Nearly half of all UK shoppers will be turning to mobile and online to shop round the clock and 41% avoid the queues and chaos of the shops this Black Five-day – but retailers have to be ready for returns if they are to offer a ‘good service’.
So finds the second Omnico Retail Gap Barometer, which explores how retailers are meeting changes in shopper behaviour, which shows that 62% will be shopping on Black Five-day.
Omnico questioned 1200 consumers about their plans for Black Friday (November 25) and Cyber Monday (November 28), as part of the second Omnico Retail Gap Barometer which explores how retailers are meeting changes in shopper behaviour. 46% of respondents said they will buy online with home delivery while only 19% will opt for click-and-collect.
“We know from our Retail Gap Barometer research that consumers will be shopping heavily on their smartphones this Black Friday and Cyber Monday because they want maximum stock-access and fulfilment options, while avoiding the crowds.,” says Mel Taylor, CEO, Omnico Group. “A majority (51%), in the research said they will be online or using a mobile app because of the home delivery options, while for 47% it is because they can shop round-the-clock and 41% because they don’t then have to face queues.”
According to Taylor, if retailers are to make a complete success of Black Friday and Cyber Monday on mobile they must do two things. They must firstly give customers a view of all the stock they have, regardless of whether it is in a warehouse or in their bricks-and-mortar branches, and secondly they then must make that stock available to buy immediately.
“Over two quarters now, our Gap Barometers have shown that the more sales channels a retailer adds, the lower the customer satisfaction levels they are likely to achieve,” says Taylor. “Yet by having the ability to integrate all these channels and provide visibility of all stock and orders to ensure fulfilment, no matter where the stock is coming from, a retailer can say “yes” to shoppers far more often, no matter what the level of demand.”
