We have evolved from the Brochure Revolution, where if consumers wanted more information on a product and/or a service, they had to get in their cars and physically go to the retailer or dealer for more information. In the late 1990’s, we evolved to the Desktop Revolution, where consumers were able to getting information from retailers from the comfort of their homes and were eventually able to purchase items right from the web as Internet speeds increased.
Today, we are experiencing the Mobile Revolution, wherein consumers expect a mobile web experience that renders on their handset. To that point, consumers are and will continue to be frustrated by retailers who do not offer a correctly rendered mobile experience. The key is to offer your customers an integrated solution that includes mobile web (mWeb), SMS, and in some instances a native mobile application. If consumers are becoming more mobile, they need to be able to reach you at a moment’s notice and you need to be able to reach them instantly to drive traffic (to either your storefront or your mobile website).
Not to digress, but the other night I was sitting on my couch and needed to send someone a gift card. The 2010 version of me thought it was too much trouble to walk ten feet to my laptop to make this purchase. I went to one retailer’s site (I’ll refer to them as Retailer A) from my BlackBerry® ; unfortunately, the site was not mobilized and I found it difficult to make a purchase. Needless to say, I went to another retailer’s website (Retailer B), which directed me to an optimized mWeb version, and found it to be a fantastic experience. I made my purchase and the gift card was emailed to the recipient (yes, emailed). This cost Retailer A my business because they were not “mobile”. Now, this was a personal experience and I do not know how many times this is happening per day, but retailers need to take a step back. Retailers in particular should embrace the mantra of “CRAWL…WALK…RUN” before running to the latest advance in mobile technology. The key to winning customers’ hearts is offering a ubiquitous experience that reaches the masses.
Retailers in general should stay away from the bright shiny objects like Location Based Services, Social Media, Geo-Fencing, and the like until they have a very clear understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. Remember when Pizza Hut was the first of the Big Three to develop web ordering in the late 1990’s and it failed? Can you imagine trying to order pizza on dial-up? It was a user experience nightmare. Fast forward to ten years later and they have the number one rated pizza online ordering system. Timing is everything and for retailers to jump on the latest fad is not only a risk to their reputation, but a risk to their bottom line.
One last remember the time. Remember when there was a time where web design and development companies told retailers, “You need a website.” Most of us laughed and said, “Why would I need a website — I have a store and brochures!”. Well, today is no different. If you do not have a clearly defined executable mobile strategy, you are falling behind once again.
