Increase impulse purchases in retail with individualized local offers
Consumers often decide very spontaneously while shopping. Hence a strong presence and individual offers are important when it comes to increasing sales in the retail sector.
ELCA has developed a new feature for websites and mobile apps precisely covering this use case. The feature provides individual (discount) offers for consumers – depending on location, gender, shopping habits and environmental factors such as time and weather – with the aim of bringing them into your store.
Key Account Manager at ELCA ZH
As consumers’ use of digital media increases, the retail sector needs to completely rethink its approach to sales strategies and channels. Studies have shown that buying decisions are often extremely last-minute these days.* This applies not only to the typical fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) but also, e.g., to clothing and DIY products. Bricks-and-mortar stores face a constant battle with online shopping – a never-ending challenge to bring in potential customers.
Combining the online and bricks-and-mortar world
Adressing this development, Swiss IT company ELCA has developed a feature for websites and mobile apps that is able to generate additional revenue for department stores and retail companies by responding to the trend for last-minute buying decisions with individualized, situation-based offers and thus combining the online and bricks-and-mortar world: when potential customers find themselves near a particular store, they get an individualized offer sent to their mobile device. This offer combines their existing customer data - such as gender and shopping habits - with current data from their surroundings. Offers can be tailored according to the time of day and the weather – a mid-morning snack if the time is right, an umbrella or sun cream depending on the weather, a cooling fan or swimwear if it’s hot. In order for these individualized offers to work, there has to be a mobile-compatible and responsive website (that the consumer can access via smartphone or tablet or a mobile app) that has been installed in advance. Together with the mobile device’s geodata, this app can locate potential customers. If they are close to a store, they receive a personalized offer, based on their customer details and environmental factors.
Improving customer retention and satisfaction through personalized offers
From a marketing perspective, this new feature presents further advantages for the retail sector, with the regular and individualized contact helping to enhance the branding effect and customer and brand loyalty. The easy handling, personalized offers and discounts increase customer satisfaction, while at the same time providing companies with an improved insight into their customers’ buying behavior. Incidentally, the feature is also able to automatically adapt the appearance of the mobile app or website depending on the time of day and the weather. Based on the customer’s status at any given time, companies can define rules for each customer or each offer: x per cent off umbrellas when it rains, for example, for regular customers eventually a little more, etc.
The new feature was jointly developed by the retail and technology experts at ELCA. In addition to the added value it offers the retail sector, this feature is also state of the art in technology and easy to integrate into the existing IT landscapes.
Would you like to know more about the function, or arrange a date and time for a live demonstration? Contact severin.meichtry@elca.ch.