Consumers will once again be shopping across multiple channels this holiday, according to the latest numbers from eMarketer, Google and OTX. Almost half of American shoppers have already begun their holiday research and have made purchases, but for most, this is just the beginning of a busy holiday shopping season that will involve researching and purchasing their gifts online, in-store and even through their mobile phones.
A slight majority of surveyed internet shoppers reported that they would research items online and then make the purchase in-store, more than they would research online and buy online. Blueport Commerce refers to these customers as ROBOs (Research Online, Buy Offline) and they are certainly a growing consumer segment. Nearly a third of shoppers also planned to do their initial research online and then review the item in a store before making their final purchase online.
It should come as no surprise that during the critical holiday shopping season, it will be even more imperative that multichannel retailers’ promotions and product catalogs are synchronized across the in-store, online and mobile channel. This is even more so the case for those in big ticket retail, where the research process is longer and crosses multiple channels. According to the Google survey, the majority of smartphone users will also be using their phone as a price-comparison tool this year and will look for coupons on their phone or search for a store near them.
Ensuring that your customers receive the same information across all points in their purchase process will help to create that fluid multichannel retail shopping experience that will ultimately make the sale.
Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce
A slight majority of surveyed internet shoppers reported that they would research items online and then make the purchase in-store, more than they would research online and buy online. Blueport Commerce refers to these customers as ROBOs (Research Online, Buy Offline) and they are certainly a growing consumer segment. Nearly a third of shoppers also planned to do their initial research online and then review the item in a store before making their final purchase online.
It should come as no surprise that during the critical holiday shopping season, it will be even more imperative that multichannel retailers’ promotions and product catalogs are synchronized across the in-store, online and mobile channel. This is even more so the case for those in big ticket retail, where the research process is longer and crosses multiple channels. According to the Google survey, the majority of smartphone users will also be using their phone as a price-comparison tool this year and will look for coupons on their phone or search for a store near them.
Ensuring that your customers receive the same information across all points in their purchase process will help to create that fluid multichannel retail shopping experience that will ultimately make the sale.
Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce
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