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Mobile playing a key role in deciding what brands shoppers buy

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Mobile is playing an increasing role in driving consumer choice as to which brands they buy when they go shopping, with 59% of UK shoppers having not decided on the brand they will purchase before researching new products or heading out to the shops, suggests a study commissioned by RichRelevance and Bazaarvoice, and conducted by Forrester Consulting in September.

According to the study, nearly half of UK shoppers (42%) have used their mobile phone while shopping, 16% of which used it to compare prices with other stores. The study – the first of its kind to measure mobile shopping habits – also indicated that most UK shoppers (82%) will visit more than one website before purchasing a product; 17% will visit as many as four.


The study also revealed that shoppers rely on three types of content when making buying decisions: product details, user reviews and personalised recommendations. 86% indicated that they used user ratings and reviews for online purchases, while the majority of those surveyed (84%) had researched or purchased products online using recommendations, and 42% of UK shoppers made a purchase that was recommended by an online retailer.
 


These statistics indicate that access to recommendations, ratings and reviews online – at home or on the go – influence consumers’ purchase decisions, making them savvier than ever before.

Customers increasingly shop across channels. 44% of UK shoppers have “channel-switched,” going online before purchasing a product in store, making the competition for shoppers on the high street as fierce as it is on the web.

“Capturing the consumer’s attention prior to purchase and retaining it following the purchase is the magic formula that all retailers are trying to achieve. We call it ‘stickiness’ and it is becoming even more necessary as cross-channel shopping increases,” says David Selinger CEO of RichRelevance. “Whether it’s a knowledgeable shop assistant in-store or a set of personalised recommendations online, consumers want access to information and products catered specifically to them at a competitive price. Balancing these requirements is the key to making shoppers ‘stick’ to a shop or site to make their purchase.”
 


“What’s clear is that the rulebook on customer engagement has been torn up. Consumers are making more informed decisions than ever before and they demand access to recommendations and customer opinions such as ratings and reviews across all channels,” adds Gerardo Dada, senior director of product marketing at Bazaarvoice. “Retailers must shift focus from the point of purchase to the point of decision – and shoppers are making their decisions online.”
 


To download a copy of the whitepaper detailing the study’s findings, please visit: http://www.richrelevance.com/newrules/whitepaper



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