The new mobile shopper from armed to charmed : Marketing News from Marketing Clout

Shoppers will become increasingly sophisticated in their use of mobile phones to inform buying decisions and facilitate purchases while in the retail environment, according to new research.

Rather than regarding these shoppers as potential threats, Ogilvy advises marketers to adopt a mobile CRM (mCRM) approach by shifting their perspective from "armed to charmed" and embrace openness and transparency to build trust and maximize long term customer value.

OgilvyOne and OgilvyAction conducted research among 1,500 shoppers in the US, UK, and Singapore revealing that Innovators are advanced users of mobile phones in the retail environment, foreshadowing mainstream consumer behavior*:
·         Not surprisingly, 85% of Innovators searched Google from a phone while in a store to get information on a product. Already 24% of the Early Majority are doing this, with the number increasing to 40% of the Early Majority who own Smart Phones
·         67% of Innovators scanned a barcode or QR code with a mobile phone while 13% of the Early Majority are already doing this, increasing to 18% of the Early Majority who own Smart Phones