Consumers increasingly using mobile technology while shopping

A study by IBM has revealed that consumer desire for using mobile devices while shopping has more than doubled to 138% within the past year.

The 2012 Smarter Consumer Study looked at consumer purchasing trends and shopping habits of 1,800 UK consumers and found that shoppers now demand a more personalised, convenient and budget-friendly shopping experience aided by mobile technology.

The study discovered that 39% of those surveyed wanted to use their mobiles to receive personalised promotions. 42% wanted to seek out lower prices and 44% wanted to find promotions. 52% wanted to use the devices to checkout and 42% to locate products in-store.

Martin Butler, retail industry leader, IBM UK & Ireland, explained: "Shoppers are keen to use their mobiles to scan products, check prices and receive previously scanned product promotions sent direct to their device. Mobile technology is set to change the 4Ps of marketing - product, price, place, promotion – as ‘personalisation’ becomes key.

"Retailers need to invest in delivering a personalised shopping experience across all types of contact methods in order to offer the right kinds of promotions, at the right time via the right delivery method."

The survey also found that consumers believe social media and online sources should be a fully integrated part of the shopping experience. In the UK, 39% of consumers said they relied on the websites for comparative shopping. However, participants still valued the ‘touch and feel’ aspects of a store, with 83% saying that they preferred to research online prior to browsing for a product during an in-store visit.

As social shopping becomes more popular in the UK as well as around the world, the study found that 82% of UK consumers said that social networks saved them time in making a retail purchase. It also revealed that consumers are now more willing to share personal information with retailers so that services can be tailored to their individual preferences, location and lifestyle.

The global survey participants expressed a willingness to share information about their media usage (75%), demographics (73%), identification details such as name and address (61%), lifestyle (59%) and location (56%) to receive more personalised services.

Source : Retail Bulletin
www.retailbulletin.com