Deep Linking Tip #4: Drive in-store traffic and engagement

Omni-channel marketing is more than a marketing buzzword, it means survival for online retailers battling Amazon. Publishers, brands and agencies are striving to blur the online\offline shopping experiences in ways that provide better customer service, better selection and more convenience.

A yearly study by Deloitte Digital discovered the following trends that strongly indicate that consumers are driving a blended online offline shopping environment:

• Digital interactions are expected to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015, or $2.2 trillion
• 45% of consumers surveyed said that digital makes shopping easier
• Consumers who use digital while they shop in-store convert at a 20 percent higher rate compared to those who do not use digital as part of the shopping process.
• Shoppers are 29% more likely to make a purchase the same day when they use social media to help them shop either before or during their trip.

Other studies show that app users visit stores more often than non-app users and that’s why deep linking to app content should be a key part of in-store campaign strategies. Sending loyal users to a mobile website could unintentionally turn away customers.

Whether you’re linking to store information, weekly offers, product pages, social content or pushing personalized multi-channel across channels, all links should check for the mobile app to drive higher in-store engagement.

If the app is present on the shopper’s device, your links should automatically open the app and deep link to the page directly within the app to minimize navigation steps. If the app is not found select and test among pieces of strategic content or offers that will prompt the user to install the app.

If you send mobile traffic to a mobile website by default and bypass your app you are missing a great opportunity for engagement at best or at worst you are losing revenue. If you are a publisher, brand or online retailer working on campaigns designed to drive in-store traffic and need to update your links to check for the brand’s mobile app, contact us.

We can typically get test links setup within minutes!