Resumo

Smartphones are the most personal device customers have today, and as such, one of the richest sources of data for retail conversion. Push notifications effect on individuals visiting the shop has not yet received much systematic attention, despite the fact that relevant studies are recently available. In the common thread in the first half of this article, we will provide an overview of the appropriate studies on mobile marketing in online-to-offline (O2O). Next, we advance a set of propositions that capture the current state of the art in the research on push notification and geolocation.

Smartphones are the most personal device customers have today, and as such, one of the richest sources of data for retail conversion (Fulgoni & Lipsman, 2016). However, mobile geolocation is a novel technology, and studies on its effects on customers’ responses are still scarce. Rather than focusing on driving more sales via the mobile channel, research can also address the mobile opportunities that arise to increase overall sales. That is, understanding how mobile can use push notifications to drive sales in physical stores.

Prior work has mostly investigated mobile marketing focusing on the acceptance of new technologies context (Davis, 1989; Rogers, 1983; Venkatesh et al., 2003). A recent distinct research stream has mainly focused on important insights on connecting online efforts to offline behavior. These studies assess how targeted mobile promotions can attract additional customers to physical stores and also increase unplanned spending (Hui et al., 2013). Push notifications offer a convenient way to stimulate unplanned purchases by reaching customers when they are close to a store (Andrews et al. 2016)

From the managerial point of view, this research contributes by enlightening the path to mobile activation in retail multichannel channel strategy. Besides, it shall aid in understanding how customer’s use of mobile technology can be used to guide customers to in-store purchases and, therefore, improve retail media budget allocation to increase marketing ROI using mobile. Knowing more about the motivations for adopting mobile throughout the shopping journey in multichannel environments, companies can deploy more efficient marketing strategies.

Mobile marketing has the power to help brands build personal relationships with customers. However, there is a thin line between making the customer feel special and making them feel stalked, revealing the importance of using the right content at the right time. Mobile is a digital paradigm shift in retail. Retailers should be on their way to adopt a mobile mindset if they wish to perform a successful omnichannel strategy. Hopefully, the new research avenues that are widely open in mobile will benefit the millions of customers who are yet to experience mobile benefits.

Fulgoni, G. M., & Lipsman, A. (2016). The future of retail is mobile: How mobile marketing dynamics are shaping the future of retail. Journal of Advertising Research, 56(4), 346–351. Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319. Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis. (2003). User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425. Hui, S. K., Inman, J. J., Huang, Y., & Suher, J. (2013). The Effect of In-Store Travel Distance on Unplanned Spending: Applications to Mobile