Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

01 March 2010 Categories: Social

Back in the day, a lot of technology was sold using the F.U.D. principle. Business owners are pretty sharp, but when pressed for time they cannot always dig deeply and research every new thing that comes along. So tech sales agents would exploit this situation and tell them just enough to close a sale based on fear, uncertainty and doubt–otherwise know as FUD.

Sales by FUD was a dirty trick, but the funny thing is there usually was a legitimate issue that the business owner really did need to know about.

Today, iPhones have changed the way people shop in a big way.  Call me a fudster if you must, but retailers and services businesses across Canada will be left behind in the dirt if they don’t embrace a location-based marketing strategy involving social media and the Mobile Internet.

There is too much to say for one blog post, but here are some quick facts to support that claim:

  • 26% of mobile phones in Canada are iPhones or other smartphones.
  • 95% of mobile phones in Canada will be smartphones by 2013
  • Google searches on smartphones bring up local merchants first.
  • Merchants can do things to improve where they show up in searches.
  • People can stand in your store and check competitive prices and specials online.
  • 20% of Twitter traffic is questions or comments about products or merchants.
  • One social media comment from a stranger has the same brand impact as 100 views of a TV commercial.
  • Most regular web sites look horrible on a smartphone.
  • People can see how other people voted for your store compared to all your nearby competitors.
  • Paperless smartphone coupons are taking hold in a big, permanent way.
  • Worldwide scavenger hunt games have started where people win by “checking in” at designated places, including businesses.

Ignoring the smartphone-driven changes in shopping behavior is like leaving the bulbs burned out in your signage or having an unlisted phone number.

Don’t succumb to FUD, but you should know that it is time to figure out what to do.  If your primary business is done face to face with your customers, then you need some kind of Mobile Internet presence.

Here are some good places to start digging:

Guest Post By:

Chris Atkinson is a lifelong computer geek and serial entrepreneur who enjoys connecting the dots between strategic business problems and emergent technologies.  His past endeavours include co-founding one of Canada’s leading GEO-spatial software firms where he invented numerous successful techniques to boost clients’ sales. More recently he lead the enterprise re-engineering efforts for a long-respected firm in the Canadian market research industry.    He is currently interested in creating practical innovations to boost walk-in traffic for small retailers by using the mobile Internet, location-aware technologies and social media.  Connect with Chris Atkinson on LinkedIn here.