Every day at 4pm, the supermarkets are flooded with tired, hungry and irritable kids and their parents, and often these types of shoppers don’t plan for dinner until they are in the store, trawling the aisles.
Once upon a time this category of shopper would scratch their heads as they searched for a quick and easy mealtime solution. Today, however, they are increasingly turning to their smartphones for inspiration.
In a 2012 survey, the Australian National Retailers Association found almost 40 per cent of people are using smartphones and tablets to help them shop. Recipe website Taste.com.au has close to two million unique visitors per month, with almost 60 per cent of those viewers being the main grocery buyer.
According to a recent survey by Sprint Mobile, which was conducted by the Barkley advertising agency in the US, 61 per cent of smartphone-wielding Gen Y ‘Millennials’ and 58 per cent of shoppers ages 36 to 65 use their smartphone to shop at the grocery store. The research found that shoppers most commonly use their phone to compare prices, to make lists and research products.
To help them along, a plethora of mobile phone apps have emerged and users are becoming more sophisticated as they navigate the grocery aisles. Woolworths and Coles both have apps that provide users with store locations, specials and recipes. The Woolworths app can even tell you what fruits and vegetables are in season.
Brands are also becoming smarter with their outreach and communication with consumers. The Leggo’s Loves Italian app allows users to search for gourmet recipes and provides a list of which Leggo’s products are needed.
Smirnoff’s app provides cocktail recipes and allows users to create their own grocery lists, one for the bottle shop and one for the grocery store. Simple ideas like this can have a lasting impression on shoppers who forget to bring their shopping list or have no idea of what they want and need.
Recipes, ideas and product reviews can all be accessed through mobile-optimised sites, apps and other mobile-friendly interfaces, making mobile advertising a powerful and effective tool for brands to connect with a shopper on their way to purchase.
The trick for brands is to connect with shoppers in an indispensable way, such as taking ownership of ‘The Lunchbox’, creating ‘Meals for under $10’, or by providing a host of ‘20-Minute Fast Meals’.
Smartphones are creating app-ier shoppers, and the technology also allows for superb ROI measurement. In order to harness these opportunities, brands can try linking with, or advertising on an existing platform, or they can create their own indispensable app.
