By Casey Gannon, VP of Marketing, Shopgate
The holiday season is finally upon us, and like every year, shoppers will be in a frenzy looking for gifts galore. However, this year stands out from the rest because for the first time ever, online shopping will come more from smartphones and tablets than desktop computers. According to Adobe Digital Insights, mobile shopping will account for 34% of online purchase revenue, up from 30% last year.
With mobile leading the charge this season, it presents the perfect opportunity for retailers to implement mobile strategies that capture a fast-paced, action-oriented audience. Below are five tips and tricks for executing the best practices for app marketing and promotions this holiday season:
Tip 1: Push Through The Season’s Chaos
When it comes to push notifications for mobile apps, retailers must be able to segment smartly, by both profile and behavioral data, in order to make themselves relevant to consumers. In fact, segmented messages result in 3X higher engagement than broadcast messages, 2X higher click-through rates and more than double conversion rates. Additionally, the landing page after users click on a push notification should be directly related to the message sent. The fewer clicks to purchase, the higher the conversion rates will be.
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Tip 2: Send Merry Messages
Generally, for holiday sales and specials, one-time messages are better than automated messages, especially when it’s for special offers lasting for a specified length of time, product release information, event updates or other types of brand news. However, sending automated messages is smart when promoting an ongoing offer, such as free shipping for the entire month of December. Sending mixed messages the “right way” can help foster better engagement with users.
Tip 3: Utilize The Season’s Most Magical Prime Engagement Tool
Facebook Engagement Ads is a tool that allows retailers to direct a shopper to a specified location within an app, like a product page or shopping cart with coupon applied. Using Facebook’s powerful targeting capabilities can give retailers full access to the platform built right into their app and reach users in a place they already are.
Tip 4: Give Shoppers The Gift Of Easy Checkout
Adding in digital wallet capabilities with expedited checkout options is necessary to compete for busy consumers’ dollars. Mobile shoppers do not have the patience to fill out complicated, finicky data entry fields. Simplifying the checkout process will stop shoppers from abandoning their cart and completing a purchase this holiday season.
Tip 5: Spread The Cheer With Holiday-Themed Content
Shoppers love the excitement of seasonal content to get them in the holiday shopping mood! One way to give consumers what they want is by updating the landing pages and the look and feel of the app with a holiday theme. Retailers also can create blog posts centered around helping shoppers find the perfect gift, with common keywords to drive search engine traffic like “Top 10 Gifts for Book Lovers” or “These 12 Gifts Are the Easiest way to the Dog Lover’s Heart.” Holiday-themed emojis are also great to include in push notifications, which has shown to increase click-through rates by up to 85%.
With these smart strategies, retailers can be equipped to compete against the major retail players this holiday season. An innovative mobile app will not only increase purchases, but it will also re-engage users as loyal returning customers, making it a very ‘appy’ holiday.
Casey Gannon, VP of Marketing at Shopgate, is an experienced tech marketer, driven to develop marketing strategies that blend traditional techniques with emerging technology. Her specialties include developing marketing strategies focused on consumer and B2B acquisition and retention, building compelling marketing collateral with simple, cohesive messages and optimizing sizable marketing budgets. When she’s not looking ahead to the next opportunity, Casey is a busy mom, soccer player and adjunct professor at her alma mater, St. Edward’s University.
