App Woes

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Mobile marketing services provider 3Cinteractive (3C), recently released its 2017 Mobile Planning Guide For Grocers, which identifies key trends where grocers and marketers should place their focus on mobile initiatives this year. According to the study, there’s a disconnect between the directions grocers are headed and the experience consumers are looking for.

While apps have become a primary mobile strategy for many grocers, more than half of customers polled (56%) said they only use one or two grocer apps on a regular basis, despite the majority saying they downloaded as many as four apps. However, three quarters of respondents say mobile coupons have some influence on where they shop and 78% say mobile-enabled coupon programs would influence more visits, more spending and recommendations to friends. But 25% of grocer marketers lag in mobile investments, such as couponing, because they lack the technology necessary to integrate it.

The survey also found that loyalty programs are key to the mobile experience, but seven in 10 shoppers don’t sign up for loyalty programs because the sign-up process is inconvenient. However, 72% of customers said they would sign up for a loyalty program if the process were simplified by text message. Text message (48%) is the most effective form of notification of loyalty communications, the study found, compared with email (22%) and app notifications (20%). GP