Mobile and Email for Online Engagement

U.S. Android and iPhone users age 18 and over spend 65 percent more time each month using apps than they did just two years ago.

The growing adoption of mobile apps means you may be reaching new customers not currently in your database. Mobile and Email can be used effectively for engaging app users. App users are captive target audience for Online Marketing. This is especially true for Online only events such as Cyber Monday.

According to the research published by Nielsen, the top sources of information for ” Cyber Monday sales are retailers’ websites (59%), Cyber Monday deal websites (57%) and emails (49%). In addition, 39% of shoppers this year will turn to social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter for deal details while 33% of shoppers will still use “old school” newspapers or circulars. When viewed through a gender lens, men tend to skew toward Cyber Monday deal websites, and women gravitate toward retailer websites.”

More than Fifty per cent plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year. Women will be more active on this online shopping day: 60% of women plan on shopping Cyber Monday versus 50% of men. On both days, more than half 56% of shoppers are planning to spend between $100 and $500 dollars. And on Black Friday, 30% of consumers plan to spend $250-$500 on holiday purchases.

Using Email to Drive Mobile Engagement

Email can engage audiences on Mobile as research indicates that emails sent for online shopping events such as Cyber Monday creates greater recall and site visits.

Employ these tactics to enhance your customers’ mobile experience

Ask new customers for payment information

To get your customers to complete the purchase ask them for payment information early in the buying cycle.

Invite customers to download, install and use your mobile app

Invite existing customers to us your app explaining the cool features of an app. Make it a special seasonal gift with some loaded gift value as a special preview for your existing loyal customers.

For instance, a holiday email marketing best practice is to send a message with holiday-specific sale or deal information such as special store or customer-service hours, free-shipping deadlines, gift card promotions and return policies. This content could be turned into a “Holiday Shopping Help” button on your app that could connect with your on-the-go customers.

According to SilverPop, Savvy marketers know that service-oriented emails triggered by a customer’s actions are a great way to increase engagement and revenue. Providing similar personalized, behavior-driven push notifications can be an excellent way to complement your automated emails. These can integrate with your e-commerce program to trigger messages such as shipping status, cart or browse reminders, supply or price changes, etc.

You can take your content a step forward by customizing it to the purchase behavior of the customer or similar audiences.

Here are some handy tips to make your messaging more effective

Use responsive design techniques that simplify your email. Think fewer offers, bigger icons and call-to-action buttons, and larger images and fonts.
Offer social sign-in. Enable customers to log in via their Facebook or Twitter accounts or to create an account instead of filling out multiple data fields.
Introduce an alternative payment option, such as PayPal. Allow customers to choose a stored credit card instead of typing in card numbers, expiration dates and security codes each time .
Add a “Remind me later” button. Ask for the shopper’s email address and set up rules that trigger an email with product information and a link back to the product page within the next 24 hours. Send a soft, service-oriented reminder email to those who haven’t clicked or converted in a set time.
Deep-link directly to your mobile app. Where applicable, consider routing an email recipient to your app rather than a mobile website homepage or other default location. Depending on circumstances, sending the reader to your app may provide a superior customer experience.

An Infographic on Consumer Behavior for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.