Two weeks ago a good friend of mine grilled me about the Motorola Droid. She wanted to make sure it had GPS, a native maps app, Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace like the iPhone. She wanted to surf the web “all pretty and stuff” and shop online. Her last requirement helped me understand how smartphones and apps are changing the way we shop.
Can I Help You? Yes, Is There An App For That?
So what are these smartphones you speak of Corvida? They would include:
- Apple iPhone
- Motorola Droid*
- Google Nexus One
- Nokia N900*
- Palm Pre (Verizon) (Sprint) *
* = Amazon Affiliate Links
The list certainly isn’t limited to these devices. Today’s smartphones double as mini mobile computers, WiFi hotspots, and GPS navigation systems. Add these technologies to a group of people willing to pay for mobility and convenience and you have a game-changing market. Why? Because the capabilities these phones have are helping consumers shop without the help of a customer service rep.
Redefining Customer Loyalty
Foursquare is my new rewards card, or rewards app in this case. As much as I love going to Foot Locker and American Eagle, I always forget my reward cards. But I rarely forget to check-in to Foursquare. I check it every week to see how many points I’ve earned from the places I’ve visited. Apps like this are wide open avenues for retailers to reconnect and campaign with loyal customers.
Rewards For The Real Locals
For example, brands like Gap and Ben & Jerry’s are using Brightkite to offer free and discounted products and reach local markets. Brightkite lets local users know when a nearby business reward’s Brightkite members for checking-in. Again, this is a wide open avenue, for retailers especially competing stores located near one another.
How Would You Shop?
If you had a million dollars right now, how would you want to shop at your favorite stores using today’s smartphones and apps:
- Which apps would you use?
- What phone would you choose?
- Where would you shop?
