By Chuck Martin
More mobile shoppers may soon be facing offers with higher relevance.
After navigating the expansive exhibition area of Ad Tech in New York this week, I headed to the opposite end of the Javits Center to see what mobile innovation was happening at Customer Engagement Technology World (CETW).
Though the event was dwarfed by the annual Ad Tech confab, some of the mobile commerce content at CETW was more insightful.
As I listened to a presentation by Retailigence CEO Jeremy Geiger, it reminded me of the long-time promise of increased efficiencies in the supply chain.
Geiger was discussing mobile technologies that are leading to dynamic decisions.
One of the examples he used was of reaching a mobile consumer at just the right moment with the most relevant information.
In this case, it was measuring the pollen count in real time and sending targeted mobile messages to relevant consumers in need of allergy medication.
The behind-the-scenes technology tracks inventory and based on the person’s location, suggests the most logical place for them to purchase the medication. When the pollen count goes down, the ads instantly stop.
The idea is about using online and offline data in real time, linking surrounding occurrences to individual situations and providing messages with increased relevance.
As I wrote about in Mobile Influence, this is essentially about linking supply and demand with time and location, which mobile finally allows.
Geiger was referring to the notion of providing dynamic mobile guidance both to a store and within the store, which is where the capabilities are heading.
The implication is that just as passengers on the same airplane pay different prices, mobile shoppers may experience this for products as they shop.
Though not exactly just around the corner for various reasons, the idea of providing dynamic pricing of products based on who is passing by at the moment with a link to inventory and overall demand is at least on the horizon.
Some merchants already have some of the components of this in place, such as supermarkets that offer in-store scanning and automatic coupon targeting.
Research consistently shows that mobile shoppers want a deal. This could make each one truly unique.
