• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, December 17, 2014

To drive sales, some aspects of mobile obviously work better than others.

The question for retailers, of course, is which work best.

As might be expected, loyalty/rewards programs are at the top of the list in the eyes of retailers, according to a new report.

The majority (64%) of retailers see their loyalty/reward program as among the best ways to connect with consumers during their shopping experience, according to the study by Forrester Research for SPS Commerce, a cloud service company.

This was followed by the retailer mobile app (56%) and flash sales (32%).

The study comprised a market analysis from Forrester’s Consumer Technographics Retail Online Benchmark survey and data from a survey of 50 managers and executives at retailers with 500 or more employees conducted by Forrester.

To drive sales, loyalty programs also top the list. Here are the most effective sales drivers, in the view of retailers:

• 46% -- Loyalty/rewards programs
• 28% -- Retailer app
• 26% -- Flash sale opportunities
• 18% -- Multi-retailer coupon apps
• 14% -- In-store QR code promotions
• 6% -- BLE/proximity-based promotions
• 6% -- Multi-retailer apps

Interestingly, the study also included the list of technologies that have no effect on sales, in the view of the retailers. Here’s what they see has having no effect on driving sales:

• 22% -- In-store QR code promotions
• 18% -- Flash sale opportunities
• 16% -- BLE/proximity-based promotions
• 16% -- Multi-retailer apps
• 14% -- Multi-retailer coupon apps
• 6% -- Loyalty/rewards programs
• 6% -- Retailer app

For a mobile wallet, at least from the customer viewpoint, getting a deal is ahead of everything else desired, as we see in numerous other studies. Here’s what customers using mobile say they most want in a mobile wallet:

• 44% -- Coupons, discounts, special offers
• 39% -- Price comparisons for items desired to buy
• 38% -- Loyalty program points and rewards
• 37% -- Product information
• 36% -- Ratings and product reviews
• 34% -- Location-based offers
• 31% -- Digital receipts
• 29% -- Multiple payment options
• 27% -- Banks account or card information

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