Shoppers are looking for the ability to use their smartphones while in brick and mortar stores.
A new survey from International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) illustrates the appeal of in store mobile commerce to today’s consumers. Increasingly, shoppers are looking for the chance to use their smartphones, even while they shop in brick and mortar locations.
The mobile shopping experience brings an additional level of personalization and information.
As a result, consumers are looking to use those devices to further what they know about a product, brand or shop even when that item is sitting right in front of them on a store shelf. Respondents to the ICSC survey identified several capabilities they find desirable for retailers to provide.
For instance, 62 percent of the survey participants said they would enjoy the opportunity to access other sizes, colors or additional versions of a product that is available in-store without actually having to find a salesperson to discover the answer for them.
Many consumers are seeking ways to better understand products through in store mobile commerce.
For example, 55 percent of the survey participants would like to be able to see how home furnishings or accessories would fit and look within the space of their own home before they make a purchase. They would like to be able to use a virtual view of home furnishings to decide whether or not it would be right for the space they are considering.
Moreover, 54 percent of the participants would like to be able to use a store’s app to create a shopping list. Then, they want to be able to use that mobile app while in store so they can find where all the products are on the shop’s floor map.
Approximately 43 percent of consumers would like to experience personalized pricing for the items they will buy, based on their shopping patterns and demographics. Furthermore, 39 percent said they would be more likely to boost their shopping mall visits if they received alerts from stores that sell items they would like to buy.
Forty four percent of the survey respondents would like to obtain additional information about products through in store mobile commerce. They’d like to be able to learn more about a product’s materials or ingredients, for example, through a mobile app or display screen.
