A recent survey has shown that shoppers want to use mobile commerce while in store.
The results of a study conducted by an ad agency named Moosylvania have now been released, revealing that consumers want to be able to use mcommerce to discover more about products before they make their purchases while in-store.
The survey showed that 80 percent of smartphone owners want better optimized product information.
The report, which was entitled “The Shopping Experience in a Smartphone World”, included the responses of 1,874 American adult smartphone owners. The results from this study showed that among the participants, 97 percent had access of some kind to a desktop computer (including at home, at work, or in another location). At the same time 43 percent had access to a tablet.
Moosylvania’s study determined that product information is among the most wanted mcommerce features.
Norty Cohen, the CEO and one of the founders of Moosylvania, stated that speed is “beyond the essence,” for consumers when they are seeking to make a purchase of a product or service. He went on to explain that consumers “are researching reviews, comparing prices, photo sharing and making purchases in seconds, and prefer doing so equally online and in-store,” through the use of mcommerce and other features on their smartphones.
The survey indicated that owners of smartphones have been using apps and mcommerce sites in order to assist in the purchasing process. They have been using these resources to inform themselves before they make their final decisions to buy. Other findings that were produced by the survey include the following:
• 13.4 percent said that they use mobile devices to research products on the weekends.
• 2.7 percent research product information using a mobile device on holidays.
• 10.9 percent stated that they use mcommerce to look into products while they are at work.
• 30.1 percent of the study participants said they were typically away from home when they performed most of their mcommerce product information searches.
• 19.6 percent said that they have used their mobile devices to look into products while watching TV.
• 12.4 percent use their smartphones to research products while they are in-store.
• 10.9 percent of smartphone owners do not use mcommerce resources to obtain product information.
Today’s businesses must not only go mobile, but must do it while keeping up with other trends.
Shopping via mobile commerce is undergoing exponential growth, and as smartphones become increasingly popular and customer awareness of how to take part in the many different forms of the sector – from information to discounts to purchasing – it is only expected to skyrocket further.
eBay and Nielsen have each released the retail trends that start with smartphones and work outward.
The latest eBay Online Business Index (OBI) has shown that approximately half of all of the participating businesses had stated that they would be optimizing their online content for mcommerce. Nearly another quarter – 24 percent – stated that they would be developing a site meant specifically for mobile, while over 20 percent said that they would be creating an app.
The reason is that consumers want to be able to interact with their favorite companies through mobile commerce.
The most recent annual Nielsen Retail and Shopper Trends Report identified a wide list of trends that represent the way that the marketplace is shifting. Top among them is mcommerce, but it is clear that many of the other trends are closely linked to this sector and must be woven into its strategies.
Among these trends are the following:
• Mcommerce – this holds the top spot because its growth and hype is simply unmatched. It is a trend that is acting like a craze, as consumers find themselves equipped with everything they need once they purchase a smartphone. eBay, itself, just experienced its 100 millionth download of its app, and has now recorded 100 million mobile listings.
• Private labels sliding – Nielsen’s report showed that there has been a slip of 0.7 percent in the overall penetration of private labels. This is especially true in the grocery sector. Branded products emphasis by top retailers has been a primary driver in this trend. It shows that price wars are fierce and that shoppers are looking for the best deal and not necessarily the store they used to automatically choose. Mcommerce can benefit greatly by this knowledge, as can those who are marketing over mobile channels.
• Price importance – the latest report from Nielsen showed that the awareness of price among shoppers has risen significantly. Two years ago, fewer than 50 percent of consumers felt that they felt confident that they knew the prices of the products that they purchased the most frequently. This leapt to 60 percent this year. Price is a key factor in purchasing decisions, particularly with the movement away from private labels. As mobile commerce is a sphere where a consumer can comparison shop among dozens, if not hundreds of different shops for the same or a similar product, prices must be competitive and easy to obtain, while value must be clearly demonstrated.
