We recently spoke to retailers and food manufacturers at the National Association of  Specialty Food Marketers convention in D.C., on mobile marketing changes and how to effectively implement the technology.

To make the info more digestible, we’ve divided the powerpoint/audio into 5 parts.

Part One– How Does Mobile Behavior Affect Consumer Behavior?
Part Two– QR Code Best Practices
Part Three– Best Practices for Mobile Websites [UPDATE: read also “Responsive websites explained and why your business needs to have it now!“] Part Five- The Future of Mobile Grocery Shopping

Please see part 4 below:

Here’s are a few highlights,  but we recommend the video for much more:

What’s the difference between an app and a mobile site?
A mobile site is a website delivered through the wireless connection on the phone.

An app is a program that sits on the user’s phone – much the way that Microsoft Word is installed on your computer.  Apps can also be ‘dynamic,’ meaning they can update data through a wireless connection.

How big is app usage?

• 43% percent of mobile shoppers have downloaded a retail app.
• BUT 93% of all apps that are downloaded are used once.
  (* Nielsen, October 2011-April 2012)

What is Geofencing?
Geo-fencing is a hyperlocal capability that lets retail stores drive ads or offers to consumers who are nearby.  Retailers can customize their messages by time of day or special offer.

What’s happening with Mobile Couponing?
Juniper Research reports that the redemption rate for mobile coupons in the US, was only 3.2% of users last year.

74% of consumers say they would switch brands if offered real-time mobile promotions delivered to their smartphone while shopping in a store aisle. (Aislebuyer)

But when it comes to actual redemption of mobile offers, there’s a chicken and egg problem here.  We can get coupons to the phone.  But standard red laser scanners cannot read the information from the phone, and retailers are not likely to invest in new scanners at this time.

MOBEAM is working with P & G to test technology that lets phones communicate with red laser scanners.

What is NFC – near field communications?
You may have heard it called “Tap and Pay.”  It enables a phone to connect when tapped to a device that can read it – near being about and inch and half.

Although Nielsen found that only 9% of smartphone shoppers have used their mobile device to pay at the register, they want to: 71% of people who download apps said they would like one that lets them use their phone like a credit card.