7/5/13
More than six in 10 consumers worldwide (61%) would be willing to shop in a completely automated store, according to Cisco Systems. More than four in 10 (42%) would prefer to shop in such a store. At the same time, the majority of shoppers still want to get assistance from sales associates, whether shopping in-store (58%) or online (58%). Younger adults are more likely than those over 50 to prefer using self-checkouts.
More than a third of shoppers (34%) worldwide participate in cross-channel shopping. For example, 23% of consumers recently made in-store purchases based on research they did online, and 11% recently made online purchases after looking at the products in-store.
Instant messaging (IM) (30%), email (28%), and phone (28%) are about equally popular methods for interacting with sales associates when shopping online. More than half of online shoppers (58%) are willing to share their clothing sizes or measurements with retailers to receive more personalized service. Almost half (49%) are comfortable having retailers collect personal information (such as name and address) to give them more personalized service. Fewer (35%) are comfortable having retailers share this information with other vendors or manufacturers.
More than half of online shoppers (58%) are willing to allow retailers to keep track of their purchase history, 44% would allow retailers to track their comments on social media, and 39% would give retailers information on their personal income in exchange for receiving special promotions. Almost two-thirds of mobile users (65%) are comfortable receiving shopping tips via mobile based on their current location.
More than half of shoppers (54%) use mobile phones in-store, but only 27% use retail apps.
When shopping online, reviews from other shoppers (53%) and from friends on social media (30%) are more likely to influence purchase decisions than recommendations from retail employees via chat (23%).
Consumers who use retail apps are most interested in mobile updates on sales and promotions (62%), price changes (47%), coupons (46%), and product availability (45%).
SOURCE: “Cisco Customer Experience Research: Retail Shopping Results,” Jon Stine, Retail Services Practice, Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group, 170 W. Tasman Dr., San Jose, CA 95134; 408-526-4000; also, Ronald Davis, Industry Analyst Relations, 408-526-8803; ronadavi@cisco.com; www.cisco.com. Price: Contact for information.
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