• by Ray Schultz , January 7, 2019

Over half of all consumers use mobile apps supplied by retailers when shopping in stores, according to the latest drill down into Surviving the Retail Apocalypse, a study conducted last year by Yes Marketing.

Of over 1,000 consumers surveyed, 65% use mobile apps to redeem coupons, 57% to find them and 46% to locate sales items.

Despite this findings, only 33% prefer to purchase via smartphones, versus 49% who would rather use the tablet and desktop -- the latter being easier.  

This is the same study that found 47% of all consumers prefer email for brand communications, versus 17 who like display advertising.

What brings people into stores? Visual appeal — 49% are attracted by it, none more than Centennials (also known as Gen Zers). But centennials are first to complain that they get to many emails — 68% say so, the survey also found.

Overall, 90% of consumers purchase at least monthly in stores, with 60% doing so because they want to see the items in person. 

Of the millennials polled, 42% seek additional services. And 37% will ignore an email that doesn’t offer a discount or free shipping.

"To survive the retail apocalypse, retailers need to prioritize the mobile experience," said Jim Sturm, president of Yes Marketing. "Consumers will not hesitate to turn to  another brand if it offers a more user-friendly experience."

He adds: “Retailers can bridge the mobile-to-store experience by introducing apps that support the in-store shopping with features like maps of store layouts and access to product ratings."