Integrating Mobile Technology into the Retail Customer Experience

Tom Murphy and Steven Keith Platt
Platt Retail Institute
October 2012
www.plattretailinstitute.org



This article is the transcript of an interview conducted by Tom Murphy, Editor-in-Chief, DigitalCanvasRetail.com, DigitalDraw.com, and Business Agility Radio, with Steven Keith Platt, Director and Research Fellow, Platt Retail Institute. The subject of the interview is how mobile technology is being incorporated into the retail customer experience.

Mobile is the focus of three-quarters of all of the developers currently working in corporate IT in America today, according to a recent IBM survey. It is twice as popular for those developers as any other area, and for good reason. This interview focuses on the retail sector, which is leading the way in mobile applications and usage.

Some of the topics covered in the interview include:
•    The forces that are driving mobile in the retail sector, and how retailers are adapting.
•    The move toward omni-channel retailing. This means, in essence, that customers experience a brand, rather than a specific shopping channel. These channels include the store, as well as the Internet, catalog, mobile devices, etc. This fragmentation in shopping channels away from brick and mortar stores is forcing retailers to meet consumers on their terms, which is causing a lot of upheaval in the retail business.
•    Customer loyalty has moved beyond brand, merchandise and price. Consumers today want to shop when, where, and how they want to shop.
•    The opportunities in mobile engagement. There are a variety of different points of contact with the consumer, which are generally referred to as mobile touch points. Those can start before the customer leaves for the store, such as searching for directions or hours of operation using a mobile app. Once in the store, a customer may use a mobile phone to conduct product research, price comparisons, and scan barcodes to see usage videos. If the customer authorizes it, a retailer may be communicating highly targeted, one-to-one messaging. At checkout, the customer might pay with his phone, have coupons scanned, or engage with a loyalty program. Post-purchase, the customer might look for warranties, rebates, etc.
•    Trends related to customer usage of mobile phones while shopping.
•    Developing a retail mobile strategy for a large company.
•    The adoption and use of mobile apps for retailers.
•    How banks are using apps and other technologies to engage with customers via their mobile phones.
•    The use of digital technologies to support personalized sales and interactions on the sales floor in a retail store.