Mobile Websites Becoming a Must for Hotel Owners

Starwood Hotels use mobile "Click-to-Call" ads to drive traffic

With more and more consumers using their smartphones to surf the Web, mobile websites are becoming increasingly important to the hospitality trade, including hotel owners. I can see that one of the main purposes for building mobile websites would be for travelers to make reservations on the go.

Cell phone reservations are quite popular with people who are looking to make bookings, and this function can work very well for hotel chains and independent operations that get drive-in customers. With the 2011 number of mobile hotel searches up 3,000 percent over the previous year, now is the time for owners to make sure they have a mobile engagement platform with proper mobile web development.

I can see that someone who is looking for a room for the same or next day would be more likely to use a mobile device to make a reservation. To make the process of checking in an easy and convenient one, make a point of sending the guest a confirmation number the day before their arrival.

Another way you can use your mobile web development to your advantage is to create a page specifically for conference attendees. Visitors who are planning to attend the event will be able to find information they need quickly and easily, and posting it on the hotel's mobile website will reduce the number of calls made to the hotel to find out about the daily itinerary and other details attendees need to know.

Mobile Marketing can be an Effective Tool for Tourism Industry

Why would the tourist industry be interested in using mobile marketing techniques to attract visitors? Mobile engagement has proven successful in other industries, such as banking, restaurants, and entertainment, so it only makes sense that consumers would want to search travel deals through their mobile devices. Most travelers use their smartphones to search for restaurants, accommodations, and attractions while they are away from home, so it's important that they find the information they are looking for through a fast, user friendly website on their devices.

People who are planning a trip that will take place in the future may use a desktop or laptop computer to conduct their initial research. When it gets closer to the actual departure date, it makes more sense for them to use a handheld device to browse for last-minute deals and online coupons.

Business owners who are offering services that will appeal to tourists will want to make sure that people using these devices can find their web sites by making sure that they have a mobile website set up and ready to go before their busy season starts.

Another great reason to set up a website for mobile devices is that local results tend to rank higher in mobile searches. The mobile engagement platform gives you another chance to connect with visitors who are in the area and who are specifically looking for the service your business provides. Connecting with consumers who are motivated to buy right away is a great strategy for any business, and I can the 2012 summer travel season as a great opportunity to connect with travelers through mobile. 

Luxury Retailers Now Offering Mobile Coupons to Customers

I was interested to discover recently that luxury retailers such as Neiman Marcus are embracing mobile marketing and changing the way they attract customers. These companies are offering mobile coupons and mobile apps campaigns, and the results of this strategy are proving effective for them.

NM Service App

For example, Neiman Marcus has recently introduced a program called NM Service. Customers accessing this pilot program can find out when their favorite sales clerks will be working. This mobile app for business also allows customers to schedule an appointment with a specific salesperson or pick out the items they are most interested in seeing when they arrive at the store.

I can see that this mobile marketing strategy would be an effective one to engage buyers and foster loyalty with a company's existing customer base. The app reaches out to customers where they are and offers them the convenience of dealing with staff members with whom they have already developed a relationship. This mobile engagement platform also allows busy consumers to focus on the types of items they are most interested in when they visit the store's brick and mortar location.

Customers who are shopping at luxury retail establishments have a certain expectation of the level of service they are going to receive when they go shopping. Being able to arrange an appointment in advance at the store with someone they know is going to be an attractive feature for customers and being able to arrange to view a set product line is even more likely to make these customers feel special.

Survey Finds QR Code Use Increased in 2011

I was quite interested to read the mobile engagement stats reported from a survey conducted by Competitrack, an advertising tracking firm. The company released a report stating that use of QR codes for marketing increased in popularity and reviews by a number of companies who wanted to make a point of connecting with customers using smart phones and other types of mobile devices. 

Puma using QR Code Advertising in Japan

 

 

 

 

These square codes are not new; they have been used in Asian markets for several years. QR code advertising, however, is relatively new to Western consumers. The survey results in the Competitrack report indicate that buyers in North America are rapidly catching up to their counterparts on the other side of the globe in the use of QR codes for business.

The survey results in the report indicate that QR codes are the most popular type of 2D barcodes currently in use, with 87 percent of all mobile media marketing campaigns incorporating them. Retailers used QR codes and QR code marketing most often, with technology firms coming in second.

I found it interesting that 40 percent of the codes used by companies directed consumers to the company's homepage or an e-commerce site.  I can see that as QR codes become more popular with consumers, they will play a bigger role. The next step in the process will likely be for consumers to use their mobile devices to pay for items they wish to purchase. QR codes will continue to become more common and businesses will find creative ways to use them to provide information to buyers.

Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way Retailers Do Business

Nothing stays the same, and this is true for retailers as well as other types of business. I was interested to learn that e-commerce sales increased by 13.5 percent in the 2011 holiday season, while sales in brick and mortar stores were up by only 2.8 percent. 

I can see that as consumers continue to become more comfortable with buying products electronically, mobile shopping will become an even more important part of a retailer's business operations and having a mobile website will become crucial to future success. Consumers will be looking for even more features as their level of sophistication with online shopping grows, and retailers will need to make sure that they have a well-designed mobile web site up and running to respond to customers' needs.

Retailers should anticipate the customer's needs and respond to them by making mobile engagement platforms easy to navigate on the go, through mobile channels such as SMS messaging and mobile websites. The customer should be able to access store contact information quickly. Providing a button that will immediately dial the closest store's number is a great strategy to accomplish this goal.

The shopping feature on the mobile web site should also be easy to navigate. Customers should be able to see the store's inventory online so that they can make a buying decision quickly. If this function is slow to load or too complicated, the online buyer is likely to click away without buying.

Mobile marketing for retailers is here to stay, and having a well-designed mobile marketing strategy is becoming an important feature for businesses.