Digby Mobile App Study Reveals Market Poised To Deliver Contextual, Location-Based Mobile Marketing

Digby, the leader in location-based marketing and analytics for retailers and brands, recently announced that 87% of retailers on the STORES’ Top 100 list provide mobile applications that help fans locate stores through location technology. This first generation use of location technology prepares consumers and marketers for the next generation of location-enabled marketing and engagement capabilities and solidifies location-based services as a mainstay of branded rich applications. 

Further analysis of the retail and hospitality organizations included on the STORES’ Top 100 list indicates:

• 100% of mobile apps in boutique, casual dining, convenience, drug stores, fast food, grocery and value stores feature first generation location technology, which enables a store locator feature
• Mobile apps for big box, department stores and specialty stores with store locator capabilities follow close behind with 94%, 75% and 70% respectively
• Online retailers finish the group last, with only 25% offering first generation location-awareness
• 36% of apps are enabled with push notification functionality

The rising percentage of mobile applications with first generation location technology reflects an understanding of the dynamic engagement location can provide as a means to achieve contextual mobile marketing.  Users, too, are seeking out contextual content.  A recent report by Pew found that 74% of smartphone owners use their phone to get real-time location-based information.

A few industry leaders have made the transition to next generation location technology and have seen powerful results from their location-based marketing campaigns.  The right message to the right person at the right time and place has turned browsers into buyers and improved customer satisfaction. The infographic to the right illustrates the combined results of several Digby customer implementations:

• 22% of shoppers opened a contextually relevant push notification when they were near a store
• 57% of those shoppers actually visited the store
• The offer had a 160% redemption rate, due to shoppers sharing the offer on social channels

These initial results are encouraging. According to Forrester Research, Inc.’s January, 2013 report, Five Ways to Mobilize Your Loyalty Program in 2013, “In the mobile channel, loyalty program marketers have wider control over how and when they interact with members through both push and pull messaging and can use customer insights to motivate behaviors before a member even enters a store.” The report goes on to state, “ Whether it’s recognizing a top-tier member as they cross a geofence, reminding a member that they have points to burn while they browse, or alerting a member to a flight delay after they check in to a terminal, mobile makes it easier for loyalty programs to deliver offers, coupons and information to consumers in real time.”

David Sikora, Digby’s CEO & Founder agrees. “We are at a turning point in mobile marketing. Before, rich apps were treated as an extension of mobile commerce and the capabilities for personalization were limited. Now, industry leaders are providing right place, right time engagement that is triggered by activities of the app user in the real world. This next generation of mobile marketing will bring relevancy and value to marketer and consumer alike.”

About Digby
Digby leverages mobile and location technologies to help brands achieve their strategic omni-channel goals – to drive store traffic through location-relevant marketing, engage with consumers in the brick and mortar store, and provide web-style analytics about consumer behavior in store locations – all through their own branded mobile experience. Through the Localpoint Mobile Platform, Digby delivers hosted software, rich mobile application SDKs and full-service, turnkey mobile solutions designed for smartphones and mobile websites, allowing brands to attract, influence and ultimately improve the relationship with their customers. Digby, powering millions of apps in thousands of locations around the world, has been enabling top brands since 2006 including Bed Bath and Beyond, HP, Cabela’s, RadioShack, Orvis and many more. For more information, visit www.digby.com.