Retailers are expecting a boom in mobile shopping as 4 million UK shoppers give in to ’boredom buying’ during the World Cup 2018, a new study says.
Nearly one in five (17%) UK consumers say that they watch the World Cup despite being disinterested in football, with 33% saying that they shop on their smartphones to tackle boredom during games, finds the ’Stress Shopping’ report by Clicktale.
“Shopping has always been an emotion-driven activity, with people regularly using it as a way to distract themselves from boredom. In the mobile age it’s easier than ever for consumers to browse and buy online to kill the odd 90 minutes,” says Liraz Margalit, retail psychologist.
She adds: “Obviously everyone feels the need to watch England play in the World Cup, but the reality is that a lot of those watching wouldn’t normally be interested in football.”
To accommodate the ’boredom buying,’ phenomenon retailers must hone their mobile apps’ user experience strategies, as this factor can be a game-changer in loosing or converting clientele.
In fact, 12% of the survey participants reported feeling “stressed” when buying online, with a higher percentage (15%) revealing that they have “lost their temper” when shopping online, or via a smartphone app.
Clicktale’s research also suggests that these stress levels rise as shoppers navigate through the customer journey, reaching a peak during the checkout process.
In reporting their most stressful digital shopping experiences, 83% of questioned shoppers “feel stressed” when a voucher code fails at the checkout. Three-quarters (75%) “get agitated” when mobile apps freeze at the point of payment. The majority (80%) say that slow loading times online is a significant contributor to their negative experience online.
Margalit concludes: “As such, we’re seeing a huge number of people taking time out during the game to do a bit of subtle shopping on their smartphones. For online and mobile retailers this rise in what Clicktale calls ‘boredom buying’ represents a huge boom in potential sales. Based on our calculations, we predict at least 4 million people will be making a purchase on their smartphones during the games.”
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