Just in time for Independents’ Month, Deloitte releases the results of their “mobile influence factor” study, created to gauge the impact of mobile apps on in-store purchasing.
Buckle your seat belts, brick and mortar owners. The news is good:
- Mobile devices’ influence will grow to represent 19% of total store sales by 2016, amounting to $689 billion in mobile-influenced sales.
- 48% of smartphone owners surveyed say their phone has influenced their decision to purchase an item in a store.
- Among smartphone owners who used their phone during their last trip, 37% used a third-party mobile shopping application, and more than one-third (34%) used a retailer’s mobile application.
- Among smartphone shoppers, the percentage who use their phone for shopping varies by store category, from 49% in electronics and appliance stores to 19% in convenience stores and gas stations.
- Once consumers start using their smartphones for shopping they tend to use them a lot—typically for 50-60% of their store shopping trips, depending on the store category.
Did you catch the bold section?
…37% used a third-party mobile shopping application…
Proof positive that The 3/50 Project’s LookLocal mobile app is on the cutting edge of a growing trend (the primary reason we chose mobile over older, less effective web-based search sites).
Downloading LookLocal is free. Using it is free. Getting listed is free.
Welcoming new customers? Priceless.
One of the constant challenges I hear from independent retailers (in particular) is the tight rope walk between time-sensitive website updates and not-so-time-attentive website designers. Merchants need to swap out images and text on their sites continually, which isn’t exactly lucrative work for most tech folks.
Which is why my heart leapt with glee upon learning about Adobe’s latest venture—Muse. It marries the ease of InDesign with HTML-5, providing a possible solution for current Creative Suite users. [click here to continue…]
I’ve been pretty vocal on The 3/50 Project’s Facebook page today about the overwhelming risks passage of SOPA or PIPA would have on independent brick and mortars. Here’s a cheat sheet to get you through the muck.
SOPA: Stop Online Piracy Act (the House bill)
PIPA: Protect Intellectual Property Act (the Senate bill)
• Main difference: SOPA extends to also include streaming content
• Main risk: While the initial focus was international pirating of video and music, the bills have been overwritten to include all domestic U.S. sites, including social media, making site/page/blog owners responsible for fan posts and content
A simple example of SOPA overkill making a small business owner responsible for someone else’s unethical behavior: http://bit.ly/AzREYA. (For the stationery store owners and printers in the group, think: Bride brings in her own graphic or monogram design…) [click here to continue…]
And NOW, kind souls, we change the game.
How many groups and communities out there are publishing lists of independent brick and mortar merchants? (Answer: Not enough) How many consumers actually carry that list around? (Answer: Even fewer)
How do we fix this?
Answer: We give them the list on their smart phones.
Welcome to LookLocal, The 3/50 Project’s brand-spankin’-new iPhone app, connecting consumers to locally owned, independent brick and mortar merchants with a tap or two of a finger. [click here to continue…]
I’ve had it. As someone with real time constraints to contend with, I rely heavily on WordPress plugins to relay my blog posts to the rest of the social media world, especially to Twitter, who made some changes to how they handle API calls a couple of months ago (sorry if I just techno-leaped over a couple of heads there with the geek speak).
[click here to continue…]
Take a peek at your email inbox. See an email from either Facebook or PayPal saying something about your login being changed or an error in your billing information found during routine maintenance? Is there a form you’re supposed to open?
DUMP THE THING.
These are both scams, making the rounds like wildfire. When in doubt, don’t click—instead, go straight to the website in question, manually type in their web address (just like you normally do), then sit tight. If there’s really a legitimate problem, you’ll get an error message. If there’s not, well…you just dodged a bullet.
Remember the blog post I whipped off nearly a year ago? You know the one…pick three, spend $50, ”Let’s call it The 3/50 Project.” Well, that little ditty has exploded into one heck of a huge international movement, complete with a full blown website, massive traffic, massive popularity…and a massive web hosting bill.
You know that $9.95/month hosting package you have that covers all the bases, and then some? Yeah, well, we’re way, way, waaaaaaay past that. [click here to continue…]
Disclaimer: I’m an Apple junkie. Have been since my first computer (a beloved Apple IIc in the early 80s); probably always will be. Which is why my heart’s torn this morning, between Uncle Steve’s latest invention and booksellers everywhere. [click here to continue…]
