There has been a rise in the popularity of new payment technologies to different generations. It is shown by the latest reports that it is the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed consumers to patronize mobile payments.
It was revealed that among the global trends in business, there has been a significant alignment across generations in terms of new payment technologies specifically mobile payments. Older generations for example are seen to adapt and use digital technology at an unprecedented rate. Since many old people depend on credit cards with their payments, it is safe to say that rewards associated with the card greatly influence their decision and choices.
Loyalty programs are also attractive to their generation so they are more likely to spend on retailers that offer them compared to those who don’t. This also means that older generations have become more interested in keeping up with the latest payment methods.
The question now is what can retailers do to capitalize on this?
Social media ads are booming across different industries. This paved the way for hyper-targeted outreach tools to be made available online to almost every merchant. This gives them access to millions of data points that tells them what consumers are more likely to buy.
Merchants should invest in creating a strong digital ad profile if they want to target customers through social media and know what items to offer.
The fact that local and independent businesses are being targeted by intentional shopping efforts is good news for small businesses because it gives them an edge in the market. This is what will help them recover from the very damaging blow caused to their bricks-and-mortar traffic by the COVID-19 crisis.
What they must do to stand out, even more, is to focus their efforts on enhancing their digital capabilities and in the implementation of loyalty and rewards programs. In short, there’s no other way but to go online and digital as soon as possible.
In their competition against retail giants armed with sophisticated and enriched digital engagement programs, their best weapon is a unique digital brand profile.
Together, social shopping and local focus can help small businesses compete with major e-commerce brands in the social shopping space. Since the majority of people from every generation are actively purchasing through social media, small businesses must also strengthen their brand messaging and concentrate on improving their sales pitch to stand out from their competitors. The bottom line as seen by experts is for brands to invest in technology.
Independent local merchants should be well aware of the adoption of mobile payments which consistently perform impressively across all generations. So if there is sufficient education on how to use the tools at checkout and how to integrate mobile function, then they will have a big opportunity to promote loyalty among the groups of consumers whose payment preferences are greatly influenced by online gimmicks and associated rewards. Ultimately, this ensures that your online store’s point of sale will remain engaging and retaining for customers.