The Brasil campaign features limited-edition capsule collections created by renowned Brazilian designers, as well as a fundraising program to benefit the Amazon rainforest, a series of lively in-store events and an opportunity to win a trip to Brazil, courtesy of Delta Air Lines. Macy’s is using mobile for the campaign and using different mediums to engage new and existing customers.

“Macy’s ‘Brasil: A Magical Journey’ campaign allows us to share a Brazilian experience with our customers, bringing the country’s unrivaled passion and influential culture to life in our stores across the country and on macys.com,” said Jennifer Kaspar, general vice president of digital media and multicultural marketing at Macy’s, Cincinnati, OH.

“Throughout the campaign, we will offer exclusive, limited-edition women’s and men’s apparel, home and accessory pieces made in or inspired by the enchanting country,” she said.

“Other elements of our dynamic Brasil initiative include a fundraising program to benefit The Nature Conservancy’s work in the Amazon rainforest, in-store events and the use of the latest in mobile technology to deliver unique content to customers through the magic of augmented reality, a free application and QR codes.”

Macy’s delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at more than 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Brazil inspired
To promote the Brasil collection, Macy’s is using augmented reality.

Consumers with iPhone and Android devices can download the “Brasil: A Magical Journey” application.

The app is available for free download in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

Consumers can discover more about Brazil via the mobile app

Paired with large, crafted Brazil-shaped floor markers installed throughout Macy’s stores, the app interacts with map markers, each triggering a unique augmented reality experience including a trip to the Amazon, Carnival, a soccer game and interaction with a toucan.

Users can enter to win a trip to Brazil via the mobile app

Consumers can also step in the frame and take a photo, as well as send it to friends and family or share it within their social networks.

In addition to augmented reality, the department store giant is also using QR codes to deliver helpful fashion content to customers.

When scanned, consumers can browse videos, available for download in-store and online, view fashion inspiration and tips from talent, including designers Francisco Costa and Carlos Falchi and check out behind-the-scenes footage from the Macy’s campaign photo shoot in Brazil.

Macy’s also sent out an SMS message to its opted in consumers, informing them of the new collection and letting them save an extra 25 percent off $100 when they make a purchase.

“Macy’s mobile marketing efforts aim to engage our customers through content and experiences that are useful, entertaining, or both,” Ms. Kaspar said.

“In this campaign, mobile technology in the form of augmented reality experiences and QR codes allows us to bring the Brasil: A Magical Journey experience to life and to deliver our customers unique content straight from the celebrated designers who participated in the campaign,” she said.

“Via augmented reality, our customers will be able to interact with elements from the Brasil campaign. Throughout our stores and online, customers will also find QR codes that will offer fashion inspiration and tips from talent.”

Word of mouth
Macy’s is getting the word out about the 360-degree marketing campaign through in-store signange, its Web site and via television advertising spots.

“We aim to continually enhance the Macy’s experience through exciting, fresh merchandise, great value and an engaging shopping experience that resonates with our customers,” Ms. Kaspar said.

“Through mobile initiatives, we are able to add a new layer of communication between Macy’s and our shoppers, delivering an enhanced in-store environment with new opportunities for personal interaction,” she said.

“These efforts help acquaint our customer with the value she can receive by using her mobile phone, and by offering spectacular entertainment content, as well as more practical shopping content, we can make her device more useful as she shops in our stores.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

In addition to encouraging consumers to buy the products via Home Depot’s mobile site, the campaign also includes location and click-to-call features that help drive in-store traffic. The ads are running within Flixster’s iPhone application.

“The strategy is to reach consumers where they are as opposed to where they used to be. Traditionally, home improvement retailers would run their major promotions using printed circulars, but consumer media habits have changed dramatically in a very short period of time,” said Greg Hallinan, chief marketing officer at Verve Wireless, Encinitas, CA.

“In other words, consumers are on their devices while simultaneously engaged with other media, usually television – this presents a great opportunity for retailers to move consumers further down the sales funnel, by either augmenting their other media spends or countering a competitor’s media spend,” he said.

“For example, it is not hard to imagine the scenario where a consumer views a Lowe’s advertisement on TV, say during a sporting event, while a Home Depot ad is presented on their mobile device that the consumer is using while watching the sporting event to pull stats, catch-up on the day’s news or play a game. Which one do you think the consumer takes action on?”

Mr. Hallinan is not associated with Home Depot. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Home Depot did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile improvement
The Home Depot ads include two separate pieces of creative – one for power tools and one for kitchen appliances.

For example, the ad that promotes kitchen appliances reads, “Power up with the appliance you’ve been eyeing.”

The creative for the ads are smart because although consumers might not be willing to make a spontaneous decision to buy a new appliance on the spot, the campaign is aimed at consumers who already know what they are looking for.

Unlike many mobile advertising campaigns, there is a clear demographic that Home Depot is honing in on with the initiative.

Once users tap on the ad, they are taken to Home Depot’s mobile site that is filtered to only include the type of product advertised.

Consumers can then browse through categories or type in keywords if they are looking for something specific.

The ad shows filtered results

Users can then add products to their shopping carts and check-out while still in the ad.

Consumers are buying appliances via their devices

Additionally, users can find the nearest Home Depot store by using their device’s location or contact the company directly with a click-to-call feature.

Giving consumers the option to find the nearest location is especially important for a retailer such as Home Depot that has higher-ticket items.

Multichannel retailer
Home Depot has had a strong year in mobile so far.

In January, the company became the first national retailer to pilot PayPal’s mobile wallet service.

Using Paypal’s point-of-sale service, consumers can can either type in their phone number that is tied with a carrier’s account or pay with a PayPal-issued credit card. (see story).

Additionally, Home Depot also recently used a tablet-first strategy with a design lookbook iPad app that lets users find inspiration and shop for items in their homes (see story).

Each of Home Depot’s advertising campaigns are tailored for a specific promotion or demographic, which makes users more inclined to tap on the ad.

For example, around the holidays the company used a time-sensitive campaign to promote special prices on tools.

“Providing options to complete the transaction on the terms defined by the consumer is both considerate of the time-constrained consumer and helps mitigate some of the showrooming effect that retailers are experiencing in-store – it is just good business,” Mr. Hallinan said.

“Consumers are mobile and demanding that retailers either meet them in their mobile world or risk losing their business to someone who does,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York 

Consumers are using tablets differently from smartphones

As mobile commerce continues to grow, many retailers are beginning to see key differences between smartphone and tablet shoppers, according to a new report from Shop.org and Forrester Research.

In the 2012 Shop.org/Forrester Research State of Retailing Online survey, 49 percent of retailers reported that the average order value via a tablet device is now higher than desktop. The survey found that the average order value of consumers shopping via tablet device is approximately $160 compared with $134 for those making a purchase via a smartphone.

“The biggest news is the numbers surrounding the actual use of tablets,” said Vicki Cantrell, executive director at Shop.org, Washington, DC. “Mobile is getting bigger but we have started to track smartphones and tablets separately because we really see a difference in how consumers use tablets and the results that retailers are seeing.

“In many cases, the average order value is exceeding that on desktop and the site conversion is quite strong – not as strong as on PC but much stronger than on a smartphone,” she said.

Mobile ad budgets grow
The site conversion rate for smartphones is one percent vs. 2.4 percent for tablets, according to the report.

The survey also found that 28 percent of retailers are seeing about the same average order value from tablets as from their Web sites.

Tablets are also driving a larger percentage of overall Web sales, according to the survey. As a percentage of retailers’ total Web sales in 2011, tablet sales were 3.2 percent and smartphone sales were 1.5 percent.

In terms of how retailers are allocating their marketing budgets, the report found that less than four percent of total retail marketing budgets is dedicated to mobile advertising. However, 80 percent of retailers have increased their mobile advertising budgets compared to last year, although by less than 50 percent.

When it comes to the mobile marketing tools they are using, 75 percent of retailers said they use QR codes for in-store mobile marketing, 55 percent use smarpthone paid search campaigns, 52 percent use email optimization, 41 percent use mobile display ad campaigns, 39 percent use tablet paid search campaigns, 27 percent use other location based marketing, 25 percent use check-in campaigns, 23 percent use SMS, 20 percent use tablet display ads and 18 percent use identifying device IDs.

Interestingly, QR codes are the leading mobile marketing tool in terms of use for retailers with less than $10 million in annual online sales and for those with more than $100 million in online sales. Retailers in between these two extremes prefer mobile email optimization, with QR codes coming in second.

“I found it surprising that retailers are considering the use of QR codes the most popular mobile marketing strategy,” Ms. Cantrell said. “The small guys and the big guys are really getting some great results and putting in some investment from their mobile marketing budgets behind QR codes in the store.”

Easy checkout
Other key findings include that search and email are still the top drivers of Web traffic from either a smartphone or tablet, with eight in ten retailers placing these channels at the top.

Additionally, 22 percent of retailers report that social media is a top-three source of mobile traffic.

Retailers also reported that 20 percent of emails in a given campaign are opened on a mobile device.

When it comes to mobile apps, 45 percent of online retailers have implemented mobile apps, with retailers having an average of 500,000 downloads for their smartphone apps and 100,500 for their iPad apps. IPhones still account for the lion’s share of smartphone app downloads at 70 percent.

Among retailers who have tablets and smartphone apps, 45 percent of their total mobile device browser sessions for smartphones occur on the Web and 17 percent on apps. For tablets, 28 percent occur on the Web and 11 percent on apps.

In terms of how smartphones and tablets are used, the report found that smartphones are used more than tablets for product detail information (84 percent versus 80 percent) and for store maps (49 percent versus 38 percent). Tablets are used more than smartphones for customers ratings and reviews (64 percent versus 59 percent), easy check out (46 percent versus 35 percent) and request for help (28 percent versus 20 percent).

Optimized experiences
Retailers plan to invest in similar features and functions for their smartphone and tablet strategies except in a couple of areas. When it comes to enabling easy payment options, 56 percent plan to invest in this area for smartphones and 46 percent for tablet.

Additionally, 49 percent plan to invest in smartphone QR code scanning while only 37 percent plan to invest in tablet QR code scanning.

“Retailers are really understanding that mobility has many facets that they need to pay attention to, the differentiation between each, and will be spending the money to make sure they are optimized for tablet,” Ms. Cantrell said. “Which means they might have to run three different things, but it is really important to the consumer who wants a great experience on any device.”

The MetroWest Visitors' app

More than 100 retailers, cultural institutions and other merchants in Massachusetts are driving sales over Memorial Day weekend with special offers and discounts that are being delivered via the new MetroWest Visitors application.

The deals are being offered as part of the Shop & Explore MetroWest promotion, which is taking place between May 26 and June 3, with numerous local businesses offering special deals to attract both local and visitors into their locations during this period. The promotion and accompanying mobile app were put together by the MetroWest Tourism & Visitors Bureau.

“People are used to print guides,” said Susan Nicholl, executive director of the MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau, Framingham, MA. “With the map feature, you can look at your phone and not only figure out what you want to do but see the map to get there as well.

“It is one-stop shopping in your hand,” she said. “That’s the future – that is what people are looking for.”

“The point is to generate economic activity in our region. We want people to see there are a lot of reasons to come and to participate and shop here.”

Easy-to-find deals
MetroWest refers to the area west of Boston and including 19 towns and communities.

The app was designed to highlight the shopping and cultural attractions in the region while making it easy for users to access merchant information and find how to get where they are going.

Some of the participating merchants include The Natick Mall, Solomon Pond Mall, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Danforth Museum and Longfellow’s Wayside Inn.

The mobile app contains content about each participating business, including a photograph, where it is located and a special offer. Users can click on a merchant to see a map of where it is located in relationship to where they are.

Users can search the app by category such as Dining, Shopping, Arts & Culture, Services and Recreation. There is also a map feature to find promotions offered by participating businesses near the user’s location.

All-in-one guide
The offers found in the app can be redeemed by users mentioning “Shop and Explore MetroWest” at the participating merchant location.

The app can be downloaded for free onto any mobile device or tablet at http://metrowest.toursphere.com.

Following the promotional period, the app will become the official app guide to the region.

“A mobile app provides an all-in-one guide that visitors can use for their dining, shopping and entertainment needs,” said Rob Pyles, CEO of TourSphere, Boston, which helped the tourism bureau develop the app. “They can whip out their phone, open the app, and get location-specific information about deals and activities.

“And for local businesses it provides a way to be there when people are looking for their services – these are the best kind of customers because they are physically nearby and ready to buy,” he said.

“It’s much more powerful than the old tourism paradigm of print ads, brochures and visitor guides – a mobile app provides interactive, geo-specific information that the visitor wants at that moment.”

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Christian Louboutin shows collections, sketches in first app – Luxury Daily
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8 questions brands should ask about mobile app localization
Here are eight questions that brands should consider as they create their international mobile marketing strategies.
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Christian Louboutin app

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8 questions brands should ask about mobile app localization
Here are eight questions that brands should consider as they create their international mobile marketing strategies.
Click here to read the entire story on Luxury Daily

Liz Elting is cofounder and CEO of TransPerfect

By Liz Elting

In many parts of the world, consumers are far more likely to own mobile devices than computers.

Research firm IDC confirmed this in 2012 when it announced that of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants, one in seven carries a smartphone or similar device. That is a billion chances for marketers to put their brand messages directly into consumers’ hands – as long those brands have been smart about localizing their mobile applications for global needs.

As enterprises in industries such as retail, hospitality and legal services consider how best to approach the mobile opportunity, they should start by asking some targeted questions about communicating on these platforms.

Here are eight questions that brands should consider as they create their international mobile marketing strategies.

1. Can we create one mobile app and deploy it everywhere we want to be? The marketer’s job would certainly be easier if the answer to this question were “yes.”

Unfortunately, with a half-million offerings in Apple’s App Store alone, consumers have plenty of choices when it comes to mobile apps.

Whether they are selecting apps that offer games, news, movies or shopping experiences, prospects are far more likely to choose the ones that have been localized for their language and culture. Marketers cannot afford a one-app-fits-all-approach when it comes to mobile strategy.

2. Our U.S.-focused mobile app is extensive. How can we localize all that content for multiple international markets all at once? You cannot, at least not all at once.

Start by prioritizing your content. Determine which content requires extra focus on creative messaging and copy adaptation, which content is appropriate for straightforward localization, and which content such as user-generated text and media is best served by a more fluid style of translation.

3. What are we talking about when we say “localization?” Most marketers hear this term and instantly think, “translation.” That is a big part of it.

Content must be translated into the language of your target markets. Consumers want to do business in their native languages, and you will achieve more successful engagement when you speak the language of your customers.

However, translation is not enough on its own. Marketers must also consider cultural nuances, idiomatic expressions, images and layout, just to name a few additional elements. The whole mobile experience must feel local to users.

4. Are there special challenges to localizing on mobile devices? Absolutely. Just like brands cannot approach Russian consumers in the same way they would French customers, the various devices users choose have implications on a mobile marketing strategy.

Look at which devices are most popular in your initial target markets, and use that information to inform your localization efforts.

If a brand is looking to move into China, for example, it should know that Samsung holds the largest mobile market share in that country and that Apple is a distant fifth.

In other regions, it might make more sense to design mobile apps first for iOS, Android, BlackBerry or Windows.

5. Can we use the same images for each regional version of our mobile app? Make sure your localization provider vets your images before you reuse them in new markets.

Just like poorly translated idioms, a poorly selected picture can convey a muddled message, or worse, a negative one.

A qualified localization expert will determine whether these visual elements “translate” across cultures and can help you optimize pictures for individual audiences, protecting your brand messaging in international markets.

6. Once we localize a mobile app for a specific region on a specific operating system, are we done? Not quite. Testing should be your final step before you move on to localize for your next market.

However, that final step can present one of the greatest challenges.

Brands must test apps on each platform for which they have localized, as well as for major mobile browsers. This process will illustrate how well an app works on various operating systems and ensure consistency.

Testing will also help you spot load-time problems and other glitches that could sink the user experience and threaten your brand’s entry into a new market.

7. Is there an imperative to act now, or can we table localized app development for the next few years? Venture Capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers noted that there were approximately 726 million 3G global mobile subscribers around the world in the fall of 2010. That was 14 percent global market penetration at the time, and the figure has undoubtedly grown since.

The time to move on mobile app localization is now.

8. Which mobile markets are growing fastest? Brazil and China are booming, but the countries that matter most to your brand might differ depending on your market.

Evaluate where the greatest potential business exists for your industry, and then work toward reaching those audiences on the mobile devices they prefer.

Liz Elting is cofounder and CEO of TransPerfect, New York. Reach her at liz@transperfect.com.

The IKEA Family program has been available in other countries for several years, but was not launched in the U.S. until last year. Mobile is a key part of the strategy, with employees using in-store tablets to sign-up new customers and IKEA sending out SMS alerts to keep consumers updated on new products.

“Any retailer that is not thinking about mobile is missing something,” said Tim Reilly, senior account manager at 89 Degrees, Burlington, MA. “We are looking at traffic to our various sites, and people coming from mobile devices is becoming a larger and larger percentage.

“It is important to get information to people when and where they want to use it,” he said.

89 Degrees is a marketing services company working with IKEA on its loyalty program.

Rewarding customers
While IKEA overarching strategy is focused on offering customers everyday low prices, the loyalty program is one of the ways the home furnishings retailer provides special offers.

The goal of the loyalty program is to reward IKEA’s best customers with discounts and special offers throughout the store.

The IKEA Family program rolled out to all U.S. stores last year.

By mid-May, the program had already signed up more than 1.6 million members.

Customers can sign up for the program in-store at an in-store kiosk and receive a membership card on the spot. Customers can also view exclusive discounts and offers.

There is also another way to enroll via a Galaxy Tab tablet, which store associates can hand to shoppers who want to sign up. The store associate scans a card with the tablet to activate the loyalty card and then hands the device over to the shopper to finish the registration process.

The tablet was first introduced last summer during the grand opening of an IKEA outside Denver. It has since been rolled out to all stores and is being well received, with 89 degrees reporting that stores are requesting more units and using the tablets at a growing array of in-store and outside events to sign up IKEA Family members.

Just after launching with IKEA Family in Nov. 2011, the store in Portland saw five percent of its Family registrations coming from the tablet device

“Some stores are requesting additional tablets because they are finding a lot of use for them,” Mr. Reilly said.

“We want to extend the use of the tablet in other areas as it relates to family and beyond family,” he said.

Targeted SMS messages
Customers can also sign up to receive SMS alerts via the tablet.

IKEA has had an SMS program for several years that has focused on in-store campaigns, sweepstake and real-time feedback in several stores.

The response rates for these communications are more than double those for traditional retail digital communications, per 89 degrees.

However, with the loyalty program now in place, there is growing focus on delivering targeted content specifically for Family members.

Examples of how IKEA is using SMS includes when the loyalty program was coming to the IKEA store in Seattle last year. SMS messages were sent to opted-in customers to let them know and asking them to text back with their email address so they could receive a preregistration email once the program had launched.

Additionally, customers who do not have their loyalty card with them and who want to receive a discount at the cash register, can text a keyword to a short code to receive a message with their card number that can be shown to the cashier.

IKEA is using SMS to help it tie its various communications channels together, having found that the value of customers increases the more programs they signed up for.

“IKEA wants to be able to tie the channels together,” said Laura Saati, vice president of strategic marketing services at 89 Degrees.

“We are planning to do more loyalty-specific SMS text messages,” she said.

“We certainly see that the folks in the SMS program are more active than those who are not. Because they have taken the extra step to enroll, those in SMS program and in Family are that much more valuable.”

The Walmart mobile ad

Walmart has rolled out a new mobile initiative that lets consumers learn about fishing gear products and buy them via their handsets.

The ads let users play a game where they catch a fish in order to learn more about Walmart’s line of fishing products. The Walmart mobile ads are running inside the IMDB mobile site.

“Mass merchandisers understand that users search for product information and reviews before making a purchase,” said Gene Paek, vice president of interactive services at Factory Design Labs, Denver.

“Mass merchandisers like Walmart are seeing the trend of mobile consumption of their shoppers, so it makes perfect sense to deliver content to where their shoppers are consuming content,” he said.

“I call it fish where the fish are fishing.”

Mr. Paek is not associated with Walmart. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Walmart did not respond to press inquiries.

Fish on mobile
The copy for the mobile ads include the Walmart logo and encourage users to play a game.

When tapped on, the ads expand into a full-page. Consumers are then prompted to use their finger as a piece of bait to catch a fish as it swims by on the screen.

Once users successfully tap a fish, the ad promotes three types of fishing gear – reels, rods and accessories. Consumers are encouraged to shop the ads.

Users can learn more about Walmart’s products via the ads

The ad redirects users to Walmart’s Web site, where they can view a weekly circular ad based on their location.

Walmart is using the ads to bolster its local ad program, which sends emails to users with weekly deals based on what is on sale at the nearest store.

However, the site is not optimized and forces users to pinch and zoom to view information on the products.

When zoomed in on, consumers can shop the products and are taken to Walmart’s mobile site.

Mobile misstep
Although it is smart that consumers are ultimately given the option to buy from Walmart’s mobile site, making them click through from an un-optimized site makes the campaign fall flat.

The site drives users to an un-optimized site

Additionally, by leading to an un-optimized site first, the campaign most likely has a high initial drop-off number of interested consumers.

Instead, the initiative would have been planned better if consumers were taken to a mobile site to learn more about the local circular ad.

Using a mobile game as the incentive to get consumers immersed in a game is a great way for Walmart to promote a line of themed products, but leading to an un-optimized site leads to a poorly-executed campaign.

“More and more consumers are accessing brand content through mobile devices and if you’re driving users to experiences that aren’t optimized for mobile, you’re not going to achieve set forth goals,” Mr. Paek said.

“Not having an optimized mobile experience is equivalent to having paid media drive users to a 404 error page,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

The CouponCabin.com study looked at which industries consumers are most likely to use mobile coupons with daily deals, grocery items and free products leading the pack. CouponCabin.com commissioned the study with Harris Interactive.

“Mobile usage, on both tablet and smartphone, is increasingly pervasive in a variety of industries, including couponing,” said Jackie Warrick, president of CouponCabin.com, Whiting, IN.

“As more and more people use smartphones and other mobile devices in their daily lives, marketers are embracing that shift and using new technologies to get in front of consumers,” she said.

Couponcabin.com is an online coupon destination that claims to have saved users more than $250 million since launching. The company also has an iPhone application and plans to roll out an Android version in the future.

Instant deals
According to the Couponcabin.com study, 29 percent of smartphone owners search for deals on their devices at least once a month.

Consumers are searching for coupons while on the go

Of the mobile coupon users, 72 percent said that they are interested in using an app to find deals specifically. In fact, 41 percent of consumers used their devices to find mobile coupons for daily deal companies.

Thirty-nine percent of consumers were interested in finding mobile coupons for grocery stores, per the study.

Twenty-four percent of respondents were interested in using mobile for either free product samples or trials.

Target's mobile couponing program is growing

Additionally, the study found that 34 percent of consumers were interested in finding online coupon codes via their handsets.

Similarly, 29 percent of consumers surveyed were interested in using printable coupons from their mobile devices.

Although consumers are buying on mobile, these findings show how the medium is also being used as part of a larger, multichannel shopping strategy by consumers.

The online study was conducted from March 26 – March 28 and includes results from more than 3,000 adults in the United States.

Mobile savings
It is clear that consumers are moving beyond the stage of just browsing for deals on their mobile devices, per the study.

Instead, consumers are more interested in instantly acting on deals and offers that they can use right on the spot.

For marketers, the study backs up the need for brands to deliver targeted, relevant deals to mobile shoppers.  With consumers comparison shopping – often while still in a store – retailers and brands have a huge opportunity to sway consumers via mobile.

For example, Safeway recently rolled out a shopping app that lets users create grocery lists and find coupons and special offers (see story).

“While future behaviors weren’t asked about in this survey, based on market trends and mobile consumption habits, it’s likely that more and more consumers will embrace couponing via mobile app,” Ms. Warrick said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York