With the expansion of mobile retail, multichannel shopping has become commonplace, and a recent study has shown that U.S. consumers identified “entering payment, billing and shipping information” as one of the main pain points of the online shopping experience. Now hybris, a leading provider of multichannel commerce and communication software, has conducted their U.S. 2012 Multichannel Shopping Survey, which sheds some light upon consumer behavior when it comes to making a purchase online, in relation to a company’s physical, brick and mortar storefront. Below is some of the findings of the survey:
– 82 percent of respondents would shop again at a retailer who accepted in-store returns for online purchases
– 73 percent were more likely to become a repeat customer if a store offers in-store pickup of online orders
– 59 percent indicate ease of website navigation as the most important factor for following through with an online purchase
Consumers are using mobile devices more and more to help command the points of purchase while shopping online or in-store, and are likewise relying upon an integrated shopping experience, and have come to expect it. Though, there can be a downside to the activity for retailers – Best Buy stores have been closing, and one of the problems the company has had is customers using to their big box locations as show rooms to test out items in person, only to buy them from cheaper vendors online. Still, a larger vendor is now almost expected to merge said physical and online shopping experience.
Steven Kramer, President of North America at hybris, states, “Consumers are shopping on a variety of channels and devices, often simultaneously, with new technology introduced virtually every day. What we have found is that consumers have expectations that their favorite retailers will be accessible to them anytime and anywhere. Retailers who aren’t keeping up with the latest technology will find their customers moving to a retailer who will.”