a hand holding a cellphone and some shopping bags
The millennial-led trend of ‘Shoppertainment’ (combining a trip to a shopping centre with entertainment including sport, music or film) is driving higher footfall but falling sales in stores.
This news isn’t good for bricks and mortar retailers, but the solutions available to reverse this trend aren’t being widely embraced, a survey from Zebra Technologies suggests.
Below are key findings from the 2017 Global Shopper Study, the 10th annual survey from Zebra Technologies analysing shopper satisfaction and retail technology trends. The study of nearly 7,500 (2,468 from EMEA) shoppers reveals merchants have come a long way over the past decade in enhancing the in-store shopping experience. At the same time, shopper expectations continue to rise at an exponential rate and vary greatly between generational groups.
The key findings below are embargoed until 12:00pm GMT today, 15th November. The press release, detailing even more findings, will be available at midday on the Zebra newsroom.
Mark Thomson, Director of Retail Solutions, Zebra Technologies, said simple steps such as equipping and empowering retail staff with connected devices such as tablets or mobile computers and giving them the autonomy to offer discounts, will help traditional retailers compete in a growing omnichannel environment.
He said: “The in store experience remains a key element in the shopper journey and retailers need to capitalise on rising in-store traffic by building a more personalised and engaging shopping experience for consumers,”
The younger generation are leading a wider trend, with 55% of Millennials window shopping five or more times a month. Of those interviewed, 65% combine a trip to a shopping centre with entertainment including sport, music or film; 46% of consumers window shop on the high street but go online to buy, compared to 40% in 2015; 56% of consumers claim the main reason they go into stores is to see the physical products and to browse; 60% consumers cite the discounts available online as one of the main reasons for shopping in this way.
By replicating the convenience and price benefits of online shopping in store, shoppers said retailers can compete against online market places and e-retailers: 32% of shoppers admit that helpful retail assistants encourage them to spend more, and 52% believe they have a better shopping experience when retail assistants use technology
Price, convenience and customised experiences are key:
- 49% of shoppers have used a smartphone to decide to abandon an in-store purchase
- 68% of consumers want retail assistants to use devices to offer them discounts in store
- 59% of shoppers claim they would continue a purchase if the sales assistant offered them the opportunity to order items before they left the store
- 59% would like to receive a discount if they returned to the store to collect it
Motivated by convenience and cost, consumers are more open to sharing personal details with organisations to get the customised experience they want:
- The number of people who cannot, in any circumstances, be incentivised to share any personal details with retailers is now only 19%, a 11% decrease from 2015
- While more shoppers will share personal data, 78% want control over how it is used
- 53% will share personal details in exchange for discounts on their next purchases or for loyalty points across multiple retailers
- 55% of shoppers appreciate customised message and offers
- 52% prefer to do business with brands or companies that use the information to make the shopping experience more efficient
- Shoppers prefer receiving offers via email at home (85%). However, preference for receiving offers via social media while shopping is 45%, up from 31% in 2015, as more shoppers carry and consult their Smartphones everywhere.
Zebra’s 10th annual shopper study included nearly 7,500 shoppers from North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East who were interviewed in September 2017 by online research partner Qualtrics
Bron: ‘Shoppertainment’ leads to higher footfall but falling sales