Close to half of German shoppers want more transparency and information about retailers to be available 'on the go', according to a recent study.
The academic retail study, by Hochschule Niederrhein on behalf of the mobile shopping company Bonial and the German Trade Association, asked over 2,000 people about their smartphone and shopping behaviour.
The study found that smartphones will play a key role in the future of retail. Some 83% of adult Germans already use the mobile internet and want to conduct their shopping on their phone or tablet.
It also found that 45% users now want all information about city centre businesses to be available online. This includes products, their availability, business opening hours and contact information.
Over half of respondents (52%) would like to use the service to have products delivered for free that aren’t available in-store. The same amount believe that product availability should be more visible online.
Mobile Preparation
Increasingly, shoppers prepare their shopping by gathering information on a device or in an app beforehand. Three-quarters of respondents said they trust information more and 22% said that in-store staff wasn’t competent enough.
The makers of the study conclude that retailers should make their products, opening hours and contact information fully available online and mobile-friendly.
Since the annual study began five years ago, the use of the mobile internet has gained a significant position among the respondents.
On The Rise
“Mobile presence is now more than just a nice to have feature," says Prof. Dr. Gerrit Heinemann, head of the study from the eWeb research centre. "Increasingly, the ‘mobile-only’ trend is taking hold. It’s essential for retail companies to offer shopping preparation options for the customer via smartphone. This is undoubtedly key to saving city centre retail."
Frederic Handt, managing director at Bonial Germany agrees that a mobile-first perspective will be key to saving brick-and-mortar stores in city centres.
“Marketing has changed more in the last two years than in the last 50," he said. "In a world where customers increasingly inform themselves, apps are the personal managers for local shopping.”
Several large German retailers have already embraced mobile payment opportunities. Companies such as Rewe, Thalia, and TeeGschwender partnered with Payback in July, which will enable their customers to pay their purchases via mobile.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
