Warc, 31 January 2013
LONDON: Mobile coupons have a significantly higher
redemption rate than print or PC coupons and could offer a lifeline to
beleaguered high street shops, a new study has found.
The advantages of mobile couponing have changed the whole
couponing landscape, argues the report from Juniper Research, the telecoms
consultancy, as redemption rates hit 10%, compared to 1% or less for more
traditional offers.
Some 10bn mobile coupons are forecast to be redeemed
worldwide during 2013, a 50% increase on 2012, as innovative retailers utilise
this channel to drive retail footfall and to enhance consumer retention.
Report author Dr Windsor Holden said: "While we've
heard that online retail is killing the High Street … mobile offers a means of
engaging with the consumer at every point in the retail lifecycle, from product
discovery to product purchase."
Two factors are behind this growth. First, there is
increased couponing activity generally as a result of economic downturn.
Second, consumers are downloading couponing apps as part of wider m-commerce
developments.
There are currently 533m mobile coupon users worldwide, with
over half of these located in North America.
Other regions are growing fast: in China, for example, the
Dianping couponing app had more than 40m downloads by September 2012.
While couponing is expected to get a further boost from the
recent launch of Apple's Passbook – an application that allows users to store
coupons, boarding passes, event tickets, loyalty cards etc – there are areas
that need particular attention.
Juniper warns that retailers need to ensure coupons have a
time-based element in order to avoid the situation where an offer
unintentionally goes viral and brands are unable to service the demand.
And a major stumbling
block to the faster adoption of mobile coupons is the reluctance of retailers
to upgrade point-of-sale terminals for authentication and redemption.
Data sourced from Juniper Research; additional content by
Warc staff
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