Suitable prefers mobile advertising for its data strengths
NEW YORK ? A Suitable executive at Intersect Fashion New York 2016 explained that it uses digital and mobile to follow up with consumers and establish a bond after their first interaction, primarily focusing on mobile advertising as smartphones allow a wider range of data.
During the session, Mobile Meets In-Store Shopping: The Personalized Experience, the executive stressed how important it is to think about the customer journey and develop marketing techniques to help follow consumers throughout. While Suitable's customers primarily interact with the retailer while at a bricks-and-mortar store, it is mobile and digital where Suitable is able to complete a significant connection with consumers.
"For us, we mostly advertising on mobile and part of the reason is the nature of our brand it is a bit more important to know where our customers are," said Ray Li
founder and CEO of Suitable. "A lot of what goes into targeting consumers is platform data, using geolocation.
"It allows us to be more targeted and it allows us to drive them store locations," he said.
Bricks-and-mortar vs mobile
While many believe that the bricks-and-mortar store is becoming less relevant, other retailers are realizing that it is simply changing. For Suitable, customers are coming into its stores because they want to see how its products fit, feel and look like in person.
Consumers are becoming more and more comfortable with purchasing on mobile, but pairing mobile platforms with a bricks-and-mortar presence can be highly beneficial. Bricks-and-mortar stores are not just for pushing products, but are where consumers come to interact with your brand and test products which sometimes will be purchased afterwards online.
The retailer primarily serves advertising on mobile devices, as they offer a significant amount of data on the consumer. For instance, location is a big part of Suitable's strategy, as it is able to gain insight on where its customers are and drive them into nearby stores.
Shiny new objects
The executive also stressed the importance of adopting technology that works for your brand. With so much new technology coming to the scene consistently, many retailers and brands want to jump on-board to appeal to consumers.
However, it is important to have a clear purpose when adopting new platforms and developing new properties.
"I think it is important to look at what is the overall ideal customer journey, and what makes sense for your brand," Mr. Li said. "For certain brands mobile plays one role and for other brands it plays a completely different role.
"Think about your brand and what your hallmark experience is and then how can mobile fit into that," he said. "There is a lot of trendy pieces of technology that is written about a lot, but it may not necessarily work for your brand."