Partner Article

Shopping trends of the Omni-Channel age revealed

It’s retail focus week on Bdaily. Here, Dr KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, analyses the ever-changing shopping trends of consumers influenced by technology.

BuzzCity’s latest report has revealed that the Omni-channel age is changing the way that we shop – and the results are quite surprising.

Shoppers don’t just prefer one particular channel; they now use every channel, be it via mobile, online or in-store, to ensure that they’re fully informed before making a purchase and to get the best choice and price. BuzzCity’s latest survey asked 13,000 consumers across 20 countries about their shopping habits – and it seems that today’s connected consumer comes armed with a new set of priorities and shopping requirements.

One of the key findings dispels fears that online shopping is to blame for the challenges met by high street retailers; the 59% of consumers who shop online also shop in-store. Nearly half of consumers (47%) expect to do their holiday shopping online this year, but this does not adversely affect the number of people shopping in-store, with top destinations online and offline being Computers & Electronics, Books & Music and Clothing & Accessories.

From choosing which product to buy, to how they buy it, shoppers have more choice than ever – but we need a synergy between these channels, not a disconnect. If retailers simply focus on each channel independently, they’re overlooking the way that customers shop. Contrary to popular belief, price is not the overall deciding factor.

Whether shopping in-store or online, consumers look first for variety (33%); they then expect products to be well displayed and easy to find (32%). Discounts come lower down the priority scale (24% when shopping in-store and even lower (14%) when shopping online.

How does this affect retailers? One crucial finding from the report is that the rise of mobile shopping doesn’t cannibalise the high street; instead, it actually enhances the shopping journey. End-to-end, consumers are using every resource available, both in-store and online, to empower themselves by knowing the best price, the best location to purchase and the best variety. But, somewhat worryingly, a fifth of those surveyed (20%) said that they found it easier to research on their phones in-store rather than ask an assistant.

In an age where customer service is considered even more essential for business success, it’s worrying that retailers are not acknowledging the importance of well trained in-store assistants.

And in order to create a synergy between all the channels, each one needs to enhance the other in order for customers to enrich the customer experience, whether in-store or by using mobile.

Variety is no longer just about the range of products, but the range of ways available to buy that product. Retailers need to establish a mobile presence and strong cross-channel marketing policies to improve the overall shopping experience and increase conversion. The more consumer touch points there are available, the more opportunities there are to purchase.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BuzzCity .