Commentary

59% OK with Trading In-Store Location for Deals

For mobile shoppers, deals continue to rule.

Most consumers in a store would be OK with retailers knowing where they are in the store at any given moment in return for deals, based on a new survey.

The majority (63%) also would consider receiving smartphone offers based on their in-store location, according to the report.

The study comprised a survey of 2,600 adult, a representative sample of the U.S. population conducted by Survey Monkey for Blackhawk Engagement Solutions. Almost three-fourths (71%) of those surveyed own and use a smartphone daily.

As in other studies, this one found that consumers would trade information to get a deal.

More than half (59%) would consider allowing retailers to know where they are in-store in exchange for exclusive values and savings.

And it’s not just for an on-the-spot discount. For rebates, the majority (57%) of consumers want to redeem them via their smartphone.

As any savvy mobile shopper is well aware, the smartphone also is the tool for comparing prices. The leading method of price comparison is a retailer website, well ahead of apps, despite the power and speed of many price-checking apps.

Here’s the breakdown by category of where consumers use their smartphones to compare prices:

  • 53% -- Electronics
  • 50% -- Clothing
  • 50% -- Entertainment
  • 48% -- Appliances
  • 48% -- Groceries
  • 47% -- Automotive products
  • 46% -- Toys
  • 45% -- Home improvement & hardware
  • 43% -- Furniture
  • 43% -- Office supplies
  • 41% -- Pet products
  • 41% -- Sporting goods
  • 41% -- Subscription services

The shopping survey found that more than a third (34%) of consumers have mobile wallet apps and more than half (54%) would likely use a mobile wallet over a traditional wallet if accepted everywhere, which, of course, is hardly the case.

For what it’s worth, the number of consumers in this study who said they have mobile wallet apps is significantly higher than found in a large Gallup report, as I wrote about here last week (13% of Smartphone Owners Have a Digital Wallet, 76% Don’t Use Them)

Maybe more would decide to use a mobile wallet. If they got a deal, that is.

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