Majority of Mobile Shoppers Use Their Devices over Store Employees & In-Store...

Majority of Mobile Shoppers Use Their Devices over Store Employees & In-Store Info: CEA

1832

Las Vegas, NV—According to a new report released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)—Enhancing the In-Store CE Retail Experience Using Mobile Devices—more than 58% of shoppers who use mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, prefer to look up information on their devices while shopping rather than talk to store employees—especially among men and shoppers aged 25–44.

Additionally, nearly two-thirds (62%) of mobile shoppers indicate they perceive the information they gather via their mobile device as more beneficial than the information available in-store via product displays or sales literature.

“Mobile devices have significantly shifted consumers’ shopping behavior,” said Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis, CEA. “Retailers are increasingly focusing on delivering a complete consumer shopping experience and mobile devices are now a vital piece of that puzzle.”

        Top Product Types for Mobile Shoppers
Mobile shoppers said they most often use their mobile devices for assistance when shopping in retail stores for the following:

Consumer Electronics         60%
Groceries                          55%
Apparel                             47%
Shoes                               45%
Health/Beauty Products      39%
        Source: Enhancing the In-Store CE Retail Experience Using Mobile Devices

According to CEA, “While shopping specifically for electronics, mobile shoppers use their devices to compare prices (63%), read customer ratings or reviews (52%) and search the Internet for more information (51%).

Mobile Shopper Device Use

Other findings from the study include: among those who turn to mobile devices for additional product information while shopping, seven in 10 conduct a general Internet search (69%) while roughly half visit a store-specific website (52%), use a store-specific app (47%) or visit a manufacturer-specific website (46%).

Mobile shoppers indicated they are concerned about privacy (61%) and security (58%) when using their devices in-store.  However, they also indicated they see the benefit of having a relationship with retailers, as 81% responded they would be willing to share some form of personal data with retailers in exchange for benefits in return. Current GPS location information (48%) is the most common type of data mobile shoppers are willing to share, followed by user profile information (46%) and personal contact information (40%).

“In a very short amount of time, a majority of Americans now own mobile devices and just as quickly, those mobile devices have become the viewfinders of Americans’ digital lives,” said Shawn DuBravac, PhD, chief economist, CEA, and author of CEA’s soon-to-be released book Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Work, Live, and Communicate. “We are now seeing this trend influence shopping habits, especially among tech purchases. Retailers are beginning to respond to consumers’ shifting habits, and that was especially true this holiday shopping season with increased focus on retailer apps.”

CEA’s Enhancing the In-Store CE Retail Experience Using Mobile Devices was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, a comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. The complete report is available at no cost to CEA member companies at members.CE.org. Nonmembers may purchase the study in the CEA Store. ce.org

NO COMMENTS