4 in-store mobile app experiences for the 2022 holiday season
The holidays can be a lucrative time for retailers as shoppers flock to brick-and-mortar stores and websites to browse and make purchases. Recently, consumers have adopted hybrid shopping methods like “clicks to bricks” – browsing products and reviews online before heading to the store.
The 2022 holiday season is shaping up to be largely hybrid. 61% of retailers have plans to increase mobile app investments and 83% of consumers use a shopping app while in-store. In a survey of 19,000 consumers, one in four respondents said they use a hybrid method of shopping, and consumers no longer view online and in-store shopping as separate experiences – they expect the two to be blended.
With this increased focus on hybrid shopping, product teams have an opportunity to drive app engagement, retention, and customer spending while providing more convenient customer experiences.
Improved mobile experiences drive results
As hybrid shopping grows in popularity, digital leaders must provide a valuable mobile experience for customers in order to remain competitive. Retailers’ mobile apps can offer features that provide convenience while protecting their customers’ privacy, such as wayfinding, location-enabled loyalty programs, and more.
Wayfinding
When customers aren’t able to find a specific product they are more likely to leave the store and purchase from a competitor. By offering wayfinding within a retail mobile app, customers can easily locate products in-store that they have viewed online and added to their shopping list.
Wayfinding creates a seamless way for customers to navigate stores, saving time and reducing frustrations – especially when stores are crowded and customers are searching for items they might not normally purchase. Also, wayfinding can be integrated with retailers’ inventory management systems to provide accurate inventory data.
In-app shopping lists
During the holidays, customers are often searching for products they don’t typically purchase. With many consumers browsing products online before heading to the store, product development teams have an opportunity to ensure customers find exactly what they have been searching for once they arrive at the store. By allowing users to review and pre-select in-store items within the mobile app, retailers can deliver a more seamless online-to-store experience, reducing friction. These shopping lists can also be paired with an app’s wayfinding feature, saving customers time and frustration as they search for items on their list.
Shopping lists can also be used to personalize future visits via automated notifications, and relevant product recommendations.
Automatic loyalty rewards
Loyalty programs can drive customer engagement and increase the customer's lifetime value. By building in-app reward programs, retailers can make it easier for customers to take advantage of program benefits, access coupons and relevant offers, and view the status of offers or points.
Integrating location infrastructure into your mobile app can both improve loyalty program participation and increase app opens. For instance, by detecting a customer’s location, your can automatically provide points for store visits and promote in-app offers.
Exit events, triggered once a customer has left a store geofence, can also be used to prompt app users for feedback, providing retailers the opportunity to learn what went well during a customer’s visit or address gaps in their shopping experience.
Offer mobile ordering options
Mobile apps should be seen as shopping companions that can help customers locate items across channels. Location can be used to verify when a customer is in-store, prompting an offer for free shipping or a coupon to incentivize placing the order in the moment.
How to get started with location-aware mobile experiences this holiday season
Product teams at brands such as JOANN and American Eagle choose Radar to enable impactful mobile app experiences through location. With best-in-class accuracy and easy-to-manage geofences, retailers can unlock the benefits of location in less time than with an in-house solution. Want to learn more?