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Engaging the mobile car shopper with GEO-Targeting

I'd like to point out that Location Targeting, used appropriately, DOES NOT collect location data on each specific customer. Apple and Google don't allow this for obvious privacy reasons.
-Ben

Ben, good post overall, but I would like to point out this is not entirely true. There are a lot of ways to code around this and in a previous job we collected, analyzed, and used locational behavior of our app users.
 
Ben, good post overall, but I would like to point out this is not entirely true. There are a lot of ways to code around this and in a previous job we collected, analyzed, and used locational behavior of our app users.

Chad,

I must agree with you but also adding that regardless of the technicalities of whether it can be done or not products like this live or die by consumer perception and I don't believe that a "programmer's" reassurance that we are not recording what you do will work.

IMO phones are extremely personal and this will be perceived as an intrusion of privacy no matter how you cut it.
 
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Chad,

I must agree with you but also adding that regardless of the technicalities of whether it can be done or not products like this live or die by consumer perception and I don't that a "programmer's" reassurance that we are not recording what you do will work.

IMO phones are extremely personal and this will be perceived as an intrusion of privacy no matter how you cut it.

Absolutely. For me, this goes back to the SMS argument.
Customers typically get email spam - they're used to it and they have a habitual reaction to it.
They don't typically get SMS spam, so when you send a text to a customer, there's a higher chance they're going to be disgruntled about it.

I believe the same applies here. If my phone sends me a notification, it better be important. I get 0 promotions sending me push alerts right now and of the handful of people I live and work with, none of them currently do either.
 
Anyone using geo-fencing / geo-targeting with good to great success? And if so, how are you using it?

This has been on the tip of every major media rep's tongue lately and I've been interested ever since I heard about geo-fencing maybe 3-4 years ago but not something I've pulled the trigger on just yet. Only one rep has given me statistics and they were CTR of ~ .85% (to a landing page) and "Secondary Action" (click to call, directions, click thru to site) of ~ 13%. So figure for a one month campaign order of 350k impressions:

350k Impressions -> 2975 Clicks -> 386 "Secondary Actions"
 
I think the new Apple iBeacon can activate an app on the user's phone if it's already installed.
This is what AutoTrader.ca is trying to leverage as their app is already installed on many shopper's phones.

Without an app it doesn't do anything.
Without permission from the user, the app can't do anything.
In my opinion it's a bunch of horse poop and will piss customers off more than anything, but they're going to give it a shot.

If they have your dealers app you can do all kinds of wild stuff like geo-fence your competitors and offer coupons when they visit them, but again that requires they have the app and have allowed it to use their location in the background.
 
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I think the new Apple iBeacon can activate an app on the user's phone if it's already installed.
This is what AutoTrader.ca is trying to leverage as their app is already installed on many shopper's phones.

Without an app it doesn't do anything.
Without permission from the user, the app can't do anything.
In my opinion it's a bunch of horse poop and will piss customers off more than anything, but they're going to give it a shot.

If they have your dealers app you can do all kinds of wild stuff like geo-fence your competitors and offer coupons when they visit them, but again that requires they have the app and have allowed it to use their location in the background.

Agreed. It's a great pitch, but not much more than that unfortunately.
 
Seems to me as if it's becoming or will become common practice. We are already seeing several large retailers utilizing geo/iBeacon features within their mobile apps.

Consumers demand fast and easy obtainable content and mobile apps with geo take advantage of the ability to understand the customers location in order to create a relevant (hopefully) interaction.

Target launches iBeacons in Stores and App
American Airlines undertakes industry’s biggest deployment of iBeacons at DFW Airport
San Francisco Giants (and most of MLB) adopt Apple's iBeacon for an enhanced ballpark experience

One of my favorite apps is CardStar. It houses all my loyalty cards and when I'm at a particular store that I have a loyalty card for, not only does it remind me but it's at the top of list as soon as I open the app for easy access.

You could use geofencing to know when a customer is standing in front of a particular vehicle on your lot or showroom while instantly delivering them the specs, data, pricing, incentives, for that exact vehicle... making for a much easier experience.

I work with a few dealers using AutoMotion's app to provide information to consumers while they are on their lot, inside of their showroom, service department or even on the lot of a competitor. It gets fun! :)

Apps now being indexed within the SERPS.
 
You could use geofencing to know when a customer is standing in front of a particular vehicle on your lot or showroom while instantly delivering them the specs, data, pricing, incentives, for that exact vehicle... making for a much easier experience.

This is difficult because the technology is cumbersome to work with. You would have to have an individual beacon in each vehicle (expensive/annoying) or have a really, really good grasp on how they calculate distance from a beacon and how you can use that information to isolate the vehicle or grouping of vehicles they're looking at.

There's a company in my hometown (non-automotive company) trying to enter the space with the same idea.
The problem they had was they could only do general groupings because 2 beacons beside each other got too complicated.
The follow up issue they had was that all they could think to supply the customer with was the brochure for the vehicle.

I think when the customer is 2 feet away from the vehicle all our vehicles have fuel efficiency, spec sheets, windows stickers on them - what can the app tell them that the sheet can't? In Ontario it's dangerous to start showing financing options, so I don't see it working for us at this time.

Also, in Canada we're generally very polite and never use our cell phones in public places or while shopping ;)