By Chuck Martin
Mobile allows consumers to shop all the time, even though most actual purchases are made in stores.
Most (91%) consumers identify their smartphone as the easiest to use in-store device but the use or purchase influence depends on the type of products being shopped for, based on a new study.
Mobile influences vary depending on the category, with differences in grocery, apparel and technology purchases, according to the Local Mobile Advantage of Retailing study by Gannet’s division G/O Digital and Key Ring. Here are the drivers:
Grocery shoppers – The convenience of everyday low prices trumps discounts for 21% of consumers
Apparel shoppers – 61% of apparel and shoe shoppers are influenced by sales and clearance items
Electronics – 54% of electronics and technology shoppers are influenced by ratings and reviews
The study comprised a survey of 13,000 U.S. users of the Key Ring app who own at least one desktop/laptop computer and a smartphone or tablet.
Most (89%) consumers see their smartphone as the most convenient device to create a shopping list, with the majority (61%) saying they always or often create one.
Some mobile shoppers also look for deals, with more than a third (36%) searching for coupons via mobile device.
As yet another indicator of shopping being a continuous process, 81% view their computer as the easiest way to browse for deals even though they use their phones in stores.
As yet another piece of showrooming research, only 12% of mobile shoppers in stores buy online.
Although consumers seem to be attracted to deals, fewer than one in 10 use their phones to compare prices in stores, according to the study. Even fewer (6%) overall check reviews and ratings.
And as any retailer knows, sales work.
For items consumers have been researching or planning to buy, 40% say they will buy when the item goes on sale. This compares to 30% who say they would buy when they need the item.
Consumer use of mobile shopping is still evolving.
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.
