Mobile Device Influence

from Summary.com 10/13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

Author Chuck Martin is a Marketing Specialist (as VP at IBM & others) and has founded “Mobile Future Institur” where he serves as CEO. In his new book, “Mobile Influence”, Chuck Martin (as a mobile digital pioneer), quotes a VP of one of the largest food brand companies in the world . . .

The dominance of Cell Phones. “There are 7 billion people in the world. Only 4 billion have a toothbrush, but 5.1 billion of them have a cell phone.” This tells you what their priorities are. With dramatic figures such as these, it’s hard to argue with Martin’s contention that “mobile is a complete game changer that alters consumer shopping like nothing before it.”

Mobile Shopping Life Cycle. Specifically, Martin argues that mobile has killed the traditional sales funnel and replaced it with a new six-phase process that he calls the Mobile Shopping Life Cycle. The traditional sales funnel dealt with a stationary customer who moved step-by-step closer to the purchase. The mobile shopping cycle phases are not sequential but instead represent opportunities for influencing the customer – that could happen at any time.

The Sale that Got Away. For example, Martin describes an experience at a Sporting Goods store in which he saw an item for sale. On his mobile, he found the same item 30 % cheaper at another retailer. Since the manager at the store refused to match the price, the author bought the item from the second retailer. Notice that the other retailer had not moved the author from “awareness” to “consideration” to purchase. Instead, the other retailer became engaged with the author for the first time when the author was about to make the purchase at another store! “During the six distinct moments of the Mobile Shopping Life Cycle,” Martin explains, “marketers have the potential to steer the mobile consumer toward their product & influence shopping behaviors.”

[The Six Influence Points: 1. The Set Up (Pre-buy), 2. The Move (the transit), 3. The Push (on location), 4. The Play (selection), 5. The Wrap (point of purchase), 6. The Takeaway (post-purchase), in Premium Content ]