Well, isn’t it amazing to see an Australian retailer doing something innovative.
The Sportsgirl store on Chapel Street in Melbourne has started a Window Shop. And full marks to this group for having a go. Apparently, this Window Shop is the first of many interactive shopping billboards that are soon to appear for Sportsgirl.
- The billboards feature images of fashion items that consumers can purchase by scanning a barcode.
- The QR code takes the shopper directly to the Sportsgirl mobile store, where the item can be purchased.
This Sportsgirl initiative might be the first evidence of an Australian retailer realising that mobile is here. Maybe it is going to prove itself as an effective merging of offline and online.
So far Tesco has been the global leader in virtual billboards. The UK grocery giant installed virtual grocery stores on the walls of Korean train stations so commuters could order groceries using their smartphones on their way to and from work. From all reports this has been a great success for Tesco with a big jump in market share in a market (Korea) where it is not the leader.
It is probably quite an effort for retailers to get their collective head around the reality that a significant proportion of online shopping is now done ‘on the go’. Have you checked how many of your website visitors are reaching your site from a mobile device? If you don’t know the current figure, you may be in for a surprise.
