Shazam: The Next Breakthrough in Retail Marketing?
By Amanda F. Batista, Associate Editor
Today’s digitally savvy consumers speak a new language that includes a variety of new action verbs: you can “Friend Request” someone; “Google” a word or sentence; and, when you hear a song you don’t know, you can simply “Shazam” it.
Shazam is one of my favorite, cool apps for the iPhone. As a music aficionado, I’m always looking for new tunes. Sometimes I hear a great song but can’t put my finger on its name or the artist. But then I just open the Shazam app, hit “Shazam it” and within seconds, the information will render. This app intrinsically is just awesome.
Now it’s popping up in TV spots, allowing viewers to “Shazam” a commercial for more information about a brand. This can be a major breakthrough in retail marketing if adopted on a greater scale. It’s a genius way to enable marketers to fuse customer touch points by integrating the “always on” mobile device with content focused on enabling the shopping experience.
With more than 200 million loyal Shazam users in 200 countries, the app is a great way to connect with consumers already engaged and seeking more information about a brand or product.
Shazam teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment to streamline ticketing for the highly anticipated summer flick Men In Black 3, released last Friday. During TV ads for the movie, viewers could use the Shazam app to purchase tickets to see the movie. The “Shazam for tickets” offering will continue through the summer for other movie releases.
The Shazam craze already has infiltrated retail. Last year Calvin Klein teamed up with Shazam to integrate its discovery service into the fashion brand’s holiday campaign.
Calvin Klein store locations featured a sound installation to engage with its existing application users, as well as garner new ones. Consumers could use Shazam to tag the interactive displays within Calvin Klein stores to receive exclusive content such as in-store promotions, a complimentary download of the display song and Calvin Klein holiday wallpaper.
Old Navy also partnered with Shazam to create a unique shopping experience using the Shazam discovery app for its spring advertising campaign, Old Navy Records. The campaign integrated Shazam’s music discovery and sharing capability with Old Navy commercials to unlock and shop the looks featured in those ads, and access exclusive Old Navy deals, styling tips, video and other content related to the campaign — all from mobile devices.
During its first few weeks, the Old Navy Records campaign reached more than 38 million people via Shazam, according to the retailer, and 27% of the people who “Shazam’d” the ad either shopped, downloaded the song or viewed additional content.
What would you Shazam? The opportunities are endless. This outlet offers a way to surpass the limits of TV marketing, reach consumers, enlist their tethered technology and enable them to opt in for more information about your brand.
Follow Amanda on Twitter: @AmandaF_Batista
![Survey Says: 43% Of Consumers Prefer To Use Credit Cards
By Fatima D. Lora, Assistant EditorRetail TouchPoints recently conducted a social poll via Facebook and LinkedIn which indicated that most (43%) of consumers prefer to use their credit cards when shopping at their favorite retailer. BIGinsight Analyst Randi Honkonen took the poll on LinkedIn and explained why she chooses to use her credit card rather than cash, a debit card or a smartphone. “I’m a big fan of my American Express card — I get points I can use like cash on Amazon. I rarely carry cash, and I prefer not to use my smartphone or debit card for security reasons.”
Similarly, Retail TouchPoints’ Contributing Editor, Lorna Pappas, opts for the credit card because she likes to receive CitiCard’s cash-back bonus points. “I also like to pay by check so my credit card balance doesn’t get too high,” she said. One Facebook respondent offered to comment on why credit cards might be the most preferred method of payment. “I think [credit cards are] still more trusted than the phone and more convenient than cash,” said Jennifer A. Jones, SVP at MSLGroup, a division of advertising services provider, Publicis Groupe.
Although a majority of respondents chose to use their credit cards (43%), debit cards (25%) and smartphones (22%) still are preferred methods of payment over cash.‘Smartphonatics’ Dominate Mobile AdoptionAn increasing number of consumers worldwide are adopting mobile payment methods. The group of consumers most interested in mobile technology and mobile payment are a particular segment of smartphone owners. Aite Group, an independent research and advisory firm, defined these consumers as “Smartphonatics” —people who change their shopping, financial and payment behavior as a result of owning a smartphone. “Nearly two-thirds of U.S. Smartphonatics say they’re using less cash than they did three years ago. Among other consumers, approximately 50% are using less cash,” according to an Aite Group study titled: The Global Rise of Smartphonatics: Driving The Mobile Payment and Banking Adoption in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
“The differences between Smartphonatics and other consumers are reflected in their choice of payments,” the study noted. “Paying with a mobile device is already the preferred method of payment for small-ticket items, higher-value goods and person-to-person transactions among a small percentage of Smartphonatics. This percentage is sure to increase as the number of retail locations accepting mobile payments rises.”](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4sqhnG6bN1ro2x8ho1_1280.png)
Survey Says: 43% Of Consumers Prefer To Use Credit Cards
By Fatima D. Lora, Assistant Editor
Retail TouchPoints recently conducted a social poll via Facebook and LinkedIn which indicated that most (43%) of consumers prefer to use their credit cards when shopping at their favorite retailer.
BIGinsight Analyst Randi Honkonen took the poll on LinkedIn and explained why she chooses to use her credit card rather than cash, a debit card or a smartphone. “I’m a big fan of my American Express card — I get points I can use like cash on Amazon. I rarely carry cash, and I prefer not to use my smartphone or debit card for security reasons.”
Similarly, Retail TouchPoints’ Contributing Editor, Lorna Pappas, opts for the credit card because she likes to receive CitiCard’s cash-back bonus points. “I also like to pay by check so my credit card balance doesn’t get too high,” she said.
One Facebook respondent offered to comment on why credit cards might be the most preferred method of payment. “I think [credit cards are] still more trusted than the phone and more convenient than cash,” said Jennifer A. Jones, SVP at MSLGroup, a division of advertising services provider, Publicis Groupe.
Although a majority of respondents chose to use their credit cards (43%), debit cards (25%) and smartphones (22%) still are preferred methods of payment over cash.
‘Smartphonatics’ Dominate Mobile Adoption
An increasing number of consumers worldwide are adopting mobile payment methods. The group of consumers most interested in mobile technology and mobile payment are a particular segment of smartphone owners. Aite Group, an independent research and advisory firm, defined these consumers as “Smartphonatics” —people who change their shopping, financial and payment behavior as a result of owning a smartphone. “Nearly two-thirds of U.S. Smartphonatics say they’re using less cash than they did three years ago. Among other consumers, approximately 50% are using less cash,” according to an Aite Group study titled: The Global Rise of Smartphonatics: Driving The Mobile Payment and Banking Adoption in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
“The differences between Smartphonatics and other consumers are reflected in their choice of payments,” the study noted. “Paying with a mobile device is already the preferred method of payment for small-ticket items, higher-value goods and person-to-person transactions among a small percentage of Smartphonatics. This percentage is sure to increase as the number of retail locations accepting mobile payments rises.”
![Retail Start-Ups ― How An Idea Develops Into A Brand
I recently purchased an iPhone case not only to support a friend who has started her own brand, Shop Savage, but because it was different. She’s not the first of my friends who has started their own company; in fact another created an entire clothing line, Maintenance [CLOTHING]. Despite having an e-Commerce web site, both have turned to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to help drive followers. “I decided to start Shop Savage because I really have a love and passion for fashion,” Caitlin Hartigan, Owner of Shop Savage, told Retail TouchPoints. “I use Facebook and Twitter to showcase my product and keep followers updated on what’s happening on the web site.” Hartigan also utilizes a blog to share inspiration sources and to keep followers up on what she feels are key pieces to have in their closets for the season. Tara Puntasecca, Founder of Maintenance [CLOTHING], takes social media a step further with video from photo shoots and artists who have performed while using Maintenance [CLOTHING] accessories. In a recent Retail TouchPoints article, Editor-in-Chief Debbie Hauss pointed out that video is making inroads in commerce. She referenced recent data from comScore noting that more than 180 million U.S. viewers watched 40 billion online videos in January 2012. Additionally, according to eMarketer, video is the fastest growing method of U.S. online ad spending, expected to increase 54.7% in 2012.
There’s no surprise why Maintenance [CLOTHING]’s latest video titled, “Photo Shoot Chronicles: Episode 2 [90’s]” has received more than 10,000 views. This video is a behind-the-scenes look at its latest concept photo shoot, featuring the “Maintain Your Decade: 90’s Edition” T-shirt. One blogger described the new design as “pure awesomeness.”
“The T-shirt literally takes you on a trip down memory lane of everything 90′s; From the Fresh Price of Bel Air to Furbee’s, this design has a bit of everything 90′s,” said Adam Hendle, a blogger for iamtrend.com.
As you can see, passion followed by creativity will always lead the way. Most importantly, having the right content mixed with social media can help drive a follow.
Follow Fatima on Twitter: @FatimaDLora](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4hj6lx8Fj1ro2x8ho1_400.png)
Retail Start-Ups ― How An Idea Develops Into A Brand
I recently purchased an iPhone case not only to support a friend who has started her own brand, Shop Savage, but because it was different. She’s not the first of my friends who has started their own company; in fact another created an entire clothing line, Maintenance [CLOTHING]. Despite having an e-Commerce web site, both have turned to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to help drive followers.
“I decided to start Shop Savage because I really have a love and passion for fashion,” Caitlin Hartigan, Owner of Shop Savage, told Retail TouchPoints. “I use Facebook and Twitter to showcase my product and keep followers updated on what’s happening on the web site.” Hartigan also utilizes a blog to share inspiration sources and to keep followers up on what she feels are key pieces to have in their closets for the season.
Tara Puntasecca, Founder of Maintenance [CLOTHING], takes social media a step further with video from photo shoots and artists who have performed while using Maintenance [CLOTHING] accessories.
In a recent Retail TouchPoints article, Editor-in-Chief Debbie Hauss pointed out that video is making inroads in commerce. She referenced recent data from comScore noting that more than 180 million U.S. viewers watched 40 billion online videos in January 2012. Additionally, according to eMarketer, video is the fastest growing method of U.S. online ad spending, expected to increase 54.7% in 2012.
There’s no surprise why Maintenance [CLOTHING]’s latest video titled, “Photo Shoot Chronicles: Episode 2 [90’s]” has received more than 10,000 views. This video is a behind-the-scenes look at its latest concept photo shoot, featuring the “Maintain Your Decade: 90’s Edition” T-shirt. One blogger described the new design as “pure awesomeness.”
“The T-shirt literally takes you on a trip down memory lane of everything 90′s; From the Fresh Price of Bel Air to Furbee’s, this design has a bit of everything 90′s,” said Adam Hendle, a blogger for iamtrend.com.
As you can see, passion followed by creativity will always lead the way. Most importantly, having the right content mixed with social media can help drive a follow.
Follow Fatima on Twitter: @FatimaDLora
Why Do Users Become Disengaged With Your Email [Infographic]
For retailers, their brand reputation and engagement with customers are top priorities. With many communication vehicles to choose from, merchants find that maintaining a relationship through email marketing has been proven to be the most difficult; and one bad move can cause email recipients to unsubscribe. In fact, 77% of U.S. consumers said they have become more guarded about giving out their email addresses over the past year, while 18% said they never open emails from companies. This infographic provides a close look at engagement filtering behaviors for Gmail and Hotmail, and the reasons why subscribers become disengaged with email.
Heuristic Number 4: Like — Builds Bonds and Trust [FastCompany]
This social commerce image was featured in a recent FastCompany article and was created by TabJuice.com
It’s All In A Name: Is Social Media Too “Social” For Business?
By Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief
Last week I sat in on a very interesting discussion about the value of social media for internal use in business. Led by industry analyst Adrian Gonzalez, President, Adelante SCM, the roundtable meeting took place during the Manhattan Associates user group conference in Orlando.
A group of approximately 3 dozen retail executives, including representatives from Target and QVC, gathered to learn about how to take advantage of social networking to enhance Employee Collaboration. But much of the discussion centered around semantics — the word “social” being used in a business context seemed to be a hurdle for a number of the executives.
While many of the retail attendees acknowledge that they value and use social media in a B2C context, most couldn’t grasp the value of using what they consider to be “socializing” in a business context. But they probably should…For example, a recent study by the Kenexa High Performance Institute revealed that employee engagement is lacking in many businesses. In fact, retail industry employees demonstrated the lowest engagement rate of all industries.
Maybe retailers should look to the Home Depot for direction on how to approach the use of social media internally. Last year the home improvement retailer launched an extremely successful program using store associates to help improve the overall business.
Gonzalez pointed to the value of using social channels as an addition, or alternative, to email in certain instances as a way of collecting group input on a topic. Although some of the retailers seemed open to the idea, they had questions around compliancy – How do you control the dialogue in an open forum?
Many of the retailers also noted that their companies block social media sites on their work computers, which is counterintuitive to promoting it as a new way of improving business processes.
So aside from the need for a new name for social media for internal business use, the social realm still has a long way to go before it’s fully accepted and used as an internal business tool.
Intent to Buy Cartoon #4: Email Deal
Providing personalized recommendations based on past searches and customer profile data produces irrelevant, and sometimes even insulting results. To stay relevant, retailers must focus on their client’s in-the-moment needs. By focusing on what shoppers are looking for in the moment, retailers can improve customer loyalty and the bottom line. - Dan Darnell, VP Marketing, Baynote.
Consider Your Pre-Order Proposition
By Amanda F. Batista, Associate Editor
There’s no boost for retail quite like a hot commodity. Tickle Me Elmo, the Furby and Avatar on Blu-Ray are just some of the countless products that created excitement, with a little thing called the pre-order proposition.
Pre-ordering is a tactic that many manufacturers and retailers long have employed to provide a convenient option for guaranteed, prompt delivery upon release. Moreover, it’s a way for retailers to differentiate themselves on customer service.
Mathematically, pre-orders are an ideal way for manufacturers to gauge demand there for a particular product, which helps them decide how large initial productions should be. In turn, retailers then can be assured of minimum sales. Taking it a step further, high pre-order rates are a golden opportunity to encourage publicity to enhance sales even further. With such a basic, seemingly foolproof model, it seems this tactic can and should be leveraged whenever appropriate.
In the sports entertainment industry, popular athletes often are a commodity on which brands and retailers can rely. The star player or up-and-coming rookie can sell merchandise like hot cakes. In the wrestling industry in particular, where the lines between “athlete” and “character” merge, a comeback, newbie to the ring or unstoppable buzz phrase can become the driving force of creative merchandise.
A few weeks ago, an e-Commerce site announced the release date for a new wrestler’s t-shirt. Thrilled to find out the news before my die-hard fan of a husband, I immediately placed a pre-order to ensure he’d have the shirt shipped on the day of its release.
Much to my dismay, a few short days after my order was placed, I received an email that said the t-shirt was on backorder. I received a similar reminder on the day the shirt was officially released. Here we are, nearly four weeks after the shirt has been on the market, and my husband is still rocking his old wrestling gear!
The pre-order proposition, in this case, was totally shot! Retailers can learn from this blunder. Keep in mind:
1. The need to satisfy consumer enthusiasm. As a consumer, I had the opportunity to hold out for discounts and/or purchase the shirt elsewhere, but the product created so much excitement that I wanted to ensure that I could reserve it in advance.
2. The critical test of loyalty. I chose to do business with this eTailer because the whole point of a pre-order is to ensure that the merchant “has your back” and wants to reward you.
3. Don’t make promises you can’t keep! What’s the point of a pre-order if you can’t fulfill it? The demand is sparked and needs to be managed properly for the cultivation and preservation of loyal customers.
Retail TouchPoints Articles Of Interest:
Webinar: From Inventory Forecasting to 24x7 Operations: Strategies For Smarter Retail
Tactical Insight: Establishing Successful Strategies To Enhance Shoppers’ Promotional Experience
Study: Retailers Shifting To Multichannel Supply Chain Management
Heuristic Number 3: Scarcity — Less Is More [FastCompany]
This social commerce image was featured in a recent FastCompany article and was created by TabJuice.com
