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15 October 2013
The latest consumer study from eDigitalResearch and Portaltech Reply has found that weekly in store shopping levels have dropped considerably since 2010, as smartphone owners continue to turn to their mobile devices and online channels to shop and browse. This number has grown alongside the increasing adoption of smartphone devices. In the summer of 2010, just 38% of consumers owned a smartphone device compared to 62% today. The growing number of smartphone handsets in the UK and the establishment online shopping appears to have had a fundamental effect on the British high street. Whilst the majority of smartphone owners continue to visit retail stores to shop (just 3% of respondents said that they do not), fewer of us are doing so on a regular basis. In June 2010, nearly three quarters (73%) of smartphone owners who purchased items in store were shopping on a weekly basis. Now, just three years later, this figure has fallen to under half and currently stands at 47%, representing a major shift in shopping and browsing behaviour. The research also highlights the evolution of changing purchase behaviours across various product categories. Entertainment retailers are the symbol of the current online revolution. According to the results, 35% of respondents stated that have bought entertainment goods in store in 2013, compared to 60% in 2010. At the same time, 62% stated that they have purchased entertainment products online, while 10% have used a mobile site and 9% a mobile app. This shift has also been witnessed by those retailers specialising in categories that shoppers previously appeared to prefer buying in store, such as DIY and furniture. In 2010, 70% of shoppers had made a DIY purchase in store, compared to 45% nowadays. Similarly, a third (33%) of respondents claimed to have purchased furniture items from the high street in the past 12 months, compared to 64% three years ago. Mark Adams, partner at Portaltech Reply, observes, "Mobile is fast proving itself to be the glue in any multichannel strategy. The major shift in shopping and browsing behaviour is proof that the customer journey to a purchase has changed and that mobile is significant in this journey. An increasing number of smartphone owners now like to browse in store and online, first researching their purchasing intentions. Does this mean they ultimately spend less? That is something retailers must explore to ensure their mobile strategy responds to this new behaviour. What we do know is that mobile is becoming more and more significant in the buying process and that customers who use smartphones make purchases more frequently. How retailers choose to integrate mobile into the customer journey, particularly in store, is going to be crucial for their growth". Derek Eccleston, Commercial Director at eDigitalResearch, comments, "The way in which we conduct our shopping and browsing has changed. The introduction of first the internet and then mobile devices has fundamentally altered the retail industry. Now consumers are driving change and shopping when they want and how they want. This latest set of results shows that the popularity in online and mobile channels is only likely to continue. In order to survive this mobile online revolution, retailer stores need to be innovating, bringing their sometimes more popular digital channels in store to help enhance their customer experience and create a dynamic, exciting and vibrant environment that will keep customers returning through their doors". For a copy of the full Changing Trends in Multichannel Shopping and Browsing Preferences please complete the following short registration survey. eDigitalResearch eDigitalResearch help businesses grow by providing bespoke insight programmes designed with passionate researchers, technical specialists and graphic designers all under one roof. We deliver a range of insight solutions including Customer Experience Management, Voice of the Customer feedback and Multichannel consumer insight, as well as flexible insight and technology partnerships. Portaltech Reply Portaltech Reply is the leading hybris Partner with offices in London, Seattle, Milan and Dusseldorf. The company holds Platinum Elite Status and is Global Partner of the Year 2013, 2012 and 2010 with over 30 major hybris projects to its name. Portaltech Reply offers an end to end set of products and services for multi-channel commerce including consulting, commerce platform implementation and integration, mobile and digital design, SaaS and on-premise warehouse management, proximity marketing, mobile payments and Cloud based hosting on the Amazon platform wrapped in a full managed service from one single supplier. www.portaltechreply.co.uk