In a small-business guide we've just published, Sheri Gurock, co-founder of Magic Beans, a retailer specializing in toys and baby gear, talks about joining the mobile app craze in the summer of 2010.
As Eilene Zimmerman reports, Ms. Gurock deployed an app that allowed in-store customers to ignore the cash registers and check out purchases on their mobile devices. The app also allowed customers to scan a bar code and get product information, descriptions and reviews that had previously been available only to customers shopping online. When a customer purchased an item, the app would automatically recommend two related products in the store and offer discounts and coupons. That resulted in an 8-p ercent increase in sales to those who used the app, Ms. Gurock said.
The only problem? The Magic Beans app has been used by just 5 percent of the store's customers. Although Ms Gurock believes mobile self-checkout represents the future of retail, she is phasing out the app, which she said may have been a little early to the party: “This app was on a mission to change 100 years of shopping habits, where the in-store experience is bringing your items to a cashier.â€
Have you built an app to support your business's sales or marketing? How much did you spend? What kind of results have you gotten?
