Mobile Commerce: PayPal in Stores

PayPal is making its move to be a payment option in-store. It has set up a demo showcase in a New York storefront to take visitors through different purchasing scenarios.

One example in the showcase has a customer buying a grill at a retail location, paying with PayPal and choosing to have it shipped to their home. Cool and hassle-free! I'd use that -- would you?

image courtesy of office.microsoft.com

PayPal says its technology envisions being part of the purchase decision by targeting a users location and displaying a local merchant ad.

All the details are a bit unclear at this stage of the game. It looks like the consumer will have a digital wallet with PayPal that is used to pay for goods. The wallet may even automatically keep track of loyalty program points from participating retailers.

More details will likely follow in the coming months as PayPal slowly rolls this out to a few merchants this fall, and up to 20 more in 2012.

Read the complete article here:

Mobile Commerce - PayPal dramatizes how it plans to get into stores - Internet Retailer

QR Code Craze

No doubt by now, you've seen the 2-dimensional QR or smart codes gracing everything from cars, to commercials on TV, to business cards and direct mail.

If you're not familiar with them, they are like the bar codes you find on all types of products. Bar codes can only hold 20 numeric digits; QR codes can hold thousands making them practical for use by small business owners. Any consumer can use a QR code if they have a smartphone app and an Internet connection.

QR codes most commonly link to URLs. You can use it to direct your customers to many things like coupons, visits to your Facebook page, visits to your Web site, your contact information, etc. The only limit is your imagination. This would be a great way to get feedback from your customers by linking to a place where they can provide a review or take a survey/poll.

Practical uses for QR Codes:

• Business card
• Marketing brochures and materials
• Receipts
• Event name tags or tickets
• Products
• Car or business vehicle
• Signs

Link shortening services goo.gl and bit.ly automatically generate QR codes for sharing your shortened links. And email services like MailChimp automatically generate QR codes for sharing links to your most recent email campaign.

How can you adapt the QR code strategy to engage customers? (...on products, in e-mails, in direct mail...for directions to your business, a map to your business, product instructions, coupons/offers, downloads, and more.)

QR code that links to my Web site

QR code generator (beqrious)

Don't make the mistake I saw a small business owner in Wisconsin making. Be logical about how you use it. Instead of listing their hours on the door of the business, he simply had a QR code where it said "Store Hours". That's all well and good if your only customers are tech-savvy individuals with smartphones! But what about the people with regular cell phones or no cell phones? They'll never know when your open and will most likely leave and never come back. Be sure to provide information for as many customers as possible. Having the actual hours on their door along with the QR code would have been much better!

Free QR Code Generators:

• http://beqrious.com/generator (this is the one I used to generate the QR code above)
• http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
• http://2tag.nl/index.php
• http://www.morovia.com/free-online-barcode-generator/qrcode-maker.php
• http://www.azonmedia.com/en/qrcode-generator

Create a QR code that links your mobile device to a fully functioning LIKE button for your Facebook page: http://www.likify.net/

Microsoft Technology also has a similar code called a Tag. So far, it doesn't seem as widely used, but is showing up in many retail markets. It can only be read by a Microsoft Tag Reader and is just as flexible as the QR code.
Free Mobi Tag Generator: http://tag.microsoft.com/my-tags/getting-started.aspx

Link to my Web site

Download the Tag app at http://gettag.mobi and scan this Tag.
 
I hope you have fun using this new technology in a way that will drive more traffic to your business. :-)

Ciao for now, Paula

UPDATE: After going to print, I received a trade magazine in the mail.(The article is not online yet or I'd link to it for you.) 
On the cover was a GNC store using QR codes on the face of their storefront and in their windows advertising "Deal of the Day". A quick scan takes the customer to a mobile-optimized page detailing the QR-exclusive content.
Source: Internet Retailer

Mobile Commerce

Mobile is moving at a speed you can't ignore! Are you ready? Is your Web site optimized for a mobile screen such as a smartphone? Can visitors easily purchase from you or find out how to get in touch with you?

I thought you'd like to see these mobile commerce stats.

• In the first quarter of 2011, according to Nielsen Co., 36% of mobile phones were smartphones, up from 23% in quarter 1 of 2010. That 36% is expected to soar to 50% by the end of this year. 
• Apple introduced the first tablet to the market, the iPad, in April 2010. By the end of this year, Forrester Research predicts that 26 million tablets will be in use. That number is expected to double next year.
• Forrester also projects that mobile commerce sales will double this year and grow by $4 billion in 2012 to a whopping $10 billion.

Internet Retailer is holding its 2nd Annual Mobile Commerce Forum in October. Make plans to attend to get the latest trends and best practices in all areas of mobile marketing. Find out more about this 3-day conference here.

Stay tuned to this blog for more tips and resources about mobile commerce as part of my ongoing effort to keep your small business informed.

Find information about using text messaging as a marketing tool for your business.

Ciao for now, Paula

post sources: internetretailer.com, forrester.com, nielsen.com

Private Social Networks

This is intriguing. Private ways to keep in touch with small groups you establish - family or business - using a mobile app.

Most of us participate in some form of social network whether it's for personal use or for business. And the mobile world has allowed us to do so on the fly from our portable devices. This new way of using social networks will allow us to do more of what we're doing already, but faster and in a more private manner, from our mobile devices.

Group texting apps like GroupMe and Beluga allow you to have a private chat (group messaging), conduct a conference call or share photos with any groups you create using the app.

I can see how these private social networks can be valuable in my own business and family. How about you?

I'd use it to chat with my kids (who both live in different states), conference call with the immediate family or share photos family-wide. I'd also utilize it to communicate with some of my client groups that have more than one decision-maker or multiple team members. This app could be a great time-saver!

I read about this at DuctTapeMarketing.com (John Jantsch). Read his full blog post here.

Card Readers That Plug Into Smartphones

Remember my last post where I told you that the "e" in eCommerce stands for "everywhere"?! Believe it baby.

I saw this a couple of weeks ago on one of the morning shows. Small merchants can use their smartphones to take credit cards when they are selling away from their business.

For local businesses, think Farmers' Market, trade shows, conferences, business expos, etc. If you have your smartphone and this card reader, the possibilities for sales are limitless. Cool! eCommerce everywhere! I love it!!

Think small business and shop local... :P
Ciao, Paula

Read the full article for more details at BusinessWeek.com:
The iPhone as a Cash Register

UPDATE to the post above: Here are a couple of links to some additional information on the providers of these card readers.
Intuit's GoPayment
If you use Inuit's Quickbooks, these mobile payments can tie directly back to your accounting. Watch this video for specifics: Andrew Freed on Intuit's GoPayment
Square's Card Reader
Verifone's Hand-Held Readers