Brick And Mortar Retailers – It’s Time To Fight Back

The biggest problem is how to get people into your stores and keep them their long enough that their browsing turns into a purchase. Although many shareholders and analysts have yet to realize it, one solution to that problem is already beginning to spread through the retail industry: ChargeItSpot.

Under Armour branded ChargeItSpot

ChargeItSpot is an innovative startup (private/non-public company) making big waves in the retail space. It provides lock-away mobile phone charging stations in retail stores around the country. The charging stations are free for the shopper and branded for the retailer (see pictures below), driving traffic into stores and keeping people there long enough for their phones to charge. In addition to providing an enhanced customer experience that is likely to increase loyalty and bring people back to the stores in the future, it’s well known in the retail industry that increased dwell time goes hand in hand with increased spending. Retailers are always trying to figure out not just how to get people into their stores but how to keep them in the stores longer. ChargeItSpot does exactly that. According to a study by GfK, one of the world’s largest market research firms, customers who used a ChargeItSpot placed in Urban Outfitters spent 115% more time dwelling, made a purchase 54% more often than those who weren’t charging their phones, and spent, on average, 29% more per transaction.

Bloomingdale’s branded ChargeItSpot

Moreover, when a user’s phone is running low, the ChargeItSpot app tells people where the nearest ChargeItSpot station is, directing potential shoppers straight into a retailer’s store. The app also allows for cross-promotion opportunities. For example, if the app tells a customer the nearest ChargeItSpot is in a clothing retailer around the corner, that retailer could offer a 10% off coupon through the app, further enticing the person to shop while they are charging their phone in the store.

Additionally, as some of ChargeItSpot’s clients have discovered, there are opportunities to use the charging stations as ways to promote retailers’ loyalty programs and to offer targeted promotions via email. While shoppers are often quite reluctant to give their email addresses to people at the register, they are not reluctant to give their email addresses if it allows them to get their phones charged for free. Therefore, in addition to in-store sales while people are charging their phones and future sales from returning customers, there’s the added sales value through targeted email promotions, something we know retailers find valuable. [Continue reading at Seeking Alpha…]