Comment: Is using mobiles in stores showrooming?

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Many retailers are concerned about shoppers using mobiles in their stores for ‘showrooming’. But, what do shoppers actually use mobiles for?

Many retailers are concerned about shoppers using mobiles in their stores for ‘showrooming’. But, what do shoppers actually use mobiles for? The answer may surprise.

A survey by ForeSee based on 21,000 responses has come up with some interesting results on the use of mobiles in stores. The top finding is that 65% of shoppers visit the store’s website, and their main purpose is to find out more about a product. Of course if they can’t get the information they want from the store’s own website they’ll go to a competitor’s. Overall 43% go to a competitor’s site and 26% go to a comparison website. It therefore seems that shoppers’ use of mobiles is less of a problem than some retailers fear.

In fact many retailers now regard mobiles as a multichannel opportunity to give the shopper more information so that they are less likely to leave the store without buying anything. However, there are still many shoppers going to sites not operated by the retailer, so the challenge is to reduce the need to go to other websites.

Having a good website with appropriate information is important and that’s why retailers are investing millions to upgrade their websites. This is the right thing to do but what else can retailers do that will cost a lot less and be much quicker to implement?

Shoppers usually decide to use their mobile when they are at the shelf edge and can’t see the information they need to make a purchasing decision on the ticket in front of them. The top four reasons for then using their mobiles are about selecting the right product - not about seeking lowest price. The survey showed that 46% research information about a product, 36% compare different products, 28% get product specifications and 22% check out product reviews.

The big opportunity is to be able to provide shoppers with more of the information they want at the shelf edge using tickets that sell. These tickets can include more information than regular tickets and cover some, or all, of the above points. In addition to product information, tickets that sell can also contain other reasons to buy. They can do more to close the sale at the shelf edge so shoppers don’t have to use their mobiles to visit competitors’ sites.