Online shoppers are famous for having instant access to price comparisons at the very moment of making a purchase – but now ‘bricks and mortar’ shoppers are bringing this behaviour in-store.
GfK asked mobile phone users in 23 countries what activities they regularly do on their mobile phones while they are inside a store. The leading behaviours are comparing prices and contacting a friend or family member for advice (at 40 per cent each), followed by taking pictures of products that they might buy (at 36 per cent).
Half of global shoppers, aged 20-29, compare prices online, while inside a store, GfK said.
Globally, men outweigh women on using their mobile phone inside a store to compare prices on a regular basis, standing at 42 per cent and 37 per cent respectively. The most active age group is shoppers aged 20-29, with nearly half (49 per cent) saying they regularly do this, followed by those aged 15-19 and 30-39, both at 45 per cent, according to the GfK study.
Adrian Hobbs, Managing Director of Online Pricing Intelligence at GfK, comments, “With significant numbers of shoppers being online whilst they are inside shops, bricks-and-mortar outlets need to respond. Having a close and real-time eye on the pricing of online competitors and reacting quickly are now key success factors for physical retailers, as well as online ones. This is especially true for retailers in regions such as Asia and South America, as consumers here are most active in using their mobiles while in a store.”
Shoppers in South Korea, China and Turkey are the most likely to compare prices in-store on their mobile phones, with 59, 54 and 53 per cent respectively saying they regularly do this. Shoppers in Ukraine, South Africa and India are least likely to participate in this activity, standing at just 11, 15 and 17 percent respectively.
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