By Nick Broughall, TTmag.com.au
A study by US company Empathica has discovered that the majority of smartphone owners in the US are pretty smart when it comes to shopping these days. After surveying 6,500 US internet users – 52 per cent of which used a smartphone – the company fount that 55 per cent of those smartphone users admitted to comparison shopping in store on their phones.
Also interesting is that 34 per cent admitted to scanning a QR code, while 27 per cent had read online reviews before purchase.
Admittedly, this is a US study, and the results may not translate precisely to the Australian retail market. But it does indicate a growing trend of significantly more tech-savvy shoppers forever looking for the best deal. With that in mind, retailers would do well to look to technology as a way to promote customer loyalty, either by digital discounting or by engaging with customers through social media channels.
It’s clearly a brave new world.