กรุงเทพฯ--3 เม.ย.--CPN
· New strategies focus on brand-building through innovative media to better respond to consumer behavior in the digital era
· The first Thai shopping complex to integrate indoor map navigation with a mobile app to offer better convenience to local and international customers
· Customer insights are targeted and used to improve CRM and help customize products, promotions and services to better satisfy existing customers and attract new ones
Today Central Pattana Public Company Limited (CPN), operator of CentralWorld shopping complex, announced that the company is spending a budget of over 50 million Baht on a new marketing approach that builds on the success of its digital marketing platform and mobile application to better reach out to customers and offer more customized products, promotions and services. CPN will use the platform and the mobile app as marketing tools to create customer engagement and help CentralWorld discover hidden customer groups. CPN also launched its ‘CentralWorld App’, becoming the first shopping complex in Thailand to integrate indoor mapping with a mobile app to offer better convenience to local and international customers. During this launch period, the first 3,000 customers who download the CentralWorld App will be entitled to free Starbucks coffee or free movie tickets or free KFC coupons. The new app is available for downloading at the App Store and Google Play Store. Simply type: “CentralWorld” to search for the app. Moreover, to create buzz, with collaboration of LINE Thailand, CentralWorld App will be promoted via LINE game which Cookie Run character dolls will be given away to participants.
Sharing his thoughts on current marketing trends, Dr. Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, Executive Vice President of Marketing for CPN, said: “Mobile marketing and digital marketing platforms are playing prominent roles in driving the retail business as the number of smartphone users in Thailand has grown significantly. There are currently around 28 million smartphone users in Thailand, and the smartphone growth rate is now at 70%. Around 49% of Thais access the Internet through mobile devices, leading to rapid changes in consumer behavior in the digital era. The tech-savvy consumers choose how they want to access information based on their personal preferences and lifestyles. Technological advances fulfill their needs and enable them to be more capable. Therefore, mobile marketing and digital marketing platforms have become important strategic tools to help manage marketing plans, better reach out to customers and gain better customer insights in the way that traditional marketing cannot. Such a competitive edge will eventually lead to a bigger market share. CPN plans to use interesting digital content and exclusive offers, promotions and campaigns to attract customers. Furthermore, application development is another marketing strategy that the retail sector has started to pay more attention to as it offers a new channel for communicating with customers, for sales, for brand building and for publicizing product and service information. The mobile app enables customers to have more convenient access products and services and allows marketing personnel to track consumer behavior through search keywords, downloads and page visits and revisits so they can improve the customer relationship management (CRM) and create marketing plans that correspond well with customers’ needs. It also allows for better control of the marketing budget.
“Having witnessed phenomenal changes in consumer behavior, CPN started to develop the CentralWorld mobile application to enable customers to easily access the information they want. This mobile application will turn customers into smart shoppers who have easy access to the products and services offered by CPN. The mobile app’s settings can be customized to suit preferences of different customer groups. By offering this app, CentralWorld will be able to identify “hidden customers”, who may not be the primary purchasers but nonetheless have tremendous power to influence the purchase and continued usage of a product or service. In the initial phase, the "CentralWorld" app will be available in Thai and English, with integration of indoor mapping or indoor navigation that will guide customers to indoor venues and stores within CentralWorld shopping center. With this app, customers who visit CentralWorld for the first time will walk around the shopping center with greater ease and find their desired destinations faster. The app also informs customers about ongoing events and promotions as well as other updates in real time.
Digital marketing should be integrated and go hand-in-hand with traditional marketing that CPN specializes in, and is seen as best practice. CPN has integrated technology, with its expertise in creating tailor-made marketing for the retail business to better reach out to niche customers.”
In the future the CentralWorld mobile application will also support Chinese language, so that the shopping complex’s Chinese customers who frequently visit CentralWorld will also enjoy greater convenience in their own language. The app will also help customers remember where they park their cars, let them view entrance and exit routes and allow them to see traffic conditions. Soon, CPN plans to combine the database of CPN’s current CRM program, CPN Click, with the new CentralWorld app.
CPN has set the download target for the CentralWorld mobile application at 30,000 for the first year, accounting for 10% of the 320,000 fans who “Like” CentralWorld’s Facebook page.