Written by Mike Yonker, VP of Mobile

When clients approach Rockfish about mobile, they typically have a wide array of questions. They span from how to start – Should we do mobile web or apps?  What about tablet?  To how to be cost-effective – Could we do something cheaper if we scrape our website with a mobile proxy solution, so we also don't have to maintain two assets? To the bizarre – Should I tattoo QR codes on all my employees?  If so, should it be on the forehead, or somewhere a little more provocative? Okay, so the last one isn’t totally true.

How I frame the answer is always through the same lens, that your business’s website should be compared to be a physical store – retailer or not. If you’ve done a good job there, your customers can walk up and down the aisles, they can touch the merchandise, spin it around, look at the boxes and easily compare items – both in your store or your competitors.  It's a rich experience that serves as a place of value for customers, and in turn keeps them coming back. 

Simply put, the mobile experience is like shopping at your store through a drive-thru window.  The interface between the customer, your data and products needs to be highly efficient and intelligent. The limitations of UI in mobile (less so in tablet - but that's a different beast, for a different blog) require simplicity, but the mix of rich capabilities allow for sophistication and intelligence.

Now, back to you and what you deliver through mobile to customers.  What am I going to see when I drive up to your drive-thru window?  A brick wall?  An empty window?  A clown selling burgers?

We recently started working with an iconic, mid-sized retailer who came to use to develop a mobile solution. When I visited their physical store to buy a shirt, I was overwhelmed by the excellent service from a woman who helped me in their men's department.  No one will ever replace that person with a machine, but delivering that positive emotional experience has to be the goal – for any of their channels. For them, warm customer service is a hallmark and a focus in their stores, so it needs to permeate through all of their digital channels in order to reinforce those values of the brand. 

Much like in real life, a bad experience in one channel can affect the how the customer views the brand as a whole. A recent study by Demandware found that 52% of consumers are likely to abandon the brand as a result of a negative online shopping experience.  At first, this might sound shocking, but you'd do the same if you have a bad experience in a restaurant or retail store.  There’s simply too much competition to keep going back to a place that doesn’t leave a positive impression.

 
*Stats from Demandware

So, when planning your mobile outreach, ask the right questions at the right times. The typical questions are good ones, but they need to flow out of a methodology that starts with your brand, your customers and your goals, like any other marketing initiative.  

Go ahead, drive up to your own drive-thru window and your competitors' and see who is manning the fort.

This post originally appeared on iMedia Connection as a featured article and was written by Wade Allen, President of CouponFactory. 

If you haven't noticed, an abundance of coupon and daily-deal sites have descended upon us with stealth speed. Combine the popular kids of the group like Groupon, Foursquare, and Yelp with the constant rumors of other online players moving into the space and the list goes on and on, and then on some more.  

To put it all out on the table -- consumers have grown to expect discounts and are more than willing to switch to brands and products that provide the best deals. But what's really fueling the fire behind the demand and how can brands and retailers regain control of what feels like an out of control discounting spiral?

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What's driving the consumer to seek discounts? 

Here are four factors that are likely the driving forces behind the couponing epidemic (or windfall for you deal addicts): 

Economic slowdown
2007 was the year the proverbial music died. The financial bubble-burst left us all in shock, and the after-effects left most people scrambling to adapt. In times like those, the thrifty tend to thrive, and so couponing became a key strategy for consumers looking to stretch their dollars to the limit. Even now, as the economy rebounds, couponing and deal seeking continue to flourish. According to the comScore study below, 66 percent of consumers said they used coupons in July 2010, compared with 59 percent two years earlier. The percentage of respondents who reported shopping online for deals increased from 24 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2010.

The explosion of social media 
The mass adoption of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and others has created a digitally social audience that has never been seen before. To put this in perspective, keep in mind that Facebook grew from 27 million users in July 2008 to over 150 million in July 2011. That's not just you on a social network -- but your mother, brother, sorority, bowling league, and probably your old eighth-grade math teacher.

What's more important than the quantity of users is that those users are consumers, and consumers are now engaging brands on social media networks. They're also looking for more than just content. Simply put, "likes," retweets, and mayorships aren't enough any longer; it's about added value, and this is where discounts are king. According to a study by Merkle, consumers (aka, social media users) who choose to become a fan of a brand on Facebook most often do so to receive exclusive deals and offers, including coupons.

The digitization of coupons and deals
To capture this movement, more and more brands and retailers made their coupons and deals available online. Daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial have helped popularize digital coupons while offering some fun content alongside it.

This led consumers to embrace digital couponing at a staggering rate. eMarketer forecasts that 47 percent of U.S. adult internet users (approximately 88.2 million individuals) will use online coupons in 2011. Another study by Experian Simmons found that the percentage of households using print coupons has not changed much since 2005, but the percentage of households using digital coupons has risen 83.3 percent.

Smartphone usage
With smartphone penetration hovering around 40 percent and with another estimated 10 percent gain for the end of this year, consumers are poised to receive mobile coupons in a massive way. Additionally, while mobile coupons only represent a small share of digital coupons, they have enormous potential to become the couponing medium of choice in the near future. Because mobile coupons influence a consumer in the midst of making a purchase decision, retailers and brands are beginning to experiment with this type of delivery standard. Imagine how great it would be to unlock a 20 percent discount while standing in line at a local restaurant. The best part about it all is that a customer can gain access to said discount with only a quick download of an app or a check-in, which takes only a matter of seconds. While understanding this new phenomenon helps bring some clarity to consumer behavior, it doesn't truly clear the fog when it comes to how brands and retailers can develop an effective coupon/deal strategic plan.

History is telling 
As many historians would agree -- it is critical to learn from the past. Believe it or not, there's a rich heritage and history surrounding the appropriate and inappropriate use of coupons and deals. More than 120 years of trial and error, by tens of thousands of brands and retailers, actually holds the secret to how smart coupon and deal offering can be achieved.

Much like how they're used today, coupons were first developed to drive product trial, encourage product use, and gain market share. In 1888, a very clever man by the name of Asa Candler used the first paper ticket coupon for a free glass of Coke to help market the new soda and unknowingly started a revolution, in more ways than one. By 1909, C.W. Post provided the public with 1-cent coupons to promote Grape Nuts cereal, which was likely considered an epic deal at the time. By 1940, big chain grocery stores jumped on the bandwagon and began using coupons to attract consumers away from purchasing at local markets. Then in the 1990s, customer-centric marketers used coupons to surprise their best customers in an effort create customer loyalty and re-engage valuable customers.

Today, the social media explosion requires brands and retailers to entice their followers with coupons and deals to create positive social sentiment.

Despite many cut-and-dry examples of couponing and deal offering, lots of retailers and brands simply see it as a means to buy future sales and tend to over-coupon. Have you ever heard of too much of a good thing?This is true in the case of coupon saturation because it has created a new breed of deal-seeking consumers. TLC recently launched a series, called "Extreme Couponing,"  about everyday customers gaming the system and saving hundreds of dollars. While this was not the intent of the brands and retailers that issued the coupons, these die-hard coupon-cutting hustlers provide a powerful example of why coupons and deals should be strategically delivered.

The future
No one can predict the future, but I think it's safe to say that couponing is here to stay. Communication media will evolve and tactics may vary, but brands and retailers will continue to use coupons and deals to drive customers to purchase. Doing this the smart way will require retailers and brands to recognize consumer demand, leverage historical data, and adapt a coupon supply strategy that delivers customer incentives effectively. Now ask yourself: Is your brand winning or losing in the coupon and deal game?

Dear clients and friends of Rockfish:

I am pleased to share with you today some very exciting news: Rockfish is becoming a part of WPP, the world's largest and most successful agency holding company.  The agreement was Thursday evening.  We have announced the news to our employees this morning, and are now also sharing it with our clients, friends and the media.

The decision to join WPP’s family of agencies came after a very thorough and thoughtful evaluation of many options, including remaining independent.  What I thought would be a difficult decision was actually very easy as I learned more about WPP, their enthusiasm for Rockfish and most importantly their commitment to our future.  

WPP is a highly regarded agency holding company -- it has offices in 107 countries, employs more than146,000 people, does $15B in annual revenue and was recently named holding company of the year at the Cannes Lions.  It is a privilege to be a part of this organization.

While this is a big change in many ways, in other ways some things at Rockfish will never change -- including our commitment to you as our client and to helping you leverage emerging technologies that will drive your business.  I want you to know how grateful we are for your partnership with us and how much we look forward to working with you in the years ahead.

Today is the beginning of the next chapter in the amazing Rockfish story.  As part of the agreement, I will remain as CEO and there will be no staff changes related to the acquisition.  In fact, we expect our relationship with WPP will only serve to accelerate our growth and help us continue an expanded team of top-notch talent who can offer our clients innovative ideas, products and services.

I am truly humbled by this opportunity to take a company I started with a single laptop at a coffee shop only 5-1/2 years ago and grow it into a world-class digital agency. Many factors have contributed to our rapid growth and success.  But as I reflect on our first five years, I can state with absolute confidence our success has come because of you -- our clients -- for giving us the opportunities to work on your business.  It has also come because of the amazing Rockfish team -- the talent who got us here and who will take us forward. 

I believe our best days are ahead.  Thank you for your continued confidence and friendship.

Kenny Tomlin, Founder & CEO

Since Rockfish first worked on the ElevenMoms program, we have been focused on how technology is impacting one of the most important consumer targets for most brands. This is especially true when it comes to the two hottest trends in e-commerce – mobile and moms. iMedia Connection’s “How to harness the power of mobile moms”, makes two distinct points when it comes to moms and their smartphones. First, the mobile mom doesn’t just like her phone - she loves it and second, she demands utility from her device.

These two are a natural match (and a huge emerging market) as shown by a recent study conducted by BabyCenter in which over half of the moms surveyed confirmed that they purchased a smartphone as a direct result of motherhood. As more Gen-Yers start families, it’s only natural that their tech-savvy habits demand even more functionality from smartphones. Perhaps there’s a market for an app that schedules and manages play-dates? Maybe not, but new platforms and apps continue to emerge, aiming to provide moms with even more reasons to pick up their phones, including:

• Teaching kids how to play music – A mom interviewed on an app marketing blog introduced her children to the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” app and found it helped them learn how to play the piano within a few weeks.
• Receiving mobile health advice – By texting BABY to 511411, expectant moms can receive weekly text messages that are timed to their individual due dates or their baby’s birth date. (http://bethwood.patch.com/articles/mobile-health-advice-for-newpregnant-moms)
• Comparison shopping on the fly – Apps like ShopSavvy, Red Laser and Scanbuy are perfect for moms who are on a shopping trip and want to check prices before they purchase. Simply scan a barcode or type in a description and the app will locate the lowest price. Even more, if the retailer sells online, there’s the option to purchase on the spot.
• Grocery shopping with a strategy – More retailers are using apps to make shopping easier and more convenient. Sam’s Club wanted to help members navigate their stores so they launched an app that includes a barcode scanner, a featured product list and the ability to skip the long lines at the in-Club eValues kiosk. The app also ties into “Simply Delicious Meals” which focuses on helping moms shop, prepare and store food bought in bulk, allowing them to take advantage of savings.