How do you target customers who have switched off to your marketing?

Google research shows that 82% of shoppers make purchase decisions in-store. How can retailers capitalise on that and turn browsing into buying?

People are more educated than ever about marketing tactics, with the result that they are often perceived as spam.  For example,  69% of people who regularly use texts have received unwanted spam to their phones. 

A solution is proximity based marketing.  It’s an approach that allows micro targeting of timely messages that are highly relevant to consumers.  So retailers can deliver a marketing message dependent on a customer’s behaviour within a store. It’s a refinement of location marketing, a tactic that has been around for a while.

So how does proximity marketing differ from location marketing?   Imagine a store is running a promotion.  Using location marketing they may target people within a certain geographic area, for example a up to a mile away from their location. 

Using mobile phone technology, a message can be sent to people promoting the offer. But there are clearly limitations. A large percentage won’t have any interest in the offer because they are not in the market for that product at that time.  Some will be ending their shopping trip and feel it’s too far to walk to the store. And as highlighted above, many will dismiss the message as spam.

Connecting customers to your brand

With proximity marketing you can target people as they browse.  As they enter the store, a communication could appear on a large display.  They approach a product, and targeted messages can appear on the shelf front. If they pick it up, the message can change.  

Depending on the customer’s interaction with the item, a whole series of marketing communications can be targeted directly to the person, as they are browsing, at the precise time they are interested in the product. And the solution can be integrated with messages sent to the customer’s phone – but because they will be relevant and timely they are less likely to be seen as spam.  

Such an approach can be used to deliver information, promote offers, shift slow moving stock, engage with customers and ask for feedback.   And whilst invaluable in a retail environment, the applications are far ranging.  Hospitality, travel, estate agency, car dealerships – the markets for this technology are endless.

One platform, many applications

STiNO is a digital communications platform that is totally hardware agnostic.  It allows you to drive proximity marketing campaigns, where a customer action is the catalyst for a digital reaction, in a cutting edge, yet cost effective way, using proximity sensors or lasers.  It can form part of a larger omni-channel marketing strategy that could include face recognition, interactive content, loyalty apps and so on.  The one software platform can facilitate many different applications. 

The future of marketing is undoubtedly becoming more targeted, more personal and more interactive.  With STiNO you can develop relevant, integrated campaigns that support your brand, connect in a meaningful way to your market and allow you to easily measure your ROI.  Get in touch if you’d like to see the software in action.