Google puts it pretty simply – be there, be useful and be quick.
Sounds easy enough in theory, right? But in order to really understand how to achieve mobile marketing success let’s delve a bit deeper by taking a look at a company who is killing it in the mobile marketing world to take a few hints.
Starbucks operates the most regularly used loyalty rewards app amongst the major restaurant chains. What keeps users coming back to this app? What makes the app so popular? How can you achieve similar success?
It’s fairly simple – the Starbucks app follows Google’s three tips to mobile marketing success (be there, be useful and be quick) very closely.
BE THERE
If you want success you’ve got to be ahead of the pack. There’s only a very short window of time when users actively search for information about something and if you’re not there ready in that moment then you’ve lost a potential customer. Sounds pretty full on I know but if you commit to being there to help in those moments you’ll be on the way to success.
So, how does Starbucks ensure they’re always there?
Through a highly personalised in-app experience. The app allows users to see where the closest Starbucks is to them, place an order that will be ready upon their arrival, recall previous orders and even see what music is “now playing” in a store. How cools that? These personalised features keep users coming back for more. Starbucks app is always ready and waiting for users to jump on in search of their next caffeine fix. Always being there when customers need through these various features is one of the key factors for this successful app.
BE USEFUL
With only 9% of users willing to stay on a mobile app or site if it doesn’t satisfy their needs, the importance of being useful is considerable. You’ve got to be relevant to the needs of a consumer in the moment they are on their information search. If you can’t do this the user will simply move on to the next company and you obviously don’t want that. So, having features set up that connect people to the answers they are looking for is essential.
So, how does Starbucks ensure they’re always useful?
You’d struggle to find an app more useful than that of Starbucks. You can find your nearest store, place an order and pay for your order all in 3 simple steps within the app. This app is already at its most useful with the risk of adding any more features leading to confusion within the app reducing its usability. As Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman stated the company didn’t “want the app to become too much of a Swiss Army knife.” This is an important point to note that a company needs to have enough features to be useful but not have an excessive amount that you end up detracting value from the most important app features.
BE QUICK
Today’s society is incredibly fast paced. Mobile users want to know, go, buy and do in as fast a fashion as possible. The need to have a fast and frictionless mobile experience has never been so important.
So, how does Starbucks ensure they’re always quick?
The simple app layout and option to place and pay for an order online make the whole process quick and easy. Going up to a dedicated station for mobile order-ahead customers and retrieving your order could not be more efficient. Starbucks has found the swiftest possible way for a consumer to receive their order and this ability to ‘be quick’ as google states is largely associated with this app’s success.
The large success of Starbuck’s mobile marketing poses an important question –
Should a company’s whole focus be towards mobile marketing or is it still worth the investment into more traditional marketing forms?
Digital Marketing 
Loved this blog post. Found it really interesting about the risk of adding too many features. Wanted to know your thoughts in regard to whether a company is better off having too little features than too many features or vice versa?
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I’d say a company is better off having too many features. Whilst it is not desirable I think consumers would be more frustrated being unable to find information which they were searching for than if they were overwhelmed with too much information. What do you think, better to have too many or too little features?
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I definitely agree – too many features much better than too little features.
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This post really helped me understand google’s advice for mobile marketing, so thanks!
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No worries!
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I love the structure of this blog! I think there will always be a place for Traditional Marketing as there will always be a customer segment that isnt digitally active. Things such as flyers and billboards will always exist because it generates cheap awareness.
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Great point – I agree!
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Have you thought about being cooperative that small businesses should work together to create an app that benefits everyone? For example, the Zomato app which many restaurants display its information and follow the app ranking system. As a consequence, they will bring convenience to the customer and enjoy the marketing result as the app become popular.
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That sounds like such a good solution! Will be interesting to see if this happens more in the future 🙂
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