This is the second part of our two-part series to get your shopping app holiday ready. You can read part one here.
Nowadays, free delivery on orders has almost come to be expected as a standard by online shoppers, with NRF citing that half of buyers will back out of a purchase if they don’t qualify for free shipping. According to data from Google, mobile searches for “same-day shipping” have increased over 120% since 2015. Clearly, offering convenient shipping options, and in most instances, offering free shipping has become table stakes for retailers, especially over the holiday period.
Consider offering as many delivery options as possible, as well as participating in Free Shipping Day. A promotional holiday taking place in December, Free Shipping Day is one day on which consumers can shop from different retailers offering free shipping and guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas Eve.
In addition, it’s well worth offering as many shipping options as possible. Maximize conversions by facilitating last-minute shoppers with some of these strategies.
Different Shipping Options: Ensure your customers are aware of the different shipping promotions that you’re planning on offering. If you’re participating in Free Shipping Day, be sure to send push notifications or a message via the inbox feature to remind customers to get their orders in if they want them to arrive before Christmas Eve. Think about launching a limited same-day or 90-minute delivery option for the holiday shopping rush.
Free Shipping Banner: Reduce friction at checkout by indicating a Free Shipping code in the cart banner. Also, indicate the Free Delivery offer prominently on the homepage to encourage purchases.
Activate In-Store Pickup - Make your customers’ shopping as convenient as possible by ensuring that your app offers in-store pick up as an option at checkout. This provides the ability for customers to reserve an in-store item within seconds. Encouraging free in-store pickup also assists in driving foot traffic to nearby stores and provides additional sales opportunities for store associates.
Mobile has proven to be a highly valuable platform for encouraging consumers to shop in-store. Research by Criteo revealed that while omni channel customers make up just 7% of total shoppers, they generated 27% of all sales. These findings highlight the potential value for retailers who are able to merge data from multiple touch points, supporting in-store sales through mobile.
Shoppers must go in-store if they want to purchase last-minute gifts in time, therefore giving retailers even more of a reason to focus on driving store traffic from mobile throughout the holiday season.
While omni channel marketing is an undoubtedly useful tool, it is often overlooked. Seventy percent of shoppers (aged 18-44) use their smartphones while shopping in-store, very few retailers harness mobile to engage their customers (WWD). Ensuring that you are targeting these shoppers is imperative over the holiday season. Google shows that searches for ‘where to buy’ peak on December 23 when late buyers are busy finding their last minute gifts and stocking fillers, so make sure that your mobile strategy takes these tips into account in order to help drive foot traffic in-store.
Key omni channel features to promote in-app during the holiday:
Omni channel Loyalty Barcode - Ensure your loyalty program is embedded in-app. Customers can show their loyalty barcode for the cashier to scan. It ensures shoppers are rewarded for in-store purchases as well as providing a real added value for the app.
Offer Barcode Scanner with Store Inventory - Make sure that up-to-date information on product availability is accessible to customers within your app. If they know that their preferred product is in-store, they know that it’s worth making the trip. What’s more, once your customers are in your store, they can scan the barcode of any item and check how it looks on the model as well as find another size or color.
Display Opening Times - Equip customers with the information they need to make an in-store purchase. While it might sound obvious, ensure that specific store opening times are easily accessible for customers within the app - this will help shoppers plan their in-store trip.
Having an app is one thing. Having a successful and profitable app is another. The key to winning over the holiday with any mobile shopping app is to ensure the correct marketing plan in place to drive awareness, downloads, engagement, and conversions. Here are the top recommendations for digital marketers wanting to perfect their mobile app marketing strategy:
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