QR code scans jumped 50pc on Black Friday

QR codes help marketers close sales
 

In a sign of the growing role that mobile plays in helping consumers make purchasing decisions, mobile bar code scans on Black Friday increased 50 percent, according to a recent study.

Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year and consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices to scan QR codes and UPC codes that appear on products, in-store displays and ads to help them make informed buying decisions. The numbers also point to continued adoption of QR codes by marketers and media publishers.

We believe that this holiday season, QR codes are helping retailers close sales and amplify their message via social networks.

Showrooming is here to stay, but QR codes can give shoppers the confidence they need to shorten the path to purchase.  Seventy five percent of the scans from Black Friday that were processed came from QR codes and they will undoubtedly play a large role in holiday shopping.


What are you waiting for?  Get your QR Code TODAY and close more sales tomorrow!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Savvy shoppers use mobile on Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday

 Cyber Monday is a big thing for retailers.

A recent study from PriceGrabber found that most Cyber Monday consumers will shop from home. Thus, the mobile presence increases.

PriceGrabber recently ran a survey that revealed that when consumers who plan to shop on Cyber Monday were asked to specify from where they plan to shop, 83 percent indicated home, 11 percent said work and 6 percent said they will shop on the go from a mobile device.

The company believes that consumers’ mobile shopping plans continue to increase this holiday season, up from the four percent of customers that planned to shop from a mobile device on Cyber Monday last year.

“When it comes to mobile, consumers are going to be shopping more with their mobile devices than last year,” said James Brown, director of merchant accounts at PriceGrabber.

“Consumers are using smartphones to comparison shop,” he said. “One thing that we found through smartphone usage and mobile usage is that shoppers are more savvy.

“Most savvy shoppers are going to start the shopping process earlier and the idea of waiting. If they see things they want they will find those deals.”

Get ready for the holiday shopping season today!

Contact us, your full service mobile strategy partner:  www.beachbumsmarketing.com

Are you ready for couch commerce?

This holiday season, PayPal predicts that couch commerce will explode even further.

The term was coined by eBay and PayPal, and last year, both companies predicted that Thanksgiving Day 2011 would be a day when consumers went from their dinner table to their couch to start their holiday day shopping on Thanksgiving Day on their mobile devices.

Both companies saw a 511 percent increase in global mobile payment activity than on Thanksgiving Day 2010.

“Retail has fundamentally changed,” said Anuj Nayar, director of communications for PayPal, San Jose, CA. “We expect to see some of the phenomenon, massive spike in shopping on Thanksgiving Day and couch commerce to explode.

“We also expect to see a percentage of shopping from mobile devices to rise.”

According to Mr. Nayar, although many marketers tend to differentiate mobile and online shopping, the two are similar in many ways. Mobile shopping, however, is done on a smaller device.
“From our point-of-view, mobile is popular,” Mr. Nayar said. “People shop on their smartphones during the day and their tablets at night.

According to the executive, PayPal sees shopping from their mobile devices during the hours of noon to 1p.m. and users turning to their tablets from 6-7 p.m.

“The way that people shop from their devices is different,” Mr. Nayar said. “It just varies at each device.

The shopping paradigm is changing and mobile is changing that,” he said. “I think the key point that we’re seeing as a company, is that consumers are using technology in new ways to find the best deals and they’re fundamentally changing what retail means and how people shop.

“The mobile device, more than anything else, has bridged the lines between online and in-store commerce. It’s changing the ways that consumers shop. Retailers have to react to catch up to what consumers are doing.”

“Consumers are exercising their mobile shopping skills, with more than two-fifths – 41 percent – pre-shopping online versus only 27 percent in 2011,” he said. “”Consumers have increased their use of smartphones inside stores and are leveraging their devices to the frustration of retailers.”

Contact us TODAY so that you are ready for the couch consumer!  It's never too late to get your website mobile friendly!

www.beachbumsmarketing.com

What you you using to drive Black Friday Sales?

There is no doubt that mobile has made its dent in the retail space and marketers are not only increasingly using the medium this holiday season to drive in-store traffic, but educating consumers to turn to their mobile devices first to make purchases.  So what have you done in your business to attract the mobile client?

Did you know that every holiday season, brands and retailers come up with new ways to increase sales. Over the past few years, many have integrated mobile into their strategies and have found success.  Our findings reinforce that mobile is not just another channel.

We live in a technology-driven cultural phenomenon that is changing how people are connecting to brands and commerce.  With more consumers shopping on their devices, brands are being provided with more mobile moments to address and create impact – even during a time of turkey, football, and family.

As mobile becomes the primary way for more and more people to connect to digital – including commerce – we’ll find that every day is mobile, not just Thursday or Monday.

Mobile only
Did you know that the retail market is embracing and igniting “Mobile Thursday” by early store hours or online sales?  Don't get left behind by not having a mobile strategy!

Take eBay for example. The company is ramping up its mobile efforts by heavily promoting mobile-only deals, which begin at 5:23 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

According to a recent study by Digitas, 28 percent of smartphone or tablet-owning adults plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day for the holidays with their mobile devices. This will be nearly double the percentage from 2011.

Furthermore, 29 percent of smartphone or tablet owners say that they have or plan to use their mobile device to assist with upcoming Thanksgiving holiday preparations. That number rises to 40 percent when focused on adults aged 18-34.

So NOW is the time to get your business mobile ready!  It's not too late.  Yes, many will be shopping this coming Black Friday yet we are all looking for the best deal. 

Contact us TODAY to get started:  www.beachbumsmarketing.com