Best Retail Mobile Apps

I happen to think the world of retail is as competitive as it gets with some of the best minds and the best business plays happening.

A look at retail mobile apps is worth your time and this article by the folks at ClickZ uses the Forrester research to help you gain a view:

https://www.clickz.com/retail-mobile-apps-forrester/227758/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

What makes a retailers’ mobile app great? That question has been asked by countless marketers (and by, um, us) over the years. Forrester Research tackled it in a new report that retailers’ mobile apps, and where they excel and miss the mark.

Mobile commerce is perpetually on the rise. During Cyber Monday, smartphone sales accounted for $2.1 billion, a 48.1% growth year-over-year. And according to eMarketer, more than 90% of our time on smartphones is spent in-app.

Here’s the catch: We’re also highly selective about the mobile apps we use. App downloads keep increasing, but users’ interest disappears as quickly as a Snap. In 2017, App Annie found that the average smartphone owner only uses 30 per month and nine per day.

When Apple revealed the most popular apps of 2018, Amazon was the only retailer on the list, which was dominated by social media and entertainment. In order to command consumers’ attention, retailers have to make sure their apps are top notch.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

HolidayWrapup - Mobile Drives Traffic

If eCommerce is part of your strategy you should be paying close attention to the trends in customer shopping habits.

The shopping season in 2018 was dominated by mobile touchpoints as customers increasingly get out their phone to shop.

Here is a snippet from the report:

Mobile shopping eclipsed desktop for the first time during the 2018 holiday season: 48% of orders came from mobile devices while just 44% came from desktop or laptop computers, according to Salesforce. Mobile accounted for 66% of all e-Commerce traffic during the season, and 74% of shoppers browsed from a mobile phone on Christmas Day.

Here is the full story:

https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/topics/omnichannel-cross-channel-strategies/holiday-wrap-up-mobile-dominates-e-commerce-driving-66-of-traffic

Here is one other point.  For years now we have seen the growth of mobile as a point of interaction between retailers and manufacturer brands while sales has been dominated on a desktop style device.  That is trending towards a pure mobile-first interaction.  The customer shops on their phone, finds what the want on their phone and buys it there too. We are projected to pass the 50% threshold within the next 2 years.

Here is that data:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/249863/us-mobile-retail-commerce-sales-as-percentage-of-e-commerce-sales/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile Payments Update

I've been following mobile payments since I worked in the field a few years ago.  It is interesting in a few ways but mostly because I view it as a leading indicator of overall digital transformation.

Paper money will never die but we are increasingly likely to have our phones with us while having no paper money.

The reason retailers want it is for the digital relationship it enables with their customers.  After all, money isn't broken so what is the real driver of adoption?  Buy 10 coffees at Starbucks and get the 11th for free, that's what is driving adoption.

Here is an update on the state of mobile payment adoption:

https://www.clickz.com/mobile-payments-2019-beyond/222602/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Update on Mobile Pay and Apple Pay

USA Today has posted a couple stories on mobile payments the last week.  This one is worth a read.

Biggest news is a couple retailers joining Apple Pay, CVS Pharmacy and 7-Eleven, and US Chase adding Apple Pay to its ATMs.

If you know payments you know that last one is hard to do.  ATMs are quite different from other needs.

Here is the full article:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/08/04/mobile-pay-had-great-week-but-apple-google-still-have-long-road-ahead/904569002/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0260 Strategy of Apple Pay

Best Reading of the Day

Mobile payments has been something very close to my professional activities for many years now. I've competed directly against Apple and their Apple Pay product.  Where are they headed now?

Here is a snippet from the piece:

There’s a reason everyone seems to be getting into mobile payments. Thanks to increasing smartphone usage and a push for faster, simpler, more secure financial transactions, mobile payments could become a $3.4 trillion industry by 2022. In the U.S. last year, eMarketer estimated it to be a $49 billion market already.

The consumer options are sundry: There’s Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay; PayPal, Venmo, Square, and Square Cash; bank-backed alternatives like Zelle and Chase Pay; and in-app options through things like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. As consumers abandon cash, checks, and even credit cards, everyone is jumping into mobile payments—but perhaps none with the zeal of Apple.

Here is the full story:

https://slate.com/technology/2018/07/apple-pay-can-apple-beat-paypal-venmo-in-mobile-payments-war.html

What do retailers think?

From the start the response was mixed.  Some feel any place their customer is at they want to be as well.  Another, however, stated their mix of credit to debit was such that if mobile pay, primarily funded with credit cards, caused that mix to flip it would be billions of dollars a year lost.  That is big time incentive to work in the space right (they are)?

This is one space with entrenched, well funded and organized interests, and tons of money at stake.  Apple won't see the players in this space fold like the music industry did.  I see this space continuing to be hyper-competitive for the foreseeable future.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile Retail

The Mobile Marketing folks recently organized a summit on "Mobile Retail" and captured what they consider the best quotes from the summit.  It is worth a read for anyone interested in tech, mobile, or retail.

Here is the full story:

http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/the-10-best-quotes-from-our-mobile-retail-summit

Here is a part of the piece:

Our day was kicked off by Jat Sahi of Fujitsu, who explored how mobile and digital was disrupting not just traditional working practices, but entire sectors and business models, and what retailers can do to keep pace with the speed of change.

I'm of course solidly in the camp that sees how disruptive technology is.  However, it is the customer that matters.  Tech alone will not solve problems.  How we provide for people, their wants and needs, does matter.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

The In-Store Shopping Opportunity for Mobile Apps

When I was first imagining the mobile app I would build for regional supermarkets the biggest opportunity I saw was to help reinvent the in-store shopping experience.

Want to find a store?  Don't you already have a favorite supermarket picked out?  Doesn't google do that for you?

After you've been to the store?  What?  Recipes to cook the food you bought?  Sure, but there are a few resources for recipes available already right?

In the store?

Now you're cooking with butter!

(I love that saying)

Walmart is at it in a big way and it is worth following.  With resources I could only dream of they are reimagining the shopping experience.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

With a new mobile app experience, Walmart is hoping to change the way people shop at its brick-and-mortar stores. The multinational retail chain, which now has more than 11,600 stores under 59 banners and ecommerce websites in 11 countries, recently debuted a new mobile app experience that promises to get customers in and out of stores more quickly, reimagining in-person shopping.

Walmart’s new Store Assistant is an all-encompassing mobile app solution...

Here is the full article:

http://streetfightmag.com/2018/02/27/walmart-reimagines-in-store-shopping-experience-with-mobile-update/

Now imagine if none of the past were present and no stores existed today and you wanted to open a store.  What would you do .... today?  Mobile interactions?  Social media interactions?  You bet.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Improving Retail Mobile Apps

Continuing the discussion on retail mobile apps.  I've been in and around this game for many years.  What I see is a new kind of "Tier 1" retailer. 

There's the classic Tier 1, but then there is a superpower level.  That retailer has it all: great retail stores, great mobile app, great online shopping.  Which ones qualify?  Walmart, Amazon, Target, Starbucks .... anyone else?

Here is the story:

https://www.clickz.com/retailers-improve-app-experience/207018/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Most retail apps leave something to be desired, according to Jim Cusson, President at retail marketing agency Theory House.

“I think of that quote from Field of Dreams: ‘If you build it, they will come,’” he says. “A few years ago, there was this rush to build apps and everyone wanted one, whether it had a true purpose or not. You see a lot of injured soldiers on the battlefield now because companies have invested money in an app that’s obsolete.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Retailers and their Mobile Apps

Recently found a great little website for all things related to digital marketing.  Worth checking out:

https://www.clickz.com/

Here's one of the stories that grabbed my attention.  6 retailers who have outstanding mobile apps:

https://www.clickz.com/6-retail-brands-nailing-app-game/207024/

Here's a snippet from that piece:

Earlier this year, the app market data and insights company found that the typical consumer uses 10 apps per day. For most people, it’s unlikely that many of those 10 are retail apps. Amazon is the category’s sole representative on Apple’s Top Chart.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

TargetPay is Here - Wallet

Following years of investment in mobile wallet through the now sold off MCX and the CurrentC mobile payments solution, and well after Walmart enacted its Walmart Pay solution Target has theirs in place. They call it simple "Wallet".

This is the beginning of furthering a huge divide between the top of the Tier 1 retailers and everyone else.  We may need to create a new designation like "Super Power" when mere "Major Power" was no longer enough.

The biggest merchants will have a strong physical presence, eCommerce presence, vertically integrated merchandising, strong mobile, and strong mobile wallet capability. Think Amazon and Walmart.  Now Target.

Everyone else?  Well, this speaks to the huge need for a white label solution for all of those merchants not big enough to handle all of this on their own.

Anyone?

Here is the story:

http://www.businessinsider.com/targets-mobile-wallet-is-finally-here-2017-12

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Target launched its long-anticipated mobile wallet for in-store payments on Monday, according to TechCrunch. The product, which will be barcode-based and housed in the existing Target mobile app, is known as Wallet. Two key features distinguish Wallet and could help optimize it for use:

The wallet is only available to store cardholders.

...

That’s especially true because it expands upon existing app functionality.

...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0255 Shopping Online Using What Device?

Best Reading of the Day

Forbes has a fantastic article for all of the holiday shoppers out there looking to browse online stores for their shopping needs.

Quick.  What device are you reading this on?  Desktop computer?  Is your smartphone nearby?

If you wanted to grab something off of eBay real quick which device should you use?

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Since the dawn of Cyber Monday, when consumers would come home from shopping in stores all Black Friday weekend, only to turn around and use high-speed connections at work on Monday to finish up their shopping lists, retailers have observed that consumers are using different digital channels for different objectives.

Over the past few years, holiday shopping has reflected some of these shifts. Online sales are growing far faster than store sales, and within online, mobile is capturing a larger share of traffic – but mobile still drags far behind desktop and even tablet experiences when it comes to sales.

Retailers also have not invested evenly across their digital channels. Just because a retailer's desktop website is a great experience, it doesn’t mean its mobile site – or app – has kept up.

Here is the whole story:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nikkibaird/2017/11/21/mobile-or-desktop-site-or-app-which-is-the-best-way-to-shop-this-holiday-season/#3be564c7214a

I wrote about these things a couple times here regarding retailer's digital strategies and here regarding the question of what is actually "mobile" and what isn't.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Walmart Pay Bests Apple Pay

Wait ... what?

Yeap.

The little app that could.  No.  This is Walmart after all.

That little pay in app feature by Walmart is doing more business than Apple Pay, or is about to. 

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Available in 4,774 stores, Walmart Pay is enrolling tens of thousands of new users a day, up from thousands four or five months ago, said Daniel Eckert, who runs the business. Two-thirds of the customers who try it also use it a second time within 21 days, he said, giving him confidence Walmart Pay will surpass Apple Pay in the U.S. in terms of use by shoppers in stores where they’re accepted.

Here is the full story:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-07/walmart-pay-threatens-to-surpass-apple-in-u-s-mobile-payments

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Which Retailers are Mobile?

The advent of the smart phone has done two things that require retailers to respond: taken away some traffic from older internet sources, and opened a new type of opportunity for mobile interactions.

Initial offerings were essentially to offer the same online web experience but in mobile.  Going way back to the introduction of the first iPhone one of the enormous selling points was the ability to view the full New York Times website on your phone.

Wow!

Quickly the limitations of that experience became clear.  A tiny screen you hold in your hand requires a different approach from the interactions one has with a full PC screen.

A few retailers really really get that.  Here is a story on the best experiences:

http://www.mytotalretail.com/article/mobile-cx-study-gives-best-buy-home-depot-and-target-top-marks/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

As consumers spend more time shopping on smartphones, their expectations for mobile experiences have soared. With mobile interactions influencing $1.05 trillion in offline sales in 2016, the successful retailers of 2017 will be those that offer consumers mobile sites with a frictionless path to purchase that also integrates into omnichannel shopping experiences.

Which omnichannel retailers are doing it right and setting the bar the highest for merchants looking to deliver a seamless mobile customer experience (CX)?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Starbucks Mobile Payments at 30%

Holy moly!

I was surprised by this one, but then, not.

They do this all so well.  Fully integrated top to bottom and left to right their digital relationships with their customers are second to none.  Full stop.

Here is a snippet from the story:

http://bankinnovation.net/2017/07/nearly-one-third-of-all-starbucks-payments-are-mobile/

Here is the full story:

What makes the Starbucks mobile wallet such a popular option when it comes to paying for that morning coffee?

Mobile payment at the coffee company’s U.S. stores increased to 30% of all stores, according to the earnings Starbucks reported yesterday, meaning just under a third of customers are now paying via mobile.

Meanwhile, Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay transactions increased as well to 9% of all transactions in U.S stores.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0253 Next Generation Stores Today

Best Reading of the Day

Always remember, the folks who want to sell you something will often be willing to write studious analyses to help persuade you to but it.

With that in mind you really should read this, the best read of today, or the month really.

Forget everything we know or think we know about the retail store.  Given the technological shifts we've seen in recent decades with online, social, integrated fulfillment, seemless customer service through digital, mobile, and more, what should the store look like today.

Here is a snippet that provides one view:

Over the next three years, outdoor lifestyle apparel retailer Toad&Co. plans to open 20 new brick and mortar stores.

With news of store closings by powerhouse brands likely swirling around in your head, you may be tempted to make sure you read that number correctly. It’s been dizzying for sure. So why would an apparel retailer be looking to expand its brick and mortar footprint in this environment?

Santa Barbara, CA-based Toad&Co. lives by a simple truth: People enjoy shopping and being in the store, and still want that experience. They just don’t want it to be disconnected from the rest of their purchasing journey.

“We don’t believe brick and mortar is dying,” explained Kelly Milazzo, VP of operations for Toad&Co. ”But we do believe that the consumer expects, and will soon demand, a seamless interaction with the brand.”

Here is the full article:

http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/how-make-next-generation-store-right-now-store

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

How Many iPhones have Apple Pay Active?

13%

Read on:

http://www.retaildive.com/news/study-13-of-all-iphones-in-use-have-apple-pay-activated/439089/

Will mobile payments ever take off?  Year after year it is next year.  Why should this year be any different? So long as payments is trying to solve a problems that doesn't exist this category will remain tiny.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile POS Integration at Gap

Following the "intrapreneurship" post we have a little story of Gap, Inc. trying this approach.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/gap-sees-growth-from-mobile-point-of-sale-integration

Here is a snippet from the piece:

With the introduction of a mobile point-of-sale system in 20 percent of its stores, Gap believes that this expansion will bring higher mobile engagement and sales.

In its Q4 earnings report, Gap reported an increase in mobile integration among its stores and recommitted itself to investing fully in its mobile offerings.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Digital Bottleneck of Payments for Retailers

Demand.  Meet Supply.

Starbucks is having a problem with its mobile order ahead and pay system.  It is too popular.

Read on:

http://www.salon.com/2017/02/07/a-digital-bottleneck-mobile-payments-breed-new-challenges-for-to-go-retailers/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Starbucks, which also has a successful mobile-payment operation, has learned that demand for mobile-based orders can overwhelm in-store operations during peak demand hours, causing employees to scramble. Currently, more than 1 in 4 U.S.-based Starbucks orders comes from a mobile device, one of the highest rates in the country’s retail sector and likely to continue to grow. This has led to a problem — a good problem, but a problem nonetheless — and one that’s likely to vex more retailers in the years to come: Mobile-ordering lines are becoming longer.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Chase Pay and Level-Up

I've been following Level-Up for years, as a Boston startup in payments having great success in the QSR (quick service restaurant) space.  This is interesting news.

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/6713

Here is a snippet from the piece:

When JPMorgan Chase & Co. decided to recruit order-ahead capability for its Chase Pay mobile wallet, it settled on a 6-year-old mobile payments startup whose technology could give Chase Pay a vital boost in a crucial merchant segment. Meanwhile, the alliance could also bring tens of millions of new customers to restaurants served by that startup, Boston-based LevelUp.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Samsung Pay to Roll Out Samsung Rewards

Just in time for Black Friday shopping, if you use your Samsung device (hopefully the ones that don't have explosive batteries) and Samsung Pay to close your transaction at retail stores you'll receive rewards for doing so.

Read on:

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/Samsung-Rewards-Marks-New-Tack-for-Endearing-Consumers-to-the-Samsung-Pay-Mobile-Wallet

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Announced Monday, the program enables consumers to earn points for their Samsung Pay transactions, which can be redeemed for retailer gift cards, prepaid Samsung Rewards Visa gift cards, other Samsung products, and other items. As transaction frequency increases, the consumer’s account advances to a higher level, which earns more points. Samsung Rewards is not tied to a specific card stored in the Samsung Pay wallet. More than 500 credit and debit card-issuing banks support Samsung Pay.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant