Smartphones look set to play a key part in many consumers Christmas shopping as online marketing and new methods of mobile marketing play a greater role in product decisions. In America, two thirds of shoppers said that their smartphone would have a role in purchase decisions during the back to school shopping period.
For the much more lucrative Christmas period advertisers will look to increase their online marketing and mobile marketing efforts ever further. QR codes are one such methods of engaging customers though mobile marketing. The codes are displayed in store, on billboards or in a variety of media which can be scanned by a smartphone’s camera. The scanned code then links to a website, application or text message which can offer the user discounts or other ways to engage with the brand. The method has been around for a while but is growing in popularity as the hardware to engage with the codes becomes more readily available.
Most of the population of the US and the UK are unaware of QR codes and their mobile marketing intentions however in larger cities their presence may become unmissable. Ebay have launched a ‘pop-up’ store in London for five days over the Christmas period which will contain products with QR code links to their online marketing. There will be no over the counter purchases as the store simply acts as a vehicle to promote the online auction site. Larger retail stores such as Debenhams and John Lewis are also keen to make use of mobile marketing by displaying QR codes, while Starbucks teamed up with Lady Gaga to promote their online marketing efforts with a scavenger hunt to promote her new album.
While QR codes provide a convenience and a thrill from using the latest technology, many customers will simply be responding to online marketing from manually entering product information to their phones in store as mobile marketing offers a wider choice and greater price competition than the high street can.
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