Wait! There’s more tech news you could use…
Here’s what else the IPG Media Lab has dubbed as this year’s biggest technology trends for advertisers to watch.
Yesterday we revealed three technology trends that New York’s IPG Media Lab considers key for 2012, and today we’re sharing two more. While online shopping has major market share, IPG says that this year brick and mortar retailers are fighting back with new digital weaponry. The first is “cookies for the real world,” such as audience measurement tools that track how many people are in or near a store, as well as the gender and age of those viewing digital signage. It may sound a bit Big Brother-ish, but gathering this data provides companies with valuable insights and a better understanding of their market.
Another essential tool is the illustrious app. IPG reveals that while 52% of holiday shoppers used their smartphones to help make their purchases, only 19% of retailers offer apps to guide them. Narrowing this gap can enhance the in-store experience and build customer loyalty, so if there isn’t an app for that, there should be!
The third weapon in the digital artillery is Google’s indoor mapping, which allows customers to figure out where they are and where they want to go. IPG says this offers retailers the opportunity to create special offers and loyalty rewards and offers consumers the chance to conveniently preplan their shopping trip.
The last trend, but by no means least, is that of “toddler tastemakers.” Today’s kids were born into the Internet generation, never knowing life without it. IPG reveals that 70% of parents with iPads let their kids use them regularly, and in turn, apps aimed at 6- to 12-year-olds are developing rapidly. Not only are these kids the consumers of tomorrow, but the technologies they’re comfortable with will also play a major role in the next generation.
“We can no longer perceive online and offline as two different places since consumers do not distinguish them. The shopping process could begin on a tablet, or while watching TV, be pursued on a desktop PC at the office the next morning, then finalized in-store on a smartphone after reading positive comments about a product on Facebook. What really matters is our capability, as brands, to understand consumer behaviour and communicate the right message at the right time. Luckily, we have digital tools that allow us to bridge both places,” says Bobby Destounis, Social Media and Interactive Director at Marketel.
IPG Media Lab and Marketel are associated with the Interpublic Group of companies (IPG).
Yesterday we revealed three technology trends that New York’s IPG Media Lab considers key for 2012, and today we’re sharing two more. While online shopping has major market share, IPG says that this year brick and mortar retailers are fighting back with new digital weaponry. The first is “cookies for the real world,” such as audience measurement tools that track how many people are in or near a store, as well as the gender and age of those viewing digital signage. It may sound a bit Big Brother-ish, but gathering this data provides companies with valuable insights and a better understanding of their market.
Another essential tool is the illustrious app. IPG reveals that while 52% of holiday shoppers used their smartphones to help make their purchases, only 19% of retailers offer apps to guide them. Narrowing this gap can enhance the in-store experience and build customer loyalty, so if there isn’t an app for that, there should be!
The third weapon in the digital artillery is Google’s indoor mapping, which allows customers to figure out where they are and where they want to go. IPG says this offers retailers the opportunity to create special offers and loyalty rewards and offers consumers the chance to conveniently preplan their shopping trip.
The last trend, but by no means least, is that of “toddler tastemakers.” Today’s kids were born into the Internet generation, never knowing life without it. IPG reveals that 70% of parents with iPads let their kids use them regularly, and in turn, apps aimed at 6- to 12-year-olds are developing rapidly. Not only are these kids the consumers of tomorrow, but the technologies they’re comfortable with will also play a major role in the next generation.
“We can no longer perceive online and offline as two different places since consumers do not distinguish them. The shopping process could begin on a tablet, or while watching TV, be pursued on a desktop PC at the office the next morning, then finalized in-store on a smartphone after reading positive comments about a product on Facebook. What really matters is our capability, as brands, to understand consumer behaviour and communicate the right message at the right time. Luckily, we have digital tools that allow us to bridge both places,” says Bobby Destounis, Social Media and Interactive Director at Marketel.
IPG Media Lab and Marketel are associated with the Interpublic Group of companies (IPG).
