Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Jennifer Acevedo, Retail Leader's Editor-in-Chief. We were discussing how smartphones and mobile apps for consumers are changing the way people shop. We're collaborators on a webcast made available by Progressive Grocer, with one of our SAP Precision Retailing customers.
Her webcast entitled Retail 3.0: Mobile Technology Provides New Ways for Retailers to Connect with Consumers can be found here at the Progressive Grocer webcast site.
While doing my research this, I found some astounding statistics. Did you know that 70% of consumers have a loyalty or rewards card? And 25% of consumers belong to 2-3 loyalty programs? More importantly, fully 45% of shoppers want retailers to understand their preferences.
I for one am tired of carrying plastic loyalty cards, that frankly don't do much for me. Recognizing these facts were critically important for people behind SAP Precision Retailing and SAP Consumer Loyalty solutions.
The compelling point is that mobile technology allows the shopper to drive the interaction, to seek out offers of interest, and to share with retailers they trust what is important to them. Using cloud-based technology including HANA, Real-time Offer Management, and scalable technology to support consumer mobile apps, we've enabled a solution to combine the best practices in consumer loyalty with intelligent offer management and demand science.
Now when you think this through, old-school loyalty programs, CRM, and database marketing really have failed to engage consumers on their device of choice, which they have everywhere they go - shopping, to the movies, while waiting for a bus, in the car, wherever.
I think the industry is about to reach an inflection point, where big-data and realtime speeds can truly engage the customer. Are you ready?
