Is location-tracking and smartphone penetration making mobile the ultimate medium for reaching people with the right message at the right time? When it comes to push notifications, Michael Bordash
of mobile messaging firm Xtify said adding location data to messaging is boosting open rates to 60% to 70% from about 20% for standard notifications. He mention brands in particular such as
InterContinental, which combines geotargeting with a customer' history to send its best clients customized messages when they arrive in a particular city. H&M, likewise, uses demo information with
location data to send targeted coupons to customers.
When it comes to mobile use in-store, Ken Cassar of Nielsen warned that while many are now using mobile devices in relation to shopping,
"enagement today is stll relatively shallow." Among mobile users, for example, 27% have tried using a QR code at least once but only 3% are active users of QR codes. Cassar said that pattern fits
other types of mobile shopping activity--people may have tried some new mobile option but they're not necessarily regular users. "We should be careful we don't get too far out ahead of ourselves," he
said.