Commentary
Shoppers Prefer Personalized Brick & Mortar vs. Online
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 27, 2013
According to a recent study from Synqera, by Instant.Ly, more than two-thirds of Americans prefer to shop in traditional, brick and mortar stores than online commerce sites. The survey found that shoppers gravitate towards retail locations that offer customized shopping experiences, but that checkout remains the number one pain point for 73% of U.S. consumers.
Filipp Shubin, Synqera COO, “Synqera found that... for consumers shopping at stores... (checkout) in brick and mortar retailers is the primary deterrent... coupon usage increases if... accessible and personalized... (as) shopper walks into store... (the more) the consumer is actively engaged... the better they feel about the shopping...”
The survey also shows that two-thirds of respondents would be more likely to shop in a store where they receive personal suggestions while shopping (such as nearby deals they might be interested in), and 86% are more likely to shop in-store rather than online if there are in-store only sales prices.
Customer Checkout Experience (Habits And Preferences Of American Customers At Checkout; Synqera, April 2013)
- 67% prefer to shop in store
- 76% would find the checkout process more enjoyable if they received personalized coupons at checkout
- 73% find waiting in the checkout line their least favorite aspect of in store shopping
- 66% are more likely to shop in a store where they receive personal suggestions while shopping
- 75% would rather receive personalized coupons
- 80% are more likely to shop in a store that provides an overall customized shopping experience
- 75% make more purchases if they are in a good mood while shopping
- 18% think that there is nothing that could be done to make checkout more enjoyable
- Source: Synqera, May 2013
Respondent Demographics | |
Gender | % of Respondents |
Male | 48% |
Female | 52 |
Age | |
55+ | 28 |
18-34 | 39 |
35-44 | 15 |
45-54 | 19 |
Source: Synqera, May 2013 | |
For additional information, please visit Synqera here.
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.
Umm...should we at all be skeptical of the conclusion that "shoppers prefer brick and mortar over online" when the survey is exactly 100 people (hardly significant to extrapolate to 'all shoppers'), roughly 1/2 the respondents are over 45, and the company sponsoring this 'conclusion' sells software for in-store experiences? Gimmeabreak. Wish you all would focus on real data with real insights instead of regurgitating every press release ever issued.
I agree that there's reasons to wonder about the credibility of the survey. But, with certain category exceptions, consumer action in the market shows this to be true. Despite more than a decade and a half of amazing hubris from online enthusiasts (and their VC backers), store sales far, far outpace online sales.
Krista, your comments are valid and appreciated... but every so often some little nummie shows up in a release or study, regardless of its pedigree, that benefits someone. However, we continue to search for the "real insights" that meet your need. And, Doug, thanks... somewhere in there is always a pony!
jack
Have to agree with Krista. I'm glad she quickly called out the lack of statistical validity in this reporting. I generally see better in MediaPost reporting.