The 2008 holiday season brought many new challenges to retailers. First off, how to you compete with other stores offering the same merchandise at the same cost? Here's one answer: Problem-solve at the customer's fingertips. On November 9th Sam's Club launched their
Gifter Stress Lifter online application which allowed the customer to find additional products that they might not think about during the holidays - at Sam's Club. This helped them change their perceptions of what they can buy at the store. Customers who download the app - available online or on iPhone - are asked to build a profile of a friend or family member. Six questions are asked to offer an insight to the person's behavior. Sam's suggests recommended products for each profile. Products can be shopped via a link through the app store to the wired web site or customers can take their iPhone to the store to buy those items (like a shopping list).
In addition, Meijer has introduced its
Meijer Mealbox which helps consumers plan meals, find recipes, and save money. How? It finds recipes based on ingredients that are on sale at the store. The mobile application is tied to the store's inventory and sales. The user can save a list of coupons and when checking out at the store, can scan their phone for instant discounts.
Both of these mobile apps are great for reaching your customers through online channels and increasing sales and traffic to your brick-and-mortar store. What I find really compelling is how sensory and emotional factors play into the online shopping experience, which has proven to be difficult in the past. Now the connection is effortless.
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