By Ken Lubeck, FastPivot Software Product Manager
I have been recieving Groupon emails for months but nothing tickled my fancy until I saw a $15 oil change and check-up that regularly sells for about $100. I grabbed it. I then watched as a local seven-location auto shop racked up over 720 sales. Granted these are loss-leaders but my guess is at least 10% of those 720 sales are like me and will use that shop next time they need something fixed.
The following week I needed to get my car smog checked. So I opened Google Maps on my year-old Droid phone and then opened voice search and said “smog check.” A local guy came up with a coupon. I called him and came in later that day. The young man had been in business for two weeks and told me he has already had several people tell him that they used their phone or Google Maps to find him.
What is happening? How far will this mobile web go? The main question for physical store owners is, “What can I do to be found the most from maps, mobile search and other local commerce channels?”
Here is a bullet point list on where you can start:
* Sign up your company in Google Places — add pictures, store information, and contact info.
* You can also add “Offers” to your Google Maps Listing.
* Get everyone you know to rate your business on Google Hotpot & Yelp.
* You can advertise your local business here with Google.
* Add your business location to Facebook Places.
* Offer discounts to frequent Four Square check ins.
* Grow your Twitter followers and offer daily specials.
* Groupon
* Gowalla
* Yahoo Local
* Get Listed in Milo
As far as the answer to the question, “Where is this going?,” no one really knows, but we do know that by the end of next year half of adults in the US will have a smart phone. A third [of Americans] research products on their smart phones and over time a very large number of Americans will be looking for deals and products from their phone. The phone companies and credit card companies are working on ways to let people use the phone as their method of payment. The phone will be your personal shopping assistant.
I don’t think the US will end up like Japan where 70% of web pages are viewed from mobile devices and mobile devices are used for everything, but I would not be surprised if mobile commerce becomes larger than all of ecommerce itself in less than five years.
My final word: watch for what works, test out different ways to bring in more shoppers, and have fun.
