BetaNews: Smartphones improve the shopping experience

jeudi 16 janvier 2014

Smartphones improve the shopping experience

If you shop using your smartphone you are highly informed, social and seeking a superior shopping experience -- and retailers want to have your babies.

These (apart from the last bit) are the findings of the latest research by IDC which found that surveyed respondents believe the smartphone is transforming their shopping experience.

Of those responding to the survey, 69 percent agreed with the statement, "My smartphone is a critical tool that allows me to have a better shopping experience," compared to only 12 percent who disagreed. In addition, 70 percent agreed with the statement, "I plan to use my smartphone more to help my shopping experience in the coming year" compared to only 11 percent of respondents who disagreed.

The results show that smartphones allow people to be better informed and more confident in their shopping decisions. 70 percent respondents said they checked prices using their phones and 50 percent also check reviews.

This provides a challenge to traditional stores as one in five respondents bought from a competitor whilst they were shopping in a retail store. One in three also said they'd bought much more online than in retail stores this year.

In addition to the survey, IDC analyzed app and mobile Web activity of over 10,000 smartphone users during the holiday shopping season. The results show that Amazon dominated the retailers, with far more consumers accessing its app, mobile website, or both, than any other retailer. Traditional bricks and mortar retailers lag well behind Amazon when analyzing smartphone users’ visiting a brand’s mobile site or using its app.

"The smartphone is at the center of our lives, with most of us unable to be without it for even a couple of hours. By combining the insights from both the survey and mobile behavioral data, it is clear that, for a significant number of us, the smartphone is now also a critical shopping tool, our own personal concierge to help us shop intelligently," says Allan Fromen, Vice President and Consulting Partner for IDC's global Buyer Behavior Practice.

You can see an overview of the report's findings in infographic format below.