A new mobile shopping application has been made available for demo in SA. Point of sale solution provider DigiPoS says the MobileShopper app “will do for retail what the ATM did for banking”.
“The MobileShopper app combines online shopping with the in-store experience,” says DigiPoS, adding that the app includes retail touch points such as e-commerce, store location, coupons, loyalty, advertising, price verification and in-store navigation functionality.
DigiPoS says the app makes the customer's phone a handheld till or self-checkout device.
Ian Patterson, EMEA MD of DigiPoS Store Solutions, says: “Up until now, technology in retail has always been designed with the retailer in mind, making their jobs easier. Our MobileShopper app focuses on the emergence of the 'new shopper'. I believe that the mobile phone will have the same impact on retail that the ATM once had on the banking sector.
“The retail sector has touched upon elements of m-commerce for some time now, but I don't believe that the majority of retailers have a firm strategy in place, when it comes to a true multi-channel offering.”
Mobile presence
DigiPoS SA GM Dione le Roux says: “At the moment, retailers are mostly limiting their mobile presence to an optimised version of their Web site.
“But if the customer is in store and the garment they want is out of stock in their size, your marketing is only going to frustrate them. What's really useful is to let the customer use their mobile to check the stock levels in your other stores, then phone to reserve the item.”
Le Roux notes that providing customer access to retail backend systems can be daunting.
“If your customer checks in to your mobile app as they enter the store, you can offer them vouchers or other deals based on their personal shopping history,” he says.
Away from the till
The move into mobile apps is an evolution for DigiPoS, which has traditionally focused on point of sale hardware and software.
“We've recognised that the point of sale is moving away from the till,” says Le Roux. “If customers want the point of sale to be on their mobile phone, we need to make that happen.”
Le Roux adds: “This is a 100% opt-in channel. It enables relevant, tailored and timely personal marketing via a medium which is always on, always available and has a built-in purchase mechanism. It makes for highly measurable ROI.”
App for SA?
MobileShopper is a smartphone-based app available for the iPhone, and soon to be made available for Android and BlackBerry devices.
Given the current mobile landscape in SA, it remains to be seen if such a retail app can find uptake in the market.
The mobile Web has been growing steadily in SA, and a recent survey by online retailer, Kalahari.net, found that 26% of the more than 6 200 respondents have made purchases via the mobile Web, and 53% are considering it.
According to local research, 57% of South Africans currently accessing the mobile Internet are mobile-only users. The 2011 Mobility Study also estimates the mobile Internet universe to be at least six million users strong.
In the local mobile market, Nokia still dominates as the most widely used brand, while BlackBerry holds onto the lion's share of the smartphone market.
“Although Android is touted to garner the most market share globally in 2011 by both Gartner and the IDC, a quick look at preferred devices of the kalahari.net mobile shopping correspondents show that Symbian remains the prevalent operating system along with BlackBerry and that Android has some catching-up to do,” says Kalahari.
Forrester Research shows mobile commerce is still in its infancy around the world, with retailers reporting mobile browsers account for only 3% of site traffic and 2% of revenue.
Share