DigitasAccording to a consumer study by global digital and technology agency DigitasLBi, consumers worldwide are increasingly using multi-platform devices, especially mobile, to enhance their in-store shopping experience.

DigitasLBi’s first-of-its-kind, proprietary research, entitled Connected Commerce - A Snapshot of the Modern Shopper, looks at the multiple screens and data streams that affect the purchase behavior of consumers across 12 countries - Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The study reveals surprising new shopping habits and influences that transformed how, where, and why consumers buy, besides providing key findings across three categories:

  • 1. Smartphones and m-Commerce take center stage
  • Half of survey respondents worldwide agree that the use of smartphones has changed the way they shop; in the U.S. 71% of Americans say that using a mobile phone while shopping inside a store could affect their buying decisions.

    "In a few seconds on a smartphone, consumers have access to perfect information about a product and the ability to buy it," says Chia Chen, SVP, Mobile, DigitasLBi, North America.” Indeed, mobile devices can digitally take part in all shopping experiences, thus, brands and retailers that want to influence shopping decisions need to adopt a mobile-centric approach.

    The percentage of consumers who have purchased an item online via smartphone in the last three months varies by country: 70% so in China, 22% in the U.S., 13% in France, and 6% in Belgium. Additionally, 79% of people in China go online on their phone while shopping in-store, compared to 37% in the U.S., 27% in France, and 16% in Belgium.

  • 2. New opportunities for Point of Sale (POS): ROPO and Showrooming
  • People are now using the Internet more and more to enhance their shopping experience: 88% of global consumers “research online, purchase offline” (ROPO). This behavior is seen in 9 out of 10 people in 11 of 12 countries. In the U.S., 89% of people say they research a product online before buying in-store.

    The practice of 'Showrooming' (consumers first visit a store to examine and test a product in person, and then purchase it elsewhere, often at a cheaper price) is also a prevalent global trend. It is most common in Sweden, where 88% of consumers research a product in-store before buying online, followed by 84% in China, 66% in the U.S., and 48% in Belgium. 19% of global consumers claim that they would leave a store if, after consulting their smartphone, they found a product for less somewhere else; a further 29% say they would consider doing so. The price component is essential: nearly two in three people surveyed report that a price difference of at least 5% would make them leave the store; if the price difference increased to 10%, 88% of consumers would leave.

  • 3. Social media's influence and social sharing varies widely; China leads
  • 82% of Chinese social network users say that social media has influenced their purchase decision; in Singapore the figure is 74%; in Spain, Italy, and the U.S. the average is 55%; the average for the seven remaining countries surveyed is 42%. Four in five Chinese social network users also say they buy more products of brands they follow on social media.

    Sharing news of purchased items through social channels is also most common in China, where 78% of social media users have shared a purchase via a social network. In contrast, in the U.K. and Germany, only around 35% have done so. In Singapore, Italy, Spain, and the U.S., between 40% and 50% have shared a purchase via a social network. 49% of global social network users who have ever shared a purchase on social networks did it "just to let their friends know."

    DigitasLBI_info

    By MediaBUZZ