With smartphones, online shopping and lots of data, more and more companies are watching everything that you do to learn how to better sell you goods and services. Retailers are using a variety of different tactics such as customer loyalty programs, facial recognition devices and cell phone signal trackers. Then they use the collected data to determine where to place products in the store and how and where to advertise.
Picking up your cell phone signal – Some U.S. malls rolled out technology that tracked consumers‘ cell phone signals in stores to track their paths through the mall. This technology is already popular in Europe and Australia.
Facial recognition – Retailers are using facial recognition technology to find out more about their core customer. It’s used to find out demographic information.
Loyalty programs – Many businesses use loyalty cards to track purchases and shopping habits. The retailer uses this information to target promotions exactly to the shopper.
Location Apps – Target and Walgreens have apps that lead customers around the store to the items they’re looking for. But while you have access to location information about the store, the retailer has the power to see what you’re looking for and where you go.
Abandoned carts? Products that you pick up and then put down? How you walk the store? All of this information is being used to make your shopping experience even more pleasurable – or so they say!
And in the spirit of Monday morning tuneage, yet another classic from Rockwell – I believe he is a one hit wonder:
Each month www.trendwatching.com publishes some great information about changing consumer habits around the globe as well as key trends that either have or will impact business. We have incorporated some of their facts in our blog before and will do so again today. Some interesting stuff.
A survey of US adult smartphone owners found that 63% of female respondents and 73% of male respondents don’t go an hour without checking their phone (Source: Harris Interactive, June 2012).
Cell phone users between 18 and 24 exchange an average of 109.5 messages on an average day, more than 3,200 per month (Source: Pew Research Centre, September 2012).
An academic study of Android users’ app-habits revealed that while users spend nearly one hour on their devices a day, the average app session lasted only just over a minute (Source: DFKI, November2011).
And some examples of companies that are changing the game through mobile.
Peapod – US-based online grocer Peapod.com announced in October 2012 that it was launching over 100 QR-code based ‘virtual stores’ at train stations in major cities including Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. http://www.peapod.com/
Walmart-owned Mexican supermarket chain Superama has unveiled QR code-enabled kiosks in a selection of shopping centers in Mexico City.
Jana enables cell phone users in the developing world to participate in market research surveys via SMS. The service is able to reward participants with free airtime, and as a result of partnering with mobile operators, reaches nearly 3.5 billion people in over 100 countries. http://www.jana.com/
Really cool ideas and people are engaged in more and more mobile “minutes”. Thanks again to the folks at Trendwatching.
We often talk about what is happening in mobile. Well, with the holiday shopping season now in full swing, we will cover some of the more recent trends in mobile shopping and the ever increasing impact of how these little hand held devices are changing everything we know about how people shop.
I found a great new web-site, Quartz, www.qz.com, that covers a variety of interesting topics including mobile. The facts below were provided in an article by Christopher Mims. He is the science and technology correspondent for Quartz. He believes that the most interesting things about the universe have yet to be discovered, and that technology is the primary driver of cultural change.
55% of mobile users buy products on their devices, but 80% research purchases on them
Read a great article a few weeks ago about things that you should do to be happier. For those of us that lead our lives “half full”, we are constantly challenged at home and work by people that act like victims; those that find excuses for why they cannot succeed, or why they cannot accomplish what they want to; those that quit instead of persevering; those that fail to take chances; those that stay within their self-inflicted comfort zones; those going through live and not challenging it. Oxygen thieves, victims, half-empties, whiners; – I am sure you have other terms of endearment. When you see a number on your cell phone from one of these people, do you rush to answer it or let it go to voice mail? I know the answer 🙂
Here is a great list of things to STOP doing – you will absolutely be happier and see the world much differently:
Blaming – Take responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming other
Impressing – Have genuine relationships
Clinging – The act of trying alone will make you feel better about yourself
Interrupting – Listen to others. They say really intelligent things
Whining – Put your effort into making the situation better. Offer a solution and not a problem
Controlling – Teams are very powerful when focused on a common goal
Criticizing – See others differences as their gifts
Preaching – Listening is much better
Dwelling – Learn from mistakes but move on fast
Fearing – Don’t let your fears hold you back. Whatever you’ve been planning, whatever you’ve imagined, whatever you’ve dreamed of, get started on it today.
Stop waiting for things to get better, make them better. Take responsibility for yourself, for your company, for your growth. If you exhibit any of these behaviors, just stop – they are holding you back from reaching your potential, your goals and living the life that you should be leading. Why choose to be a victim when you have what you need to make a difference. And if you cannot take the first step alone, look around; there are plenty of people that will help you grow and succeed beyond your imagination.
Don’t just sit there. Get mad and make things happen. Check out this video from the movie “Network”. Classic.
Pick one thing today that does not work and fix it. Then fix two things tomorrow………
What impact is mobile having on our behavior? What changes have happened because we have these cool, powerful smart devices with touchscreens and more information that we could ever imagine right at our fingertips? How quickly do we respond? How quickly do we search for more information? Well if you are like me, we are very quick on the trigger finger. Do you see what I did there? 🙂
A few stand out stats:
There are currently 6 Billion mobile subscribers worldwide
This equals 87% of the world’s population
China and India account for 30% of this growth
There are over 1.2 Billion people accessing the web from their mobiles
Over 300,000 apps have been developed in the past 3 years
Google earns 2.5 Billion in mobile ad revenue annually
These are just some of the compelling reasons why you can’t afford to ignore mobile as a platform now. Thanks to the guys at Trinity!
86%? Must be some men in that statistic. Hmm, thought we could not multi-task? Actually we can’t as we can only pay real attention to one screen at a time. 🙂
In the US 25% of internet users are mobile only. So it is the only way they access their mail, web, photos etc. As most of us are still using both the PC and our mobile devices, this is an amazing statistic.
There are significant cross-cultural differences in how we use our mobile devices. Check it out.
Capturing our attention these days is also quite difficult. However when you do, stuff happens:
Amazing statistics for an amazing, transforming technology. Check out the full infographic at:
So we learned a bit yesterday about some of the concerns around the rapid shift to mobile e-mail. Challenges across devices and operating systems make deployment more complex for sure. Grabbing the audience by the neck and getting them to respond, reply, engage, like you on Facebook, visit you on Twitter, buy something from you on Pinterest or pass along your offer to a friend that they know is in the market for your product, now this is where it gets really interesting. How do you incent this behavior? How do you drive ‘customer engagement” so that their “expressions” about your company and products are positive and they convey messages that will prompt others to consider your products over another?
So how do you breakthrough and distinguish your business in this rapidly changing technology and consumer engagement battle? Here are some very helpful tips that will provide you with a foundational approach to mobile e-mail.
Hope you learn a few tips and tricks on how you can be more successful with your mobile e-mail efforts. Thanks again to our friends at www.litmus.com.
I have three daughters and to say that their phones are important to them would be an understatement. The days of talking on the phone are over for their generation. Really no need to have a voice plan for the children and they do not ever use it. Text on the other hand, downloading content, uploading pictures to Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and the like, now we are talking. I just received a text message from Verizon saying that one of my daughters had already used half of her monthly data plan and we are only a few days into the billing cycle. Geez!
As a parent it is always amazing to me how much time my children spend on their phones. I am sure many of you are wondering as well.
Just came across some updated information on teen phone usage – Parents, you are not alone 🙂
75% of teens between 12-17 have phones
Teens send and receive an average of 2,108 texts per month
That’s 556,512 words per teen per year, equal to War & Peace
They also download on average 11 applications per month
65% of teens sent a text in the middle of the night
70% received a text from someone NOT in their contact list
Parents are checking in on their teens with them locking phones during school, at night and instantly at times
This holiday weekend, the Webman played Santa Claus for the family, just like many of you. One of the stops was to the Verizon store for an early smartphone upgrade for one of my daughters. (And yes, she is using my upgrade yet again) Anyway, the upgrade price for a iPhone 4, white, is $99 so I am feeling pretty good about this purchase.
And then it broke down. First news from the Verizon representative, was that their was a $20 charge for an early upgrade. Hmm, so they have their hand in my pocket here as it does not cost them anything to do this, but they need to subsidize some cost or just boost the revenue line a bit. I like this as much as I like change fees on airlines – NOT ONE BIT. But hey, I am still doing pretty well by getting a new iPhone for $119 right. So feeling a bit screwed but can tolerate.
And then the bomb hit… The Verizon representative tells me to slide my credit card and that the total bill was $154.31 including the sales tax. Hmm, I am pretty good with numbers and quickly realize that I am getting charged more than 20% tax on this transaction. Here is a picture of the credit card receipt:
Not good at all!
What the heck is going on here? $34.31 for tax on a $119 purchase? You have got to be kidding me. So the Verizon representation calming talks about Taxachusetts (He has had to explain this before I presume) and about how they need to pay tax to the state not on the sales price but on the “Value” of the smartphone, which as you can see on the receipt is $549. So I am paying the 6.25% tax rate on $549 and not on the $99. So I choose not to shoot the messenger and do a little research myself.
“Starting July 1, 2011, D 11-2 announces rules amended in part because in the ensuing years since D 93-9 business models have changed. It may not be readily apparent to the retail customer who actually owns the cell phone store where they are making a purchase and which of the existing salestax rules would apply. The new Directive makes it clear that the tax must be calculated on the higher of the amount actually paid by the retail customer or the wholesale cost of the phone or other wireless communication device.”
“But it also provides — and this is new — that the vendor responsible for collecting and remitting the sales tax now has a choice. In situations where the wholesale cost of the phone or other device is used for calculating the tax (because it is higher than the amount paid by the customer), the seller may collect and remit tax from the customer on the wholesale cost. Alternatively, the vendor may elect to assume a portion of the tax by collecting only on the lesser amount actually paid by the customer, in which case the vendor must also remit tax on the difference between that lesser amount and the wholesale cost. The seller may collect part or all of that tax from the retail customer.”
And there you have it. A 22.2% tax on cellular phones in Massachusetts. Be afraid, be very afraid of where this might lead. You cannot make this stuff up.
Let me know what you think about this blog by commenting below.
The news about smartphone penetration continues to be incredible. Adoption rates continue to climb and more importantly, your key customer targets, people between the ages of 18-44 are using smartphones more than ever. The question for your business is what are you doing to reach your customers and prospects?
Nielsen’s third quarter survey of mobile users reveals that while only 43 percent of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone, a mobile phone with a powerful operating system, the vast majority of those under the age of 44 now have smartphones. In fact 62 percent of mobile adults aged 25-34 report owning smartphones. And among those 18-24 and 35-44 years old the smartphone penetration rate is hovering near 54 percent.
As a smartphone owner, my behavior has become more and more mobile and my tolerance for non-mobile sites is near zero. Using a browser on a mobile device? How bad is that? Have you downloaded an app? Well 30 million apps are downloaded worldwide every day. What are you waiting for?
40 percent of 45-54 year-olds reported owning a smartphone, as opposed to a more basic feature phone. The segment with the second fastest-growing smartphone penetration rate is those aged 55-64. Smartphone penetration among this older group is only 30 percent, but it jumped 5 percent this quarter. The baby boomers also are going mobile.
Your ability to connect and stay relevant to your customers and prospects is changing rapidly. Are you keeping up?
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