By Richard Graves, BKON Connect, Inc.
The good news is that 92% of
purchases are still made at brick-and-mortar retailers. The bad is that the
trend is negative and the end is
not in sight. Mobile is now leading the growth of online purchasing, with 63% of
Millennials already shopping on their smartphones every day.
For brick-and-mortar, the curse of mobile is that it allows near
frictionless access to online competitors, including from in-store. But there’s
promise too. Brick-and-mortar retailers can add their own digital touch points
and engage shoppers with experiences that are in sync with their location. The
Physical Web is a technology designed to create digital touch points in physical
places. It can anchor a strategy for in-store touch points.
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The Elements Of An In-Store Digital Touch Point
In its basic form, a digital touch point is one that engages a
shopper on his or her mobile device. Apart from creative content, there are two
basic challenges to making a touch point effective:
- Connecting the shopper to the right application
- Adding context to make the connection valuable
Connecting is a challenge because the retailer must engage that
shopper in the specific mobile application prepared with an experience – i.e.
on a web page, in an app, in a social media application, etc. The problem is
that shoppers may not be using the desired application, and may not know how to
navigate there. It’s called friction. Think of having everyone at the front
door for a surprise birthday party and then the birthday girl comes in the back
door.
Capturing context is the second challenge because it’s not good
enough just to display a generic ad. Knowing where, what, when
and who gives retailers the context needed to establish an emotional
connection. Shoppers today want to be helped. They want a relationship. And
they want personalization.
The Physical Web
The Physical Web is a
technology created to get shoppers connected directly with content prepared for
a specific location or product. It’s open, universal, and operates on the
premise that consumers should be able to access content by virtue of their
location. The Google-endorsed technology relies on Bluetooth beacons to connect
and a universal symbol to mark
touch points.
The beauty of the Physical Web is that it always gets shoppers to
the right application and content, without friction or distraction. For
example, Android users will see a passive notification previewing nearby
content upon waking their phone. iOS users of Chrome or other compatible
browsers will see the same on the iOS notifications tab. And app users can see
Physical Web content via the app’s “Nearby Button.”
And with great promise, Google is beta-testing Physical Web content displayed whenever someone taps Chrome’s search bar (Google calls this the Omnibox). This potential change would give brick-and-mortar retailers the first shot at engaging shoppers whenever someone initiates a search.
Physical Web platforms like the one from BKON Connect, allow the content of digital touch points to
be remotely and dynamically managed. This creates a closed feedback loop to
consistently measure and refine experiences.
The Bottom Line
Today, online retailers have the advantage of search term intent
and higher SEO to drive effective connections, but brick-and-mortar retailers
have the advantage of owning the space. This means they have complete control
over Physical Web touch points. Leveraging these touch points means that when
consumers are in-store and reach for their mobile, retailers can engage them
directly with rich, relevant connections.
Richard Graves is CEO and co-founder of BKON Connect, Inc., a proximity technology company targeting precision inbound marketing. Graves is an entrepreneur and angel investor, with a background in telecom and technology start-ups. He is a past founder or co-founder of several start-ups including American Telephone Network (ATN), DTI Networks, and Spring Valley Development, a real estate development company.
