by Brianna Crandall — January 21, 2013—E-commerce will grow significantly in the professional cleaning industry and will evolve into “m-commerce” (mobile-commerce), allowing end users to view and buy janitorial tools and equipment on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, according to Robert Kravitz, President of AlturaSolutions Communications, a marketing and public relations firm for the jansan and building industries.
“End customers using their smartphones for purchasing will evolve into a primary conduit for doing business in 2013, and this will benefit both the customer and the manufacturer/distributor merchant,” says Kravitz. “It will allow merchants to better track purchases, understand who their customers are, what they are looking for, and [monitor what type of customer] is purchasing what, when.”
Other marketing directions Kravitz’s “Marketing Directions 2013” foresees emerging in 2013 that will affect the professional cleaning and facilities management industries are the following:
- Manufacturers and distributors as well as cleaning contractors and carpet cleaners will develop “apps” for their businesses for both marketing and purchasing.
- Social media will get bigger. “While social media has struggled in the B2B market in general and the jansan industry specifically, it is not going away and will start finding its marketing footing in 2013.”
- Online content will grow in importance. “Not only will more people use computers and tablets to read trade publications, online content is simply much more versatile. It can be shared with others, placed on social media, added to blogs, etc.”
- End customers will be more outspoken. “Marketing opportunities and perils will grow in 2013 because end customers will no longer be afraid to express their thoughts [(good or bad)] on jansan products and equipment on social media sites.”
According to Kravitz, studies indicate as many as 92 percent of people trust the recommendations of friends, families, peers, and others posted online. “Starting in 2013, jansan manufacturers, distributors as well as cleaning contractors will have no choice but to pay very close attention to what end customers say about them and their products online.”
