Over the last decade, we have witnessed the evolution of phones into devices, and the shift of desktop to mobile. Users are no longer bound to their homes or offices when accessing the Internet. Smartphones and tablets allow them to be online anytime, anywhere – and they are given more and more incentive to do so. Social media allows users to interact with their connections at any given time. This interaction is becoming much more complex than messaging: users can share snippets of their lives via text, photos or video – instantly. Furthermore, as the web is becoming richer and richer, users can immediately access any information they need: for instance, the location of the closest supermarket, the opening hours of a restaurant, the departure time of a train, etc.
The ability to be always online – mobility – is opening an endless range of possibilities for businesses. Since users are constantly connected and assimilating information, top-of-mind awareness is much easier to achieve. Retailers are just starting to realize the possibilities and benefits of mobile presence. New practices and methods are being discovered daily, and user experiences are constantly being developed and enhanced.
As this is a completely new field which is still growing and has not been mapped out yet, I have started this research in order to identify and describe the marketing techniques and methods which can be used in a mobile environment to build customer loyalty.
In order to achieve this, I will first need to answer the following set of sub-questions:
What is brand loyalty?
What are the underlying psychological factors for brand loyalty?
What is Mobility?
How can retail leverage mobility to build brand loyalty?
How can existing marketing techniques be applied in a mobile environment?
How can new marketing techniques (utilizing mobile-specific features) be used to build customer loyalty?
What are the characteristics and features of popular retail apps?
What do users look for when shopping on mobile?