Data: Over Half of Consumers Use Mobile Apps When Shopping In-Store

Yes Marketing Finds More Than Half of Consumers Are Using Smartphones and Mobile Devices to Enhance Their In-Store Shopping Experience

Whether it’s to find and redeem coupons or to locate sale items, more than half of consumers (57 percent) have used a retailer’s mobile app while in-store, indicating that the industry has reached a tipping point in consumers’ cross-channel expectations, according to a new study by Yes Marketing.

In its Surviving the Retail Apocalypse report, Yes Marketing surveyed over 1,000 consumers of all ages and found the top reasons they use mobile apps when shopping in-store is to redeem coupons (65 percent), to find coupons (57 percent), and to locate items that are on sale (46 percent). The findings suggest an imperative for retailers to deliver a multichannel experience that drives more mobile users to shop in-store and promotes customer loyalty.

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However, while mobile commerce is becoming the new norm, only 33 percent of consumers prefer to make purchases on smartphones. Instead, they would rather use tablet and desktop (49 percent) for a more frictionless experience.

“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. 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.”

The report also revealed that retailers are still struggling to improve the overall mobile experience. An equal number of consumers prefer desktop over mobile because it’s faster to make purchases or easier to comparison shop, indicating that brands still struggle to make the mobile experience seamless.

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“As consumer preferences continue to evolve, retailers need to adopt the right technology to meet their expectations,” said Michael Iaccarino, CEO and chairman of Infogroup, parent company of Yes Marketing. “Retailers should identify the right technology and services partner if they want to deliver a convenient, seamless shopping experience that can increase both customer lifetime loyalty and revenue.”

Additional findings from the report include:

• Half of respondents (49 percent) say visually appealing stores would motivate them to shop at a brick-and-mortar location.
• Centennials are more likely than all other generations to shop in stores for visually appealing displays (58 percent), while Millennials are most interested in local events (36 percent) and additional services (42 percent).
• Nearly all consumers (90 percent) purchase in stores at least monthly, and 60 percent say they shop in stores because they want to see items in person.

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