Geolocation has been a buzzword in the retail marketing world for a while now. And for good reason! It’s a great way to provide your customers with more relevant and personalized content, which can increase engagement, conversions and sales.
Put simply, “Geolocation” is a feature that allows you to determine the location of your website visitors and show them specific products or promotions depending on where they are.
There are many ways to use geolocation in retail marketing. Here are a few of them:
8 Ways To Use Geolocation To Improve Your Marketing
Provide Tailored Recommendations Based On Location
One of the most obvious uses of geolocation is to provide location-based recommendations to customers. This gives them more relevant options, which increases their chances of buying something. If a customer is visiting from LA, don’t show him items that are only available in New York City – instead show him items that he can actually buy right now!
Similarly, geolocation also provides the ability to create targeted offers that are relevant to your customers’ needs at that particular time. For example, you can craft a compelling message thus: “It’s almost dinner time! You’re near our pizzeria, which has been rated as one of the best in town.”
Localize Your Marketing Message
To truly connect with customers on a personal level, you need to use their native terms and references. For example, if you sell clothing in Germany, don’t just use the word “pyjamas” or “sweatpants” for your product descriptions—use German words like Schlafanzug and Jogginghose instead.
Use Local Cultural References
When possible, try to incorporate authentic cultural elements into your marketing campaigns so that they resonate more strongly with locals than they would with other audiences around the world (for instance: using regional celebrities). This way people will feel like they are part of an exclusive club when interacting with your brand online—and it will also make them more likely to share it with their friends when they spot something interesting happening within their community!
Use Geotargeting To Drive Traffic To Your Store
A geotargeting strategy is one of the most effective ways to reach an audience. Geotargeting allows you to zero in on a specific location, then find the people at that location who match your ideal customer profile.
For example, if you run a specialty restaurant chain with multiple locations around the country, you could send marketing messages for special deals at nearby stores to customers who live within 15 minutes of those stores.
Geotargeting is also useful for sending out reminders about store events like sales or new product launches — especially if they’re limited-time offers that shoppers might forget about otherwise.
Geotargeting is different from using demographic data like age or gender because it uses geographic information rather than information about where people live or the zip code they live in. Geolocation technology allows marketers to define audiences by their proximity to a particular location or area, rather than by how far away they are from an address or zip code.
Provide Location-based Offers
Offer discounts or coupons when someone walks into your store or when they are nearby. If you know that a customer is at a mall or another large retail center, you can offer them discounts or coupons. This type of offer might be especially effective because they would be hard pressed not to take advantage of the opportunity to save some cash.
Use Geofencing to Send Push Notifications
Geofencing is one of the most effective ways to use location-based marketing. It allows marketers to send push notifications to customers when they enter or exit a specific area around their store. With geofencing, a virtual perimeter around a geographic location is created and then used as the basis for targeting your customers. This strategy can increase awareness and drive sales.
For example, if you’re running a sale at your local grocery store, you could set up a geofence around the grocery store that triggers push notifications on shoppers’ phones when they enter the parking lot. This gives them an incentive to make a purchase while they’re nearby and helps them remember your business when they’re ready to make another purchase.
Target Ads Based On Location
You can use geolocation to make sure your ads only show up for people who are near your business. For example, if you sell clothing and accessories, you could restrict your ads to women within a certain radius of your store – say, within two miles or five miles – so that only women who live nearby see them.
Improve Shopping Experience With Beacon Technology And Mobile Application
The retail industry is constantly being disrupted by new technology. However, it is important to note that no matter how many innovations come along, it will always be about the customer experience. The best way to improve the customer’s shopping experience is by using geolocation in retail marketing.
Beacons are small devices that broadcast a signal to mobile phones within close proximity. These signals allow mobile applications to send push notifications and other messages based on a user’s location. Beacons can be used to send messages about products or services that are relevant to shoppers.
For example, in-store, they can help the shopper find what they are looking for by sending them directions to their item or helping them find an employee who can answer their questions. When used right, beacons can improve a customer’s shopping experience and increase sales.
Enable Customers To Find Your Store Easily
Geolocation can help people find your store more easily. For example, if you have a small business with several locations, you can use geolocation so that customers can find the closest one when they search for your business online or on a mobile device. This will increase the likelihood that they will visit your store in person and spend money there rather than going to another store that’s closer or easier to find.
Conclusion
It could be tempting to think of geolocation as a gimmick — something that the big stores use, with their fancy marketing budgets. But even if yours is a small business, you can still benefit from using geolocation to make your marketing more relevant to local customers. No matter what size store you run, you can use some of the strategies we mentioned here.