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Why People Don't Use Smartphones to Shop
by Chuck Martin, Thursday, February 27, 2014 12:59 PM
There are plenty of reasons consumers use smartphones to
shop, ranging from access to product information to finding competitive pricing. And many shoppers find their own preferred path to purchase and their own reasons why. For example, as
I wrote about earlier this week, consumers use both apps and mobile websites to shop and more find mobile browsers to be more convenient (More Mobile Shoppers Like Convenience of Websites Over Apps). Almost
half (46%) of mobile shoppers say their shopping experience would be better if they could check available stock while in a store and almost a third (31%) want in-store Wi-Fi with a simple login.
But some consumers don’t use any online tools to buy, primarily because they like to shop in a store where they can see and touch their desired products. Based on a large global study
by PwC, of those who did not purchase online, here are the top reasons:
- 54% -- Prefer to touch/try the product
- 52% -- Just prefer to shop in store
- 43% -- Worried
about security of personal data
- 35% -- Don’t trust online payment methods
- 25% -- Don’t have a credit/debit card
And as no surprise, there are a number
of consumers who are not active mobile shoppers. The PwC study found that a significant number (40%) of shoppers use apps for shopping only a few times a year, at most. More than a third (36%)
of mobile browser users are in the same boat. Twelve percent of consumers never use apps and 8% never use mobile browsers for shopping. Research also consistently shows that more
people make an actual purchase from a tablet than a smartphone, though the latter are heavily used during the research and shopping process. One of the most obvious reasons is it’s
easier to navigate information on a larger screen. It turns out that among a range of issues, the size of the screen is the top reason consumers don’t use their phone for shopping,
according to the PwC study. Of those who don’t use their phone to shop, here’s why:
- 41% -- Screen too small
- 39% -- Worried about security
- 20% --
Don’t own a smartphone
- 16% -- Don’t have a data plan
- 13% -- Have a slow connection
Why do you use your phone to shop? Or not?