Mobile marketing is important for PoS – 57.8% of German retail companies agree with this statement (source: artegic). Special feature of mobile communication: Smartphones allow fixed location retailers to locate devices and therefore establish a location-based real-time communication – provided that the user has given his consent. Geolocation is one of the most significant communication trends in the digital economy.
Geolocation is an area offering a variety of potentials for mobile marketing. Geofencing is of particular interest to fixed location retailers. Retailers can use geofencing to erect an invisible fence around their shop or within a certain radius of their location. When a user enters this area, he will be detected by the retailer’s geofencing system. The geofencing system can then communicate with the user’s Smartphone and send marketing messages. The Smartphone is located via GPS or in short distances via bluetooth. A pre-requisite would be that the user has installed an app, enabling communication with the geofencing system and that he has agreed that the app can capture his location data. According to a current study by Bitkom, one in three Smartphone users already communicates his location in order to use local services.

Location-based Mobile Email Marketing

The aim of geofencing communication is to motivate visitors near the shop to purchase. The time frame in which a user can be reached, i.e. in which he is within the geofence, is often very short. The approach must therefore happen in real-time to gain the immediate attention of the user. Email marketing would be a very suitable tool here, as the user receives an alert when the email is received on his Smartphone. According to the study Mobile Email Marketing 2012 21% of mobile marketing users can be led to a shop by mobile emails.
The email could inform the user, e.g. about the latest offers in situ or a limited time voucher. 60.2% of mobile email users would employ mobile coupons (source: artegic). Email marketing is more suitable for an individual approach than any other digital marketing tool. Apps, which are linked to the user’s purchase history, may contain cross-selling offers relating to the already purchased products. If there is a bonus system, the user may receive recommendations to redeem his bonus points in the shop. App shops allow re-targeting based on the viewed products: “You are interested in this product in our web shop? It is available in our nearest branch at a special discount.” In large geofencing areas, the email should also include directions.
Geofencing communication does not stop at the threshold of the shop. Bluetooth-based geolocation systems, such as the new Apple iBeacon allow a precise localisation of the user within the building. Users can therefore be sent different information depending on which level they are on or which department they are in. The length of stay at a specific location can also give an insight and may be used as a trigger for mobile emails.

Flexible Adjustment to the Use Context

Location-based mobile emails are very short lived. When the user leaves the geofencing area, the content is usually no longer relevant. However, if the user opens the email later, it is not lost. Ultra Responsive Emails adjust to the use context in real-time. The email content changes, depending on when and where the user opens the email. When an email is opened at home, the user may be referred to the online shop or he can save the respective products for his next visit in the shop. The possibilities of ultra responsive emails go even further. Email content can adjust to a specific terminal device, the used client or the weather.