers (ISPs) prohibits unsolicited commercial email. In practice, this means
that:  "As a responsible permission-based marketer, you must not send commercial email to an individual unless you have already received the individual’s express permission to do so."  The CAN-SPAM Act also states that, if and when consent is obtained, an individual must be given “clear and conspicuous notice” that his or her email address could be shared
with third parties, if applicable.

The First Goal:  Organic Growth of Your Email List.

Organic growth — capturing email addresses directly through everyday online, phone,
mail, and in-person customer interactions — has proven to be the most effective way to
grow your brand's in-house list.  Savvy marketing teams are leveraging a combination of channels (in-store, events like sweepstakes, SMS campaigns, discount coupon offerings) as a means to establish the business relationship first.  Next is the process of gaining permission to email or to SMS text to the new opt-in person.

In 2012 with Smart Phones now in the hands of over 65% of the population, the time is ripe to use this tool to  grow your email list.  New opportunities now exist to combine an in-store customer request for an email by using an SMS text call to action in the store on a Smart Poster and even at the check out register.  Consider the following call to action on a Smart Poster:

"We appreciate our customers so much we want to save you money on your visit today.  Text AMPM1SUBSCRIBE to 68398 and we will enroll you in our VIP club.  You will receive a coupon via email for 10% off your purchase today.  That's just for opting-in and joining and giving us your email.  2-3 messages per seek. Text and data rates may apply."

Try it right now to see how it works.  If you are not able to do so at this time, this is what is received back from the initial opt-in text.

Next, when that customer clicks on the email link inside the text, in this case: "icemobilenetwork@gmail.com" and then includes COUPON1 in the subject line of the email to icemobilenetwork@gmail.com and then sends it, that customer receives back an auto response with a coupon number which they can take to the register and redeem for a discount.  The whole process takes less than a minute.  Will they do it for a 10% discount.  Numerous studies have demonstrated they have and will do so.

Functionality at the Register.

The coupon number could be replaced or supplemented by a UPC-A code or a QR Code which can be scanned by most POS camera scanners at the register.

A Second Opportunity.

If the customer missed the Smart Poster during their journey through the store, the following dialogue might be used by the personnel at the register where a small version of the Smart Poster is placed at the counter. 

“Thanks for shopping with us today.  We hope you enjoyed our store. Did you know about our VIP Club?  If you get a weekly sign-up chance to win a $100 gift card.  You have to be entered in our email list and you can join by texting __________ to __________.” The visitor texts in, responds with their email address to be entered into the drawing, and is instantly emailed a listing of the next month’s coupons or SMS opt-in text offers.

Summary.

The primary goal for retailers in the mobile world of Smart Phones is to take advantage of every customer interaction and touch point in the in-store sales interaction cycle.

The secondary goal , and more valued goal. is to get their permission to interact with each customer after they leave the store.  This must be reasonable and must meet their expectations or they will UNSUBSCRIBE in a hurry.   Use the email list and SMS text list only within the "permissions granted" in order to provide new values to your customers.

It goes without saying that asking for the email at the point of sale is a new art-form in the retail space and must be handled professionally and diplomatically.  Customers are reluctant to give it to a brand, unless your brand offers and delivers them something of value first.  This must be considered carefully, because it will govern what that customer is interested in for future offers made using your email channel and/or your SMS channel.

Critical Steps for Initiating a Branded Mobile Strategy

So, you’re convinced of your need for a mobile marketing strategy. The question naturally arises: "What does a successful mobile campaign require?" What must be included and prioritized? Do you need a mobile website? How do you engage with smartphone-toting customers in your stores to increase your sales and engagement? These five steps are the answers to your questions. The following article discusses critical steps on your path to deciding how to initiate and manage a successful mobile campaign.

Mobile marketing has made an “off the charts” impact on how people behave in a retail situation. The medium is not truly the message and consumer mobile engagement studies prove it. The arrival of the smartphone has introduced a new medium for commerce. Forever altered is the way people come to and navigate through stores. Controlling and influencing how consumers navigate represents a ground breaking opportunity for retailers in 2012-13. A recent survey by Deloitte showed that consumers using smartphones in stores purchase more when retailers supply their own branded app interface. So, you’re sold on the need for a mobile marketing campaign. Let's look at some suggested Best Practices.

1. Launch a Branded Mobile Optimized Website 

Companies must launch a branded mobile website and not simply take their existing website and make it mobile friendly. When people come to a mobile site, they have a very different set of reasons than when they surf and find your company site on-line. That being the case, brands need to be very sensitive to what those mobile needs are and respond to them. 

Why did a consumer “in this location” go to our mobile site? When that question is answered in each instance, what they receive must meet that expectation or a brand will experience a high “bounce rate”. “Mobile web for the masses and responsive mobile apps for loyal consumers is what matters. Your mobile website will be the landing page for the general public’s general inquiries. Your consumer will consistently visit your mobile site in order to find a deal, a coupon, a bargain and store information. If they feel they have received what they wanted, they will want to share it. So giving them a FaceBook and Twitter option within their immediate line of site is an excellent choice. Being able to contact a representative, and make and make quick purchase with a bargain is essential. Today in 2012, smartphones are a users’ first resource when in need of relevant information while they are on the go. Your brand's mobile website must meet and exceeds these needs.

25% of consumers engage in online shopping only via mobile. 

And since 57% of consumers will not recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site, your mobile website must harness all technologies in a way that is easy to navigate, is visually appealing, and provides information relevant to each consumer.

2. Launch a Mobile Site with Geofenced SMS Calls to Action

Once you’ve successfully created your mobile site as a destination, you can begin to highlight offers and coupon deals which customers cannot otherwise find. Hyperlocalized SMS offers and calls to action from “Smart Posters” and “Smart Decals” on signage in your retail store that allow your mobile site to be used in-store and for marketing purposes is an important consideration. At the same time, a location-enabled geofencing strategy which segments your store foot print and makes unique offers to consumers from different sections of the store based on product displays and where they are will allow customers to receive information that is personalized, time-sensitive, and relevant. And since push notifications can be sent to opted-in customers inside or outside of your stores, they are an ideal way to drive traffic yo your store and then to engage with customers.

3. Launch an In-Store Marketing Campaigns with Smart Posters.

Your in-store marketing campaign must include “Smart” in-store signage that drives traffic to your mobile optimized website and/or makes unique SMS offers which get an opt-in response in exchanged for providing a coupon or other bargained value. When appropriate or relevant to the consumer experience, interactive offers that enhance the engagement between your consumer and your brand are a high priority.
 

For example, your “Smart Posters” and “Smart Decals” are a perfect medium for UPC barcode, QR code scanning as a means to deliver the coupon and harvest an email or phone number tied to that specific store. Since only 55% of the consumer retail base have smartphone, and 100% have an SMS text enabled cell phone, SMS “opt-in” offers at the same time represent an excellent complement to reach a 100% market share. In addition to making couponed and discount offers, 55%+ of your customers now can a QR code to watch a video demonstrating a product’s special features or scan a UPC barcode to purchase a blouse if their size is out of stock.

It should be emphasized that consumer education is critical. In order for an in-store marketing campaign to be successful, retail organizations should develop a strategy for educating their sales associates on how the mobile SMS Campaign and mobile websites are to be used so that they are able to answer all questions. If appropriate, retailers should also consider providing their sales associates with smartphones or tablets as a demo to the store experience of each consumer. This allows them to engage consumers, increase their dwell time in-store, actually demo products, provide additional information, and even use NFC technology to check-out.

4. Launch an Omni-Channel Marketing Campaign

All customers today are connected consumers. Each now moves seamlessly from one retail channel to the next and they easily juggle multiple channels at once. To stay connected and relevant, to your customers, your marketing strategy must be omni-channel. This means a strategy which provides a seamless approach to the consumer experience through all available shopping channels, i.e. mobile internet devices, computers, bricks-and-mortar, television, catalog, and so on. This mandates that your your brand messaging is consistent on all levels, allowing your customer to shift from your mobile apps to an in-store experience seamlessly. 

Pushing your mobile website and mobile application in traditional media, online, mobile, and social media is a must to organically grow your loyal customer base. A word to the wise is also in order. Test, retest and retest on as many devices as possible. Be certain your entire mobile process is streamlined, efficient, and without mistakes.  Be sure to educate the consumer on the products, make sure QR codes are easy to scan on multiple devices. Triple check to ensure mobile coupons are readable and scan-able on all smart mobile phones and devices. Make certain all relevant employees are knowledgeable with your Mobile Campaign and how consumers use it.

5. Monitor Mobile & In-Store Analytics At the Same Time.

For the first time in history, we now have an affordable opportunity to gather analytics on how consumers shop in stores and to use that data to influence buying behavior in real-time. When enabling certain location-based marketing tools, geofences strategies are able to provide information such as how long someone stayed in your store, whether they visited your competitor’s store, and if they scanned codes or searched for products while in your store. These segmented analytics give valuable information about how customers use your products and provide real-time analytics for the first time.

Once your brand discovers consumer-specific buying patterns and preferences, your should be certain to market to your consumers in a personalized fashion. Not only is this relevant, it also takes much of the retail speculation of “preferred products” out of every equation. If a customer prefers shopping in stores to on-line, sending them a push notifications informing them of a sale reserved only for loyal shoppers has yielded “off the chart” results. If a customer tends to read product ratings and reviews, considering sending a product review on an item similar to the ones they’ve been searching for online or on a mobile device.

Mobile Superstore is Redefining Retail

A Mobile Superstore is redefining what it means to retail to customers. There is not inventory, not merchandising, not sets and virtually no overhead. How?

Swedish ecommerce platform provider Jetshop has provided NFC World with the preliminary results of a landmark project designed to find out how the ability for shoppers to use their mobile phone to make a purchase directly from a printed poster will affect traditional retailing. A new take on the conventional department store concept has been undergoing testing at Stockholm Central Station, with the aim of discovering how the new generation of mobile-connected "poster stores" will impact the future of retailing. Since Korea's Home Plus introduced the poster store concept in June last year, the idea of using QR codes and NFC tags to let consumers make a purchase directly from a poster or out-of-home advertising board has received widespread interest. READ REST OF ARTICLE

Movie theater Using Smart Posters to Sell Tickets

The City Cinema chain in Oman has been testing out NFC smart posters to enable customers to find out more about forthcoming movies. The solution, which offers links to move trailers, was implemented for City Cinema by Pacman-CCL, a leading provider of decorative, informational and promotional labelling solutions in the Middle East and Africa.  READ MORE HERE.

Scotiabank Using NFC Smart Posters in New 2012 Promotion

Canada's Scotiabank is to use NFC smart posters to promote its Scene movie rewards service to a target market of young adults and movie enthusiasts.

Over the summer months more than 80 NFC-enabled posters will be displayed in transit shelters managed by Astral Out-of-Home and located near entertainment areas and movie theatres in downtown Toronto.

Smartphone users will be able to launch a specially-designed app on their phone and tap or scan one of the posters to gain instant access to a daily Facebook contest to win two free movie passes or to get directions to the nearest Scotiabank branch, where they can sign up for a Scene-eligible bank account with a signing bonus worth four movie tickets.  READ MORE...