Mobile as a channel is becoming increasingly important to omnichannel retailers as more and more it is the chosen method for searching for and viewing content.

When using tablets and smartphones the majority of time is spent in apps, 89 per cent according to InMobi’s 2014 Mobile Media Consumption, the rest of the time is making calls or searching the internet using a browser etc.

Retailer apps could be used to promote loyalty programs, specials and coupons, provide general information about what’s coming up in-store and easily display product information.

However, having an app is only half the battle for retailers, they’ve still got to get people to download and engage with it. A recent report from Telstra quotes research from Nielson that, “over the last three years, while time interacting with apps has gone up, the number of apps regularly accessed by consumers has remained constant at around a couple of dozen.” This means Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi are competing against Facebook and Twitter for a user’s attention.

One option retailers have for getting their apps on users’ phones when they visit their stores and to establish that all important “digital relationship” is a TapBoard, which is being trialed by a number of Australian retailers.

When an NFC enabled smartphone is placed on the TapBoard — which is made by an Australian company called iProximity — data is displayed on the phone, for example product information, recommendations or comparisons, similar products or accessories.

As TapBoards contain an electronic circuit board  and use the smartphone’s power and internet connection to deliver the information they do not require external power, nor an internet connection. The selected information is displayed either on the phone’s browser or in an app.

An example of how the TapBoard will deployed as part of a tourism campaign
An example of how the TapBoard will deployed as part of a tourism campaign

David Burden CEO of iProximity said they have developed a specific kind of TapBoard which automatically detects if the retailer’s app is on the phone when one of the TapBoard buttons is pressed and, if it isn’t it takes the phone directly to the Play store to download the app with one tap.

It is a quick, easy and fun way to for retailers to get their app on a user’s phone, which had proven to be a challenge, Burden said.

“Some consumers are finding it quick and easy, some are signing up to loyalty programs quicker than they had before, one retailer is trialing a button that locks instantly on to the Wi-Fi network takes all the pain away from logging on to the network in store. That is a big win for retailers to get consumers on their Wi-Fi,” Burden said.

The TapBoard only works with NFC-enabled Android phones, even though the iPhone 6 has NFC it is currently locked. Burden said they had seen “a little bit of disappointment” from iPhone users but iProximity can supply them with QR code and an SMS keyword to download the same information.

“The benefit of these over a tablet is that don’t require an internet connection, they don’t require any power, they can be mounted anywhere and they can be changed very quickly and easily.”

Answering honestly about the state of proximity marketing — which includes beacons, NFC and QR codes —Burden said that 2014 had been encouraging but the rate of deployment in Australia pales in insignificance to the US market. “What we are seeing here in Australia is an enormous number of pilot programs in place. Most of the top retailers across all of the top verticals are in some way piloting piloting proximity, whether it be beacons, NFC or QR,” Burden said.