13 Apr GW Boutique: Goodwill Goes Mobile

By Elizabeth Lee, Account Executive at DVL

We live in a world that is constantly on the go and we are always connected. Our mobile phones can do more than I believe the creators of mobile phones ever expected them to. Technology has evolved from a bag phone, to a phone the size of a brick (I remember Zack Morris using this phone in Saved by the Bell), to flip phones and now we have smart phones. In our culture a phone can define who you are – are you a Droid, a BlackBerry, an iPhone or just a regular cell phone. I use my phone for text, e-mail, photos, games, news updates, banking, movie tickets, Internet surfing, my calendar and, believe it or not, as a phone! By the way, I am a droid user.

According to CTIS, the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry, as of December 2010 there were more than 302 million wireless phone subscribers in the United States. On average those subscribers sent 187 billion text messages each month. With cell phone users attached to their phones, it is not surprising that marketers have started to use cell phones to send advertisements directly to consumers.

The latest way that marketers have been reaching consumers on their cell phones is through the QR Code (Quick Response Code). I am sure you have seen these codes in your local grocer, in your favorite magazine or on the computer. The way a QR Code works is the user scans the code with their phone using a program like Scan Life or an iPhone scanning program. Once the user scans the QR Code a number of things may occur. The QR Code could be linked to a Web site featuring a video of the product you just scanned, the code might contain someone’s contact information, for instance a copy of a business card, or the code might take you to a Web site to sign up for a special deal or offer.

Goodwill has launched a mobile marketing campaign of its own, called Mobile Mondays. If you sign up, Goodwill will send you an e-mail or text notifying you of the hottest deals for at least one Monday a month. The deals are good, too! For instance, $5 off a purchase of $25 or more, 20 percent off regularly price merchandise and, maybe even 50% off some items.

The only way that you can score these deals is to become a member of the Mobile Monday program. There are three ways to signup. Text GOODWILL to 96362, visit www.goodwill2go.com or scan the QR code included in this post. When the deal is sent out, all you have to do is show the text you receive to the cashier to receive your discount at checkout.

With phones becoming such a large part of our culture I think it Mobile Mondays is a wonderful way for Goodwill to reach its customers and promote its mission.