BRANDING UNBOUND

Cisco E-Commerce Study: Mobile The New 'Fourth Channel' For Revenue

Cisco thinks pretty highly of your cell phone.

In the company's third annual e-commerce study indicates that mobile devices are quickly joining physical stores, websites and catalogs as an important retail channel. The rise of social networking and advanced mobile technologies has redefined the online experience and is enabling retailers to capture new sources or revenue by implementing mobile strategies.

"Mobile presents a revenue opportunity for retailers and opens up a new era of multichannel retail," says Dick Cantwell, vice president of Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group. "Multichannel retailing has morphed into a web of shopper touchpoints across stores, catalogs, mobile devices, and the Internet. Retailers must start offering shoppers an 'interconnected shop' if they are to take advantage of the mobile opportunity."

The company also ranked Amazon as the top e-commerce player, in part because enables consumers to conduct transactions via mobile. Other players include  Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City, Quelle, Otto, Macy's, FNAC, Bol.com and Argos Home Retail Group.

Other findings on top retailers:

--  42 percent of retailers provide the ability to view product information on a mobile device through   
    reformatted web pages or specific mobile pages

--  15 percent offer the ability to conduct transactions (make purchases, complete inventory queries, etc.)

--  10 percent are using SMS to provide information or answers to customers' questions

--  6 percent have webpages and a URL specifically designed for mobile use

--  17 percent provide the capability to connect to communities of interest

--  52 percent provide customer reviews for products

--  50 percent have advanced visualization tools

--  50 percent provide multimedia such as video

--  50 percent offer customer support through multiple channels, such as
    click-to-chat

And the company offers these key insights for retailers:

--  Create and become a trusted destination site for your core shoppers

--  Do not miss the opportunity to use social networking to attract and retain the Gen X and boomer age groups

--  Develop your mobile strategy now; "Multichannel" retailing is continually being redefined

--  Ensure that user security is integrated into your approach when creating your mobile strategy

--  Identify and choose the critical new capabilities that your shoppers will really value, and execute them
    superbly

--  Recognize that innovation is an ongoing process and not an annual event
   
Read more about it all, here.

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MasterCard Testing Mobile Payment In Canada

At least one credit card company wants to master the possibilities when it comes to m-commerce.

MasterCard is running a four month pilot to enable users  to pay for purchases at retail locations that accept MasterCard's contactless technology by tapping their handset at specially equipped point-of-sale payment terminals.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at several tests run by MasterCard and Visa into the technology, which could bring a whole new level of convenience to consumers. And here in the blog, I've looked at how MasterCard is working aggressively in such fields as Bluetooth marketing, and how Visa is moving into mobile in-store marketing.

According to Finextra, MasterCard is confident that these new Canadian trials will be a success. The card network says a 2007 survey found nearly nine in ten Canadians (88%) are "very interested" in a payment method that would cut the time it takes to complete transactions.

Read more, here.

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Visa Looks At 'Store of The Future' for RFID, Mobile Retail Made Real

A new study commissioned by Visa Europe finds the future means more digitization in retailers.

RetailBulletin reports that a study from the Centre for Retail Research, projects that from 2012-2015, as websites increasingly transactional rather than informational, we are also likely to see a rise in the application of technology within physical stores.

Think automated self scanning, product tracking for inventory using RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) and targeted promotions delivered directly to consumers while they shop, whether through store-based or mobile systems.

In addition they are likely to have access to PC/web based facilities in store giving immediate access to product and customer reviews.

As Dr. Steve Perry, Executive Vice president, Visa Europe, tells the pub: “The 'Store of the Future' is likely to be shaped by a range of technologies in the digital era, but all will have a common goal - to create greater convenience for the customer and in turn achieve stronger differentiation and business success for the retailer.“

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at how a number of retailers are putting such technologies into play now, from Nanette Lepore to Prada, and from QuickStop Markets to Metro.

Read the RetailBulletin piece, here.

And get the inside scoop on the store of tomorrow, here.

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Paper Is Out, Mobile Phones In At Airline Check-Ins

It seems that change is, quite literally, in the air.

The New York Times is reporting that a growing number of airline passengers will soon have their boarding passes already in their pockets, thanks to new mobile ticketing service at Continental Airlines.

According to the Times, half a dozen airlines in the United States already allow customers to check in using their mobile devices - by way of an an encrypted bar code displayed on the phone’s screen, which can be scanned by gate agents and security personnel.

Continental, for one, is testing the new solution in the U.S. And Air Canada's been using it for a while.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at the exploding number of ways Continental and others are using mobile to connect with passengers at every step of their travels, from booking a ticket, to checking flight status to tracking baggage.

These new check-in services close the loop, right up to boarding.

“Our research shows that about 47 percent of frequent travelers are interested in using their phones for flight check-in, and about 42 percent said they’d be interested in using their mobile phone as a boarding pass,” Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt tells the Times.

As I point out in the book, QR codes and other new technologies will make booking and re-booking flights much easier as well.

Now if they can figure out an easy way to order fast-food delivery while you're waiting in the security line.

Read all about it, here.

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Report: M-Commerce Hits Retailers' Shopping Lists

Retailers are coming around to the potential of m-commerce.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I take an extensive look at how new mobile and wireless technologies can transform the in-store experience, with instant check-out to highly-personalized services and more, and I a devote a special Q&A interview section to Seth Godin (you can read an excerpt at 800-CEO-READ), who tells me about what he calls his "own private Idaho - the shopping experience made highly personal - and profitable.

Now, Retail & Leisure is reporting that a growing number of retailers are starting to recognize the opportunity.

But before they take action, a new Gartner study says they need to get wise to consumer expectations.

The pub cites a Gartner survey  if more than 2,000 consumer sin the US and UK that found shoppers are twice as likely to price check via a phone than make a purchase. Services offered by portals, price-comparison engines and mobile map providers should therefore be utilized by retailers to establish a workable m-commerce strategy, according to the analyst.

Another area to explore: "multichannel capabilities" that fit in with how the consumer wants to shop - by enabling mobile-phone-generated orders to be collected at a store, for instance, or letting consumers save a mobile shopping session and continue it later elsewhere online.

I actually think the pub may be over-estimating the short-term interest in price checking and mobile mapping, and underestimating the much cooler opportunities for using mobile to dramatically enhance the shopping experience in-store, but bringing a new level of personalization and convenience to bear.

I think the Gartner survey reflects a consumer republic that hasn't really conceived of what mobile can mean to shopping - their responses seem to reflect a "mobile is the web on wheels" perspective, when in fact, it's so much more.

Be sure to check out the chapter in BRANDING UNBOUND on the store of the future - and see how stores from Wal-Mart, to Extra, and from the Gap to Prada, are already creating differentiation, boosting sales, and building shopper loyalty through the next wave of mobile and wireless innovation.

From their examples, you'll see why retailers need to be thinking three steps ahead of consumers (and their competition) in ways upon which today's consumer attitude surveys would never shine light.

Read more about the book, here.

And read the Retail & Leisure piece, here.

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How Mobile Devices Are Transforming Retail Experience

As penetration of mobile devices tops the 250 million in the U.S. alone, retailers are not only looking at the mobile device as a new marketing vehicle, but also as a new opportunity to improve the in-store shopping experience.

At least that's the word from the first issue of a new publication called Retail Touchpoints, which includes a feature that looks at how Slifter, StoreXperience and other new apps leverage the power of the mobile channel to transform retail.

As the pub points out, Slifter enables consumers to enter the name of product they want along with their zip code to attain information directly onto their screen. The phone displays a photo of the item, along with product description, local availability, store location, phone number, and a map to the retailer.

And StoreXperience uses 2D Datamatrix technology – interactive bar code-like symbols that can be placed next to product information cards, on posters, on signage or on websites. Consumers can then “scan” 2D Datamatrix tags with their camera phones while they shop, receiving rich, in-depth product information supplied by participating retailers and brands.

This is all very cool. But as readers of BRANDING UNBOUND the book know, there are far cooler options. IMHO, entering a product on a mobile phone to find the nearest retailer isn't that interesting, nor is scanning a product at the point of purchase for more product information. But these do have big possibilities.

Instead, look for the ability to point a camera phone at an advertisement to place a purchase and have the item sent to your pre-defined shipping address. Or "scanning" a product for menu ideas v. basic product info.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at much cooler new social shopping technologies and mobile tech that knows who you are and serves up that product information on nearby displays, instead of just your phone, offering accessory ideas or making suggestions. And even the ability to just walk into a store, pick out your goods, and just walk out the door - without ever digging for cash, swiping a card, scanning a product, snapping an image - or waiting in line. And that's just for starters.

If you want to get to the really good stuff, pick up a copy of the book today.

Read the Retail Touchpoints piece, here.

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Sears First Major U.S. Retailer To Test 2D Bar Codes For M-Commerce

Are we ready for the cellphone side of Sears?

eWeek is reporting that Sears is the first major U.S. retailer in public beta of 2D bar codes.

Since mid-December, a store in Marietta, Georgia, has been testing the technology, which enables a cell phone's digital camera to "look" at a small 2-D bar code on an advertisement, which launches an applet.  As the pub describes it, the server interprets the bar code and the phone then launches a Web browser and deep-links to a page on that site, typically the Web site of the advertiser.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at versions of the technology, and how they may one day change the way we shop. At test in Sears, for instance, may connect you to more product information - which is fine (though, some apps include comparison shopping at other stores).

But it can get far cooler. As I talk about in the book, imagine seeing an ad in a magazine, or a poster, and being able to point your camera phone, press click, and make a purchase - a movie or airline ticket, for example.

Read more about the Sears test, here.

And more about the book, here.

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Shopping Carts Get Intelligent

ShopRite is aiming to live up to its name.

Customers with a loyalty card will soon be able to log onto a website at home, type in their grocery lists, and collect them at the store when the swipe their card on the MediaCart console, according to Salon and other news sources.

The new system will also use RFID to sense where the shoppers cart is in order to send targeted ads at certain points. The effort, which uses Microsofte technology in the company's effort to become an advertising network.

This is useful for research as well, collecting data as shoppers make their way around the store. As RFID makes it to the item level, marketers will gain insights on how consumers make decisions in-store. Why was the item picked up and put down later? In what aisle? It can all prove insightful.

Of course, all of this is old news to readers of BRANDING UNBOUND the book, which takes an in-depth look at the ways stores around the world are already using far more advanced technologies to transform the shopping experience.

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McDonald's To Become One Of UK's Biggest Providers of Wi-Fi Access

A fast-food giant wants to be a fast-access giant, too.

Reuters is reporting that McDonald's Corporation has announced it would offer free Wi-Fi Internet access in its 1,200 restaurants in the UK.

The move would make old Ronald one of that country's biggest providers of free wireless broadband access.

Sure beats Starbucks, which I refer to as a Wi-Fi Mo-Fo.

I mean, who wants to pay for Wi-Fi? McDonald's wants to get people into those outlets and stay a while. Starbucks could instantly increase its revenues by doing the same - at a fraction of the cost of all those expensive new stores.

Mickey-D wants to do it right. Hopefully 'Buck's Howard will do the same.

Read more about it, here.

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McDonald's Uses RFID for 'McCommerce'

McDonald's is testing a new twist on mobile fast food ordering and payment.

Mobo and other services enable folks to order fast food by text message, which is then paid for via credit card information saved with the service.

But The Korean Times is reporting that McDonald's in South Korea is testing a system where consumers walk into a McDonald's, sit at their table, plug an RFID reader into their phones, surf the menu, and then order their food, with payment being billed to their cell phone. The system alerts the customer when the food is ready.

Personally, I like Mobo's mobile solution better, and I'm really interested in QR codes, so folks can just aim their camera phones at menu items and click to order.

In BRANDING UNBOUND the book, I look at how McDonald's has been testing RFID in drive through lanes in California, where food is ordered, and then charged through the ubiquitous FastTrak badges on cars. I think this makes for a better use of RFID - and that text messaging or QR codes make for a better experience in-store.

But we'll see. South Korea's mobile culture is probably the most sophisticated on Earth - so what works there, often spreads through Asia and, sometimes, to the rest of the world.

(The book cover shown here is the South Korean translation of BRANDING UNBOUND the book.)

For more on the Korean RFID test, click here.

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