The increasing importance of technology in field marketing
Mobile technology has revolutionised the field marketing sector. This technology is transforming the industry.
Field marketing has been around for many years but its role is becoming broader and increasingly critical as retailers/ brands look for:
- Efficiency gains.
- Improved sales in an increasingly competitive landscape.
- Greater customer loyalty.
- Enhanced customer experience and interaction.
Field marketing agencies are handing their staff PDA’s, tablets and smartphones to record data and to photograph merchandising on shelves. They have launched web-based training programmes for agents and online portals where brands can see how retailers are treating their products.
Innovative technology has significantly boosted the services that field marketing agencies offer. The benefit of using hand-held units means that data can be produced rapidly and accurately.
The tablet technology works alongside current customer systems providing tailored in store data vital to sales success. This covers:
- Powerful integrated call management and mobile workforce system.
- Store visits.
- Analysis of what makes promotions and product performance better or worse than previous reviews.
- Pre-defined questions that are tailored for each store type, to assess compliance across promotional and core range products.
Technology can essentially improve the relationship between the field marketing team and its clients. It opens up new ways of working, such as sharing live in store insight, updating briefs in real-time and providing teams with specific action plans for each store. It will also reduce the time between identifying an issue and discussing this with retailers.
As 83% of unplanned purchases are driven by promotions, accurate price and clear POS is essential to attract customers.
