3 Things You May Not Know About Social Shopper Marketing

Canadian Tire was one of the first retailers in Canada to not only have a mobile app, but also a social tool with scanning functionality that could automatically cross-reference a UPC with a user-generated product review in-store. Wal-Mart has set up @walmartlabs, a separate division made up of acquired companies to combine social, mobile and digital with the explicit purpose of owning the landscape of retail. Wal-Mart is experimenting with mobile app building and data harvesting that will be used to give shoppers information while in-store, including what brands their friends bought on their shopping trips and how much they liked a certain product in a certain section of the store.

Many brands are leveraging real and virtual "shopper communities" to gather data, float product and pricing initiatives, and spread incentives. It's a pity that individual brand teams aren't able to harness that power and translate it into mobile apps that can help connect communities in-store or, even better, through the entire path to purchase. In a social media sense, it's definitely an idea worth sharing.

Jason Dubroy is vice president of shopper marketing at DDB Canada. Jason can be reached at jason.dubroy@ddbcanada.com.