Mobile Marketing

Women’s clothing retailer Ann Taylor has just launched its first Foursquare promotion. Shoppers who check in to one of the company’s eight New York City stores will receive 15 percent off their full-price purchase upon their fifth checkin and Mayors will receive 25 percent off their purchases of non-sale apparel and accessories.

The mobile Web can augment the in-store shopping experience as many consumers check and compare competitors’ products and prices as they actually peruse store aisles and contemplate purchases. This was a key finding in Compuware Gomez Mobile Benchmark Review of May 2010.

Location-based mobile alerts have led a third of women 18 to 34 to visit a store, according to a recent survey. And 27 percent of that demographic said that mobile messages have impacted their decision to buy in a physical store. The poll, conducted from May 17 to May 19, surveyed 2,046 U.S. adults 18 and older, including 1,710 who own a cell phone and/or a smartphone. It was conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by location-based ad company Placecast. It studied opt-in mobile marketing messages only.

With mobile commerce representing a major growth area for retail, the National Retail Federation, through its Mobile Retail Initiative, has unveiled the first version of the Mobile Retailing Blueprint.

OneStopPlus.com, a Redcats USA brand and the world’s first and only online plus-size fashion mall, takes its philosophy of innovation, selection and convenience to the next level with the launch of its iPad application and mobile site. Recognizing that fashion enthusiasts want fast and easy access to its website, OneStopPlus.com customers can now search for the latest styles and trends from over 100 brands and purchase directly from their mobile devices.

IKEA has taken its 2010 catalog mobile with the launch of an augmented reality application for Apple’s iPhone. Mobile marketing agency Mobile Dreams Factory has brought the 2010 IKEA catalog to the iPhone with a unique augmented reality feature: Users can select a piece of furniture from the catalog and place it anywhere inside the room around them, changing its size to fit the perspective by using the phone’s camera.

The study shows that 40 percent of smartphone users turn to them when making shopping decisions, and nearly a third say they are more likely to purchase products from companies that use apps, twice as many as those who said the same for companies that utilize social media. The findings, which are based on an online survey conducted in April among 1,004 smartphone owners ages 13-54, also indicate that smartphone owners are generally receptive to advertising in apps, but that iPhone owners appear to be more receptive than owners of other smartphones.

Neiman Marcus will be completely mobile by fall as part of its multichannel contact strategy to drive long-term growth, according to the company’s top executive who keynoted the Luxury Interactive 2010 Conference. “We will be completely mobile by August with any type of mobile device,” said Gerald Barnes, president/CEO of Neiman Marcus Direct.

How Meijer, a regional American hypermarket chain based in Walker, Mich., uses mobile marketing was the subject of a well-attended session at the Direct Marketing Association's Retail Marketing Conference 2010 in Orlando last month.

Whether you think these people are nuts (I do) or not, the point is weather events drive consumers to stores. Couple this fact with one of the hottest trends in retail marketing — mobile — and you have the basis for Aisle411's latest marketing tool. The St. Louis-based mobile marketing technology company launched Helpful Hints, a text messaging service tied to weather activity, in December 2009.