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 IKEA has extended its m-commerce and loyalty capability by publishing its catalogue through an iPhone application. This application has proved extremely popular and was downloaded by over 200,000 people in the first week.
IKEA’s latest investment enables a consumer to download a piece of furniture from the catalogue, resize it and using the mobile’s camera place it “virtually” in the room they are in. IKEA started its involvement with mobile marketing and loyalty in 2008 with the launch of a mobile loyalty scheme in the US. This initial programme encouraged consumers to sign up for discounts through a ”text to enter” campaign promoted through the stores, email and online. Following the sign-up programme, regular competitions and discounts have then been sent to this opt-in audience resulting in an increase in footfall and 5-10% response rates. The success of the campaigns could be tracked through a closed loop system where mobile vouchers were scanned at the checkout. For example, a campaign run in the last quarter of 2008 in one US store resulted in a six figure sales value that was directly attributable to the mobile vouchers. Mobilize Systems, as the leading Marketing Innovator in Retail for mobile loyalty, are holders of the key technology patent in this area in the UK with patent pending in the USA and Europe. Stefan Magnusson, CEO at Mobilize, commented "IKEA saw the opportunity for mobile loyalty and marketing early and are now reaping the benefits of using a closed loop system for generating customer insight and a return on their marketing investment. This latest announcement demonstrates the innovative use of mobile and internet technology to increase customer engagement, footfall and loyalty”
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