Brussels, Belgium, 10 February 2010 – GS1 is pleased to announce the publication of a white paper entitled
"Mobile in Retail: getting your in-store environment ready for mobile”. It is the result of the collaborative work of the GS1 MobileCom group.
“GS1 has brought together a group of organisations dedicated to defining and using open standards as a foundation to unlock the potential of mobile commerce. It shows that brands and retailers are convinced that mobile is becoming a key touch point for engaging with consumers,” commented José Lopez, Executive Vice President of Operations Nestlé SA and Vice-Chairman of the Board of GS1.
The white paper explores the opportunities for brands and retailers as consumers begin to use mobile phones to plan their shopping and during visits to stores. It identifies clear potential to:
• add value to physical products and experiences through digital services.
As consumers spend increasing amounts of time online, mobile can become the “glue” that ties physical products and stores to the digital world.
• increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Consumers will reward those businesses that best meet
their needs for information and services. Mobile allows increased personalisation – meeting consumer needs even better.
• increase sales.
There is a clear link between relevant information provided at the point-of-sale and purchase decisions. Put simply, better information means more sales.
By examining the current and future state of mobile services relevant to retail such as extended packaging,mobile coupons, loyalty, store location, shopping lists and self-scanning, the white paper sets out to
answer the following questions:
• What consumer needs can be identified and met using mobile phones in retail environments?
• How can mobile phones support richer, more enjoyable, more efficient and more relevant shopping
experiences?
• What changes need to happen in retail stores to support this?
The GS1 system of standards is widely used to manage the flow of goods and information through the supply chain. The embedded nature of this system ranges from bar codes on product packaging to software on supermarket scanners to integration with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. To ensure efficiency and cost saving, the White Paper recommends using these standards as a foundation when using mobile phones to develop the shopping experience for consumers.
“GS1 standards will enable us to enhance our relationship with consumers using the channels they prefer – during their trip to the store, on the internet or via the mobile phones,” said Zygmunt Mierdorf, Member of the Board of Management, Metro AG and Acting Chairman of the GS1 Management Board. The “Mobile in Retail” White Paper can be downloaded from www.gs1.org/mobile/mir.