Bookstores Bring Convenience With Mobile Marketing

 

The Mobile Movement of Bookstores

During the Roman Empire, owning books meant two things about you: 1) you had money, and 2) you were literate. Now you no longer must be a member of the upper echelons of society to enjoy books, although literacy proves to be helpful. Instead of summoning a scribe to produce a book of our choice, we are a couple clicks and three business days away from an Amazon.com purchase arriving on our doorstep.

The ageless pastime of reading has moved forward in tremendous ways, and the channels for bookstores to advertise in should mirror that. The taste of the reading public is changing to more digital and less traditional. Books are easier to access than ever before. If your favorite brick and mortar bookstore doesn’t carry a book, they can order it from places like Amazon and eBay – accessible via full website, mobile websites or mobile app. And if carrying a hard copy around seems like too much of a hassle, e-readers and tablets such as the Nook and the Kindle are sure to lighten the load. A growing number of readers (33%) currently own an e-reader. Digital progression in the reading world demands its advertising to speak to consumers everywhere they go.

Convenience with Mobile Marketing

How do you reach this new age reader? With the combination of a true mobile website and text marketing you can connect with consumers. People are on the go and want instant gratification. Your bookstore will be overlooked for the easily accessible competitor if consumers struggle to find out who you are, what you have and where you are located. Customers are searching for bookstore locations, store hours, product lists and contact information—all of these things could be satisfied by a mobile website.

Text marketing is a key strategy that will increase store traffic, drive new sales, and stir word-of-mouth buzz about a particular bookstore location. By meeting customers where they are (on their mobile devices) you can stand out in a sea of email deals and promotions. When the bookstore pushes out text messages featuring mobile coupons and special event invites, customers will walk away feeling good and brag on social media. Rewarding readers gives them an incentive to come back, helps gain customer loyalty and lead to increased revenue. This is a mutually beneficial relationship: responding to your customers’ needs (accessibility and incentives) and driving new business into your store.