When it comes to reaching mobile shoppers, many retailers may be
missing the mark.
Merchants have incentive to find effective ways to interact with in-store shoppers, since overall mobile-influenced in-store sales are pegged at $593 billion, based on a new
study.
The New Digital Divide, a nationwide survey of consumers by Deloitte Digital, looked at the overall influence of mobile activity on ultimate sales.
Most mobile shopping studies
focus on mobile-purchasing, as in how many people buy from a smartphone or tablet or how much money is spent that way, rather than the overall impact of mobile on the entire customer journey.
“The current intense focus on customer relationship management and analytics to gauge the return on digital-related investments has created a tunnel vision among some retailers,” states
the report. “They expect each individual investment to yield an incremental return.
“Digital investments should not be evaluated individually, but instead measured holistically
across the enterprise as a means to influence consumer purchase decisions.”
As in numerous other studies, this one also found that most final purchase action (94%) takes place in a
physical store.
However, the challenge for merchants is how to interact with mobile shoppers while they are in those stores.
When it comes to getting assistance in a store, shoppers
would rather use their own device rather than deal with salespeople. Here’s the rundown on how many shoppers want to use their own device and what for:
- 59% - -Look up item
price
- 52% -- Get product information
- 51% -- Check item availability
- 48% -- Checkout/make a payment
- 47% -- Navigate to an item
And here’s
how many would prefer to deal with a sales associate:
- 17% --Look up item price
- 20% -- Get product information
- 22% -- Check item availability
- 24% --
Checkout/make a payment
- 20% -- Navigate to an item
Consumers increasingly are using their phones to assist in their shopping journey, the Mobile Shopping Life Cycle.
That usage doesn’t stop when they walk into a store.