Retailers in a wide range of industries have been using brochure advertising and flyers for decades to inform consumers about offers and discount campaigns. At the same time, the trend toward digitalization continues to advance and retailers are increasingly using apps and digital advertising media as alternatives to brochure advertising. A recent survey on this topic by YouGov came to the conclusion that the move away from brochure advertising and handouts is less daring than it might seem at first glance. According to the survey, almost half of Germans already use apps to find out about current offers and discount campaigns in retail stores.
The end of advertising in paper form seems to have been ushered in. It is precisely the better measurability of campaign success compared to print and the more direct opportunities to interact with existing and potential customers that make digital solutions, and apps in particular, much more attractive. However, customer groups that are less likely to be online or in the ecosystem of a company's own apps are unlikely to be reached without traditional brochure advertising. How can an increase in app usage still be achieved?
Increase customer engagement and in-app activity
Stopping traditional brochure advertising is a consistent step in the digitization strategy of any retail company. In concrete terms, this means moving away from mass brochures - toward a centered channel that makes targeted use of the many opportunities offered by digitization and makes the shopping process more pleasant and lucrative for customers.
Nevertheless, customer expectations have risen enormously, so that many applications are uninstalled after only one use. The reason for this is that retailer applications often lack appeal and useful features. It is therefore all the more important to include customer benefits in the digitization strategy. To handle this in a scalable and cost-efficient way, the question here is the right combination of usage-relevant features, which is the guarantor for sustainable and intensive app usage.
The introduction of Scan & Go as an additional app feature, offers retailers a model for customer interaction, which leads the attention and purchasing power as well as the loyalty of customers within the customer journey into the own retailer app. The switch from brochure advertising to digital offer communication offers a further service that has great potential in combination with the Scan & Go feature. For example, customers have the option of creating a digital shopping list in the app before they visit the store, so that coupons, discounts and offers can be added directly to the shopping cart when the items are scanned in the store. At the same time, the retailer app can encourage customers to collect loyalty points, participate in promotions, and pay in self-service. These features not only increase overall app usage, but also integrate seamlessly into the customer journey.
Take responsibility
Paper shortages and environmental damage caused by the paper industry are prompting a rethink. The foundation on which retailers stand clearly shows that they are looking for ways to differentiate themselves due to increasing saturation, while competition remains the same. The attractiveness of the retailer's own app puts retailers in a position to exploit existing customer potential in a more targeted manner and at the same time tap into new customer groups. Together with the Scan & Go feature in the merchant app, retailers have the potential to generate higher sales and advertise successfully. It is up to retail companies to exploit this potential.
