Forbes' Connected Marketer Report Features Pinot's Palette App
In the mobile era, consumers want to get information, inquire about services and make purchases at the touch of a button on their tablet computers and smartphones. This presents golden opportunities for marketing executives, who see the value in extending this channel not only to customers, but also to other key players in the value chain such as employers and partners. However, fulfilling the promise of this new form of engagement requires more than simply scaling down a website to fit on a smaller screen. A compelling mobile strategy requires that marketers design, develop and deploy mobile apps that are capable of delivering a range of online services, from product communications to fresh content, unique specials and even gaming. Pinot’s Palette, a chain of "sip ’n paint" retail establishments that cater to women who wish to relax with friends while learning to paint works of art, employs a namesake app that runs on Apple iPhone and enables customers to book appointments and preview potential projects. "It will do a lot of what our website does as far as people being able to find their locations and select their class," says Charles Willis, co-founder and president of the chain. The mobile app has some additional features, such as geo-targeting to show customers the closest locations. Another feature is a flip carousel that enables customers to view paintings. The app also provides data to Pinot’s Palette decision makers, providing insights on what types of services customers prefer. "We have a lot of great data there," says Craig Ceccanti, co- founder and CEO. "Our data architecture is set up in a way that we can look at customers across usage of software platforms. We’ve got good visibility into what customers are doing where and some of their habits. Which is great intelligence for our franchisees—it’s all about being able to target our promotions. A lot of times, we’ll have birthdays and anniversaries, they can do push notifications for those as well." As the technology platform continues to grow, "we can get more sophisticated with our engagements, and do things like offer 30% discounts to customers who haven’t been to Pinot’s Palette in the last six months," says Ceccanti. "We can even offer promotions to customers based on their frequency."