Online customers demand a streamlined experience during the hectic holiday season typified by easy access to information and integrated online and in-store tools, according to Baynote’s 4thAnnual Holiday Online Shopping Survey.
The study, conducted in partnership with the e-tailing group, surveyed 1,000 U.S. online holiday shoppers following Cyber Monday to gain insight into consumer behavior and key buying influencers across various retail channels, including physical stores, ecommerce websites, social networks, tablets, and mobile devices.
Here are some key findings from the survey:
Onsite search: 74% of shoppers say finding what they want on a retailer’s site by using onsite search is very or extremely important.
Web experience: 68% say viewing products on web pages that include complete copy, strong imagery, photography, and user-generated content is very or extremely important.
Promotions influence majority of holiday purchases with unconditional free shipping reigning supreme:
Free shipping: 60% of shoppers indicated that free shipping without conditions is extremely important when making a final purchase; this represents a 58% increase from the 2012 holiday shopping season.
Email promotions: 38% always or frequently take advantage of promotions received via email, while 42% leverage flash sales.
Price matching: 60% purchased a product on Amazon or another competitor while in a store as the store would not price match.
Gender: Women were significantly more likely to have all or most of their purchases include promotions.
Age: Shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 were 28% more likely to take advantage of flash sales and 25% more likely to leverage web-only promotions than shoppers 55 years or older.
Lauren Freedman, President, the e-tailing group, told Loyalty360 that this study offers a clear-cut message.
“Retailers must do it all as customer expectations are high and they are unforgiving,” she said. “From search to streamlined shopping carts, robust product information and photography along with superior customer service all have to be present and perfected.”
Freedman believes brands are listening differently as customers have more ways to connect and retailers have to be on top of their game at all times.
Mobile usage accelerates across the board as branded apps start to exert influence:
Branded apps: 34% of shoppers made a purchase on a retail-branded app, an increase of 48% from 2012.
In-store research: 62% used a smartphone to compare prices while shopping in a store while 61% redeemed a mobile coupon during in-store checkout; 43% of respondents used a tablet for the former, and 44% used a tablet for the latter.
Age: Shoppers between the ages of 18-34 were 43% more likely to use a smartphone to research stores and products before visiting a store than those 55 years or older.
Self-service: 63% say more accessible and responsive customer service access is very or extremely important.
Research: 63% used a smartphone to research stores and products prior to visiting a store; 76% of respondents used a tablet (at least two times over the past few months)
Research: 64% researched products online prior to their store visit to check for inventory availability.
“Mobile means more engagement, expectations for quicker response times and pushback when retailers are unresponsive can be swift and detrimental,” Freedman added. “Mobile will forever be the connector to retail stores pushing retailers to explore and understand the best means to interact with shoppers before, during, and after shopping visits.”
Freedman sees the missed opportunities for brands when they fail to provide timely, complete answers that truly meet customer needs “and not yet leveraging technology to its fullest potential as it’s early in the game and there is a lot of work still to be done.”
Product ratings and reviews exert the greatest influence on both online and in-store purchases:
Online influence: Ratings and reviews influenced online purchases made by 48% of shoppers, a 45% increase from 2012.
In-store influence: Ratings and reviews influenced 37% of in-store purchases, a 12% increase from 2012.
In-store influence: 52% of shoppers use mobile phones to look at product ratings while in store, a 24% increase.
Age: Shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 years old are 24% more likely to view ratings and reviews on mobile device when in the store.