From coffee shops to book stores to personal trainers, mobile commerce is taking off. Coffee shop visitors can order and pay via text, then just pick up their orders, Retail stores are offering new ways to purchase via mobile device, and even personal trainers can get in on the game by offering in-person mobile payment options using their smart phone as the debit card or credit card terminal.
When you consider that over 90 billion dollars’ worth of transactions will be completed in the mobile environment by 2017, you know that it’s time to get on board with mobile commerce. Fortunately, it’s simple to get involved with today’s technological advances. You don’t have to be a coding genus or have tons of money in order to invest to participate in mobile commerce today.
The very first thing to do in order to get in on the mobile commerce game is to create mobile responsive websites rather than websites that only work correctly with specific browsers and systems. Creating a responsible website will make you a leader in your niche, because so many business owners have not transitioned over yet. Be one of the first!
What type of business you have doesn’t matter as much as who your audience is. If your audience is using mobile technology, you need to be doing it too. You can create QR code coupons that users see both in your store and outside of your store, which they can then scan to get deals or discounts. Test it out by putting a QR code on your business card, and see how many people use the code to get discounts or find more information.
Even if you have a traditional bricks and mortar store you can still offer online sales or interesting options. For instance, a person inside the store can use their mobile device to scan the barcode of items they want, pay for them immediately, and arrange to have them shipped to their home without having to ever touch the item or ask a sales person for help.
The Apple store is one of the first to offer checkout with the line, by giving sales persons the ability to check customers out individually with a tablet device or smart phone that the sales person uses. This same option can be used in restaurants, bars, and even by individuals such as personal trainers, life coaches, and right at the farmer’s market or a craft fair. Even PayPal offers a card reader for your mobile device.
Another way to get into the game is to create a specialized mobile app for your target audience. There are actually templates you can use to create branded apps for your audience. You can offer these for free. They will then sit on the users’ mobile devices, reminding them of your existence and offering a quick link to your mobile responsive site that they see every time they use the app.
Consider the fact that most people who use mobile devices keep them at their side at all times. They are always on, and always ready to interact with you. It brings personal service and one-to-one marketing to an entirely new level. What’s more, it’s not an avenue that can be ignored. If you’re not on the mobile train now, catch up – or you’ll be left behind.