How To Build a Mobile Database Using the Christmas Footfall
November 26, 2012 11:22 am
If you have ever thought about learning how to build a mobile database and starting a mobile marketing campaign then Christmas is the perfect time to kick it off.
The savvy retailer will not only be trying to squeeze every last euro of profit from the busiest shopping period in the calendar but should also be utilising the massive footfall of Christmas to buffer themselves against the sales slump at the beginning of the year.
How best to do this?
Wwe believe the best way to achieve this is to use those increased footfall numbers to generate a massive mobile opted in database that you can then market to during the tougher retail times ahead.
SMS marketing is the perfect way to advertise sales and discounts, and group texting allows you to contact hundreds and even thousands of customers at the touch of a button to promote your January sales.
The Christmas shopping numbers
Christmas is one the best time of the year to build a mobile database.
- Ireland will spend more per household this Christmas than any other European country.
- The average Irish household will spend €965.80 on Christmas 2012.
- Of that total, €499.60 will be spent on gifts, €288.30 on food and drink and €177.90 on socialising.
- An estimated 700,000 Irish consumers went shopping last December 27th on the first day of the New Year sales.
(Christmas retail figures provided by Deloitte & Retail Excellence Ireland)
Regardless of the state of the economy or the looming budget and regardless of how much an actual consumer is spending – the Christmas shopping period attracts the largest footfall and is the easiest time of the year to build an opted-in mobile marketing database.
How to build a mobile database?
If you’re not sure how to go about building your mobile marketing database then have a look at our very short slideshare presentation here. It has lots of examples of the most effective methods that we currently employ with our numerous clients to best capture those valuable mobile phone numbers.
Even if you have not yet engaged with a mobile marketing company and still don’t know how best to run an SMS marketing campaign you should still exploit the increased Christmas footfall to gather as many mobile phone numbers as possible.
Come the new year when you are trying to promote your sales and trying to get rid of 2012 stock that database of opted-in numbers will prove priceless to your business.
How will I use that opted-in database in January?
Almost every business in Ireland will be running some sort of sale come December 27th. If Irish people were not bargain hungry enough as it were they are stark raving bargain mad when it comes to this time of year. Not only will you be competing with every other business in Ireland for the January shopper you will also be competing with the online retailer.
In 2011 according to the Central Statistics Office, 43% of Irish adults shopped online in the previous 12 months which showed a jump of 7% from the 12 months before that.
So while traditional bricks and mortar shops have shown a decline in footfall and average spend, the online retail world has bucked the trend and is growing. If you don’t already have an online presence then you must use every innovative tool at your disposal to target shoppers in January and throughout the rest of the year.
We believe that group texting and sms marketing are the most cost effective ways to promote your January sales and target those bargain hungry consumers. Here’s why:
- Speed – 95% of text messages are read within 5 seconds – we don’t know of any other advertising channel that can get your message across with that speed.
- Accuracy – Consumers in an opted-in database have already shown interest in your product or service by opting-in in the first place. These are hot sales leads and are highly likely to be interested in your sales.
- Cost – An sms message can be sent to a consumer for as little as 3c. When you compare that to TV, radio or most other advertising channels the cost effectiveness is plain to see.
- Time – There is no real set up time required or planning to be done. Group texts can be sent on a whim and allows a retailer to quickly react to market conditions on any particular trading day.
So in summary – there is no time to spare. Familiarise yourself with the methods of growing an opted in mobile marketing database by viewing our slideshare presentation here and then get building that database. It will be invaluable to you come January and the rest of 2013.
Image references: Featured image & Christmas Decoration
Categorised in: Mobile Marketing