With the advent of smartphones and the internet, holiday shopping has become dramatically different for both shoppers and retailers. According to a holiday mobile marketing statistics 2012 study conducted by Vibes Mobile Consumer Report, an astounding 90% of shoppers have a smartphone in their hand while they are shopping. This means that almost literally all of your customers that walk into your store have a smartphone on them. So what does this mean? And what can you do to take advantage of this?

The first thing you want to know about is a new trend called “showrooming.” Showrooming is when customers walk into a store, find a product, and look up that particular product on the spot using the internet on their smartphones. The problem with this is, if your company doesn’t have that same product online, the customer will probably buy it online instead of at your store since most products can be found cheaper online. Customers like to look at products on the shelf, touch them, feel them, and get a general sense of what they are in real life, then end up buying the same product online at a discounted price. Don’t let this happen to you! Make sure that your products can be purchased online, and maintain a strong online presence, or you will find yourself becoming merely a “showroom” to buyers.

Internet marketing savvy companies, such as Target, have learned to combat showrooming by setting up displays in their stores that showcase the top 20 toys of the year. A QR code for each toy is given to customers so that customers can buy the toy(s) online and have them shipped to their home. Retailers can also set up QR codes next to each product so shoppers can scan the code to simply get more detailed information on that particular product. QR codes are a great way for customers to get the products they want, get more information on those products, while also avoiding the long lines that typically clog up stores on Black Friday and throughout the holidays.

Other companies have also combated showrooming with mobile coupons which are sent directly to customer’s phones. The customer can then show the coupon to the cashier upon checkout. These mobile coupons can also be location based, so that they only go out to customers that have either entered your store, or are within a certain distance from your store. This will not only encourage customers to walk through your doors, but you will also be more likely to make a sale to them considering the mobile coupon is the reason they came in the first place.

Shoppers also have the option of entering their zip code into their smartphones to receive local retailers’ weekly ads and deals. Along with this, they can designate a “home store” so they receive location-specific ads. This gives the customer much more power while shopping, while also allowing retailers to maintain their presence with shoppers.

Another great way to advertise to holiday shoppers is by developing custom smartphone apps to improve your customers’ shopping experience. Leading furniture retailer, IKEA, developed a custom app which allows customers to scan items into their phones and the app will give customers ideas of how to decorate their homes with that specific product. Another custom smartphone app, Shopkick, allows users to earn “kicks” or reward points for checking-in at one of the 7,000 participating retail outlets. You can even link your credit card when buying something and earn more points towards a future purchase. Remember, with apps, especially around the holidays, you want to make sure it is updated and easy to use for customers! If you don’t do this, customers will become frustrated with your app, stop using it, and completely defeat the point of you developing the app in the first place.

Users can also engage in text-based marketing. Shoppers can opt-in to a text-based service by texting a keyword to a specified shortcode and receive special notifications including coupons, discounts, special deals, and event information.

Several leading companies have already said that mobile marketing is their fastest growing marketing channel. During the holidays, when most retailers are crossing over from the red into the black, it is essential that they have a thought out mobile marketing strategy. If they don’t, they will be “showroomed” or just left behind with the rest of the retailers who have not gone mobile with their marketing strategies. Don’t be one of them!!!