Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Transformation
    Operations
    Data
    Experience
    Performance
    Management
    Special Reports
    All Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech
    Mission
    Team
    Newsletter
    Search Engine Land
    Third Door Media

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Customer & Digital Experience » Study: 83 percent use smartphones in stores, Facebook the most widely used app

Study: 83 percent use smartphones in stores, Facebook the most widely used app

Euclid Analytics survey of 1,500 US adults reveals consumer wish list for in-store digital experiences.

Greg Sterling on October 27, 2016 at 2:50 pm

mobile-shopping-store-visit2-ss-1920

More than 92 percent of all retail spending occurs in physical stores. Yet online shopping, and Amazon in particular, are clearly disrupting traditional retail.

The debate over what traditional retailers can and should do to respond has been going on for years, though it’s been intensifying recently. Some believe smartphones and other digital tools can improve the in-store experience. Others argue technology will have a marginal impact at best.

A new study from Euclid Analytics contains some valuable input into this discussion. The study, which involved 1,500 US smartphone owners, sought to understand their shopping preferences and behaviors with an eye toward holiday 2016.

Euclid survey in-store shopping

The survey found that more than 90 percent of smartphone owners visit traditional stores at least once a week and that 83 percent used smartphones as part of in-store shopping. By comparison, only half (49 percent) of survey respondents shopped online once a week or more.

The top reasons people gave for in-store shopping were:

  • I like to see, hold, and try on products before I buy — 67 percent.
  • I enjoy browsing stores — 51 percent.
  • I don’t have to wait for products to be delivered — 50 percent.

However, there were also things these consumers didn’t like about the physical stores experience. Among them were:

  • I have to wait in line — 45 percent.
  • I have to physically go to the store — 33 percent.
  • I don’t have as many selection choices as when I shop online — 26 percent.

For the 83 percent who used smartphones in stores, the following were the top activities they performed (in order):

  1. Compare prices
  2. General use (phone calls, texting, email, apps, etc)
  3. Look up email promotions
  4. Look at your to-do list
  5. Take pictures of products to remember it for later
  6. Read online product reviews
  7. Open mobile application for the specific retailer

Euclid survey in-store shopping

Asked further about which apps they used in store, the survey discovered that Facebook was the most commonly used app in stores after messaging. Google and Amazon followed in that order. The report speculates that Google and Amazon were being used to compare prices in stores — the top in-store smartphone use case.

These respondents identified a wish list of capabilities and content that they wanted to be able to access in store on their smartphones:

  1. Access the store’s best deals/sales for maximum savings
  2. Allow me to quickly access my loyalty program information in stores
  3. Display inventory count for all products
  4. Provide me with a map of the outlet
  5. A more personalized experience based on my shopping habits and preferences
  6. Allow me to request the attention of a store associate

They also wanted to be able to access coupons, product information, inventory availability and personalized recommendations on their smartphones.

The above findings, together with the information about what shoppers don’t like about the store experience (e.g., waiting in line), contain a blueprint for using smartphones and apps to improve and invigorate the traditional retail experience.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    Antitrust bill could force Google, Facebook and Amazon to shutter parts of their ad businesses

    Unveiling our first MarTech Intelligence Report on email marketing platforms

    How product analytics can unite marketing and product teams to boost customer lifetime value

    Create a B2B GTM strategy that buyers, execs and revenue teams love

    Martech failure? 50% say loyalty programs don’t offer much value

About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Customer & Digital ExperiencePerformance Marketing

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

June 7, 2022: Master Classes

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Discovering Now: Spring

Learn More About Our MarTech Events

June 14-15, 2022: SMX Advanced (virtual)

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next (virtual)

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes (virtual)

Learn More About Our SMX Events

Webinars

Take a Crawl, Walk, Run Approach to Multi-Channel ABM

Content Comes First: Transform Your Operations With DAM

Dominate Your Competition with Google Auction Insights and Search Intelligence

See More Webinars

Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Sales Enablement Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Digital Experience Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Call Analytics Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports

White Papers

Reputation Management For Healthcare Organizations

Unlock the App Marketing Potential of QR Codes

Realising the power of virtual events for demand generation

The Progressive Marketer’s Ultimate Events Strategy 2022 Worksheet

CMO Guide: How to Plan Smart and Pivot Fast

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.