Walmart does a lot of things that, well, defy common sense (I’m thinking about every single Walmart that I’ve been to ANYWHERE ALWAYS has only 3 lanes open). But when they do something right, man do they do it right.
Recently, Walmart announced their revamped iPhone and new iPad apps that will merge online and in-store shopping like never before. Using mobile to truly establish a relationship with the customer, the apps feature options such as home barcode scanning, enlists Siri to create lists, creates budgeting tools and integrates coupons (from Coupons.com) and Walmart inventory. Walmart stores service 140M customers a week, an undisclosed percentage of those customers are smartphone customers. Nonetheless, according to Walmart, the Walmart customer is adapting mobile technology on pace with the general population, so this move is a good look.
Walmart’s mobile strategy is set to prove a few strategic points to retailers and marketers - for retailers, mobile is a prime channel for relationship marketing. It’s one of the few spaces where you can customize an intimate environment and interact (one-on-one) with the the customer. For advertisers, this is another sign to move away from the stagnant thinking that mobile is only a vehicle for advertising messages- think about engagement.
You can read the story in its entirety at Ad Age.
What do you think?
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