By Chuck Martin
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.
Chuck Martin is Editor of the mCommerce Daily at MediaPost and writes the daily MobileShopTalk column. He is the author of “Mobile Influence,” “The Third Screen,” and “The Smartphone Handbook.” He is CEO of Mobile Future Institute. Chuck Martin is a frequent Mobile Keynote Speaker and Mobile Marketing Speaker internationally. He also addresses Social Media in Mobile.
