Not necessarily…  It’s true that smartphones are always on and always with us.  It’s that running joke, you can forget your kids, and your keys, but not your phone.

With 79% of smartphone owners using them to shop, they are actually a huge opportunity for bricks and mortar retailers. You can now use all the technologies that were previously only available for ecommerce platforms inside your stores to help your customers. What’s even better is that having the physical store where shoppers can see and touch products drives more sales.

Smartphone technology combined with aspects of the physical world can dramatically improve the in-store experience.  By knowing the store layout, product locations, shopper location and shopper interests, stores can provide instant gratification to shoppers.  You can get special offers on products you want as you walk by as smartphones can suggest products and deals that are not only of interest to you, but right next to you as well.

Shopping in stores with smartphones becomes a highly personalized experience. And that drives increased customer loyalty.

Bricks and mortar retailers have incredible assets: real estate and products. Combine that with the power of digital marketing through smartphones and you have a winning solution.

Why are they so popular? Smartphones are being used for just about anything.  Think of all the ways you use yours.   It’s used for everything from your alarm clock, email, music, books, compass, phone, maps, to do list, shopping, etc.  There’s probably even an app to tuck your kids in at night… (though we don’t recommend it).

Let’s focus on the last one for a minute – shopping.

The statistics are stunning – 79% of smartphone users have used their phone for shopping.  More importantly, there are two types of shopping activities:

1) those that take the customer out of the store and

2)  those that help a customer find what they are looking for and purchase in-store.

The former are the price comparison apps where users scan a barcode on a product and see where they can buy it cheaper. These “scan and scram” apps usually result in a customer walking out of your store without a purchase.

The latter is an app – usually by the retailer – that helps a customer find the products they want inside your store. It’s a way for brick and mortar retailers to personalize and enhance their customers’ in-store shopping experiences, while increasing both basket size and customer loyalty.

Some examples of what this app can do include:

• shopping lists
• indoor store maps
• product locations
• efficient routes through the store
• personalized offers
• loyalty programs
• digital coupons
• proximity alerts
• product information
• self-checkout

The result is that customers quickly find what they are looking for and they have more time to browse for more items.  In your store.

What’s next:

It’s expected that sometime early this year, the sale of smartphones will pass feature phones.

And their presence is changing the way people shop. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with your customers…

The Meijer Find-it App is an example of how this can be done.  As Meijer found, the key benefits for retailers include real-time in-store engagement with customers, larger basket size, greater customer loyalty and deeper customer insights.

What ways are you connecting with your customers with smartphones?

I was a little surprised that I didn’t hear back right away, after all, $1000 is a big deal!  This morning I received a delightful email from Dave saying that originally he thought the congratulatory email was SPAM, but after some research, he found that we indeed are a legitimate company.  Good thing you didn’t delete the congratulatory email Dave!

In his own words, Dave is “a truck driving family man who enjoys doing projects around the house.”  He found the Point Inside Shopping & Travel app for his Droid when he was searching for a place to eat at an unfamiliar mall.  He started playing Mallopoly while bored at the Detroit Airport and one of his places was randomly selected as the Winning Place – the Microsoft Store at Bellevue Square.

More about Dave:

“I make my living driving a television production truck all over the United States covering sporting events for all of the major Networks (ESPN, NBC, FOX, CBS, NASCAR). I was actually just in Seattle near your offices for the Monday Night football game on 12/12 ! With my job I am always finding myself in new places. That is why I find Point Inside so helpful. I use it in shopping malls & airports to find everything I need. Before using Point Inside I would always be searching for a directory or just wandering around, searching.

The most important things in my life though is my family. I am very blessed with a wife(Amy), two children of my own(Gianna 4 & Christopher 1) & a step son(Tristan 15). When I am not at work I am spending all of my time with them.

We purchased a house last year 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, PA. I spend a lot of time remodeling & doing projects around the house which I enjoy.

The picture above is My Daughter & I on a picnic last summer.

I would like to thank everyone at Point Inside for this prize. I am planning on spending it on a family vacation this spring or summer.”

Dave – we’re so excited that you are the first ever Mallopoly Grand Prize Winner and are sure you’ll put the $1000 American Express Gift Card to good use!

Here is a link to see a list of the rest of the Point Inside Mallopoly Winners.

Viewing the listings can help you keep track of all of your claimed places. Visiting all of your claimed places in the app daily gives you an additional entry per place per day, and we’ve seen that many of our winners use this technique to increase their odds.

You can play Mallopoly inside the Point Inside Shopping & Travel App version 3.1 until December 31st.  Earn entries to win a $100 Daily Prize or the $1000 Grand Prize by claiming places in the app (one a day per user), for views of your place (one per day per unique user) and for sharing the app.

A Google Maps™ screenshot from Android™

Google introduced indoor maps inside the new Google Maps 6.0 for Android last week. We did a simple experiment.

As a shopper, we zoomed into one of the indoor maps of a local Home Depot and searched for “paint.” We were automatically repositioned to the Lowe’s hardware store down the road.

Not what we – or Home Depot – expected.

Google can help get customers to the front door of the store. But what happens after the customer goes into the store – both virtually and physically – needs to be carefully evaluated.

For customers, it’s a likely win. Customers get helpful information on how a store is set up, where to find products and, potentially, relevant deals.

For retailers, it’s not so straightforward. Google’s announcement talked about indoor maps and location technologies, but their business model remains unrevealed.

We’ll walk through the top three considerations for retailers.

A Google Maps™ screenshot from Android™

Question 1: What will be presented to your customer?

When a customer is actually in a store or looking at an indoor map, what will Google present?

Once the retailer has done the critical work of getting a customer into their store, the retailer needs to know their ads and products will be shown.

A customer inside a store is a high-value target for advertisers and a lucrative revenue opportunity for Google. It is likely that Google’s indoor maps will operate with Google’s very successful AdWords model where algorithms decide which ads to present and are biased toward the highest bidder – which can easily be a competitor.

“It can’t be a process where we invite Google in and then pay them to keep the competition out,” said one retailer.

Question 2: Who determines your customer’s experience?

Will Google be delivering the same “Google experience” to all customers? Can retailers customize the Google presentation to deliver their own valued customer experience?

Once inside a store, the customer expects the retailer’s brand promise in every interaction. The customer experience must be consistent and aligned with all of the other channels the retailer is using.

In short, this needs to be a unique presentation for each retailer.

A Google Maps™ screenshot from Android™

Question 3: Who owns your customer?

This question has at least two important components.

First, if a customer is “trained” to use the Google app while they are in the store, they are de facto a Google customer first and the retailer’s customer second.

Second, by using the Google app and the Google platform, the customer data and customer insights – such as behaviors, preferences, and search terms – are, at best, owned by and available to Google.

Will Google be able to “sell” that information to the retailer’s competition? When the customer is in a competitor’s store, will your insights be used to support the competition?

Next steps for retailers

While Google’s business model is open to question, it is clear that indoor maps and indoor location services point to exciting new opportunities for retailers.

Point Inside has been successfully creating indoor maps for a number of years. We realized early that indoor mapping was a starting point for something much larger: a new era in how retailers and shoppers engage each other.

Understanding that a customer is inside a store – and where inside the store – enables a highly targeted engagement. Controlling the communications through a “private ad network” owned and managed by a retailer is a powerful asset.

Retailers can work directly with their suppliers and partners to deliver messages and turn the private network into a significant revenue generator while also driving additional in-store revenue.

Bottom (and top) Line

Retailers should make thoughtful decisions about how to best engage Google. Customers in your stores deserve your presentation, your products and your brand.

One thing is clear: Don’t turn your stores into an advertising marketplace you need to buy your way back into.

To play, simply upgrade your Point Inside Shopping & Travel app to Version 3.1, open the app and select any place page in the app (a restaurant, store, ride, etc). To receive your first entry, you can “claim” any available place and it is yours for the remainder of the game. Remember you can receive extra entries by encouraging others to view your place and by sharing the app. Pick a popular place to increase your odds. Winners are randomly selected and notified the day after they win.

For more information, view How to Play Mallopoly.

What are you waiting for? Win some extra cash just for playing Mallopoly in the Point Inside app.

ABOUT MOVEMBER:

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

Just in time for holidays, the recently released Point Inside Shopping & Travel 3.0 app has added hundreds of thousands of deals to our collection of over 1,300 indoor venue maps. Simply search by geographic area, or by a particular venue to see dozens of deals, coupons and special offers. Now, not only can the app help you find any service, shop or restaurant to save you time, but now it can also save you money.

The Point Inside app is available for free download on the iTunes App Store for both iPhone and iPad.

As before, the Point Inside app includes complete directories and interactive indoor maps of over 1000 malls across North America, over 100 airports worldwide and dozens of other attractions including theme parks and museums.  When viewing a venue map, simply tap the search bar to find stores, services, events and in-venue promos.

The brand-new filter wheel offers an easy way to change the level or section of your venue and also is a quick way to view the location of key services such as restrooms, ATMs, parking, food, transportation, elevators and escalators.

In-venue navigation with routing is available to help navigate shoppers and travelers to their destination of choice and provide a time and distance estimate to aid in planning.

The number one free shopping and travel application just got better.  Update it today and let us know what you think.

Albany International Airport (ALB)
ALB serves as the major air center for the Capital Region, Northeastern New York and Western New England. In response to an increase in air traffic, economic development and customer demand, the Albany County Airport Authority recently completed an Airport Improvement Project that included a new terminal, jetways, and Aircraft Control Tower. The airport has been used various times by Airforce One – including by President Obama.

Guam International Airport (GUM)
GUM is the primary regional airport serving passengers and cargo between Guam and the United States, Asia and Australia. As America’s westernmost territory, Guam is known internationally as “Where America’s Day Begins” and the “Gateway to Micronesia.” The airport serves as a major hub for United Airlines and is centrally located in the heart of Guam’s business district. Guam’s tourism based economy blends the stability of the American flag and a close proximity to Asia.

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
PBI is the gateway to sunny Palm Beach County, Florida. It now serves over six million passengers each year, and was recently voted third best airport in the U.S. and sixth best in the world by the readers of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Our concessions have been recognized over the years by Airport Revenue News as having superior shops and restaurants.

Point Inside is continuously adding new venues to our mobile app. If we’re missing yours, let us know!