PwC: Mobile shoppers in U.S. aren’t buying

U.S. consumers are willing to use mobile devices during the shopping process, but not so much at the end.



According to a new study of 23,000 global consumers (including U.S. shoppers) from PwC, “Total Retail 2016,” only 22% of U.S. consumers make a mobile purchase at least monthly and only 26% say mobile will become a main purchasing tool for them in the future. Deloitte cites the lack of widespread tools to make mobile purchasing easier, such as buy buttons, currently available in the U.S.



However, U.S. consumers will use mobile devices to assist their path to purchase. Thirty-four percent use mobile coupons/promotional codes, while 30% both research products and compare prices with mobile devices. A smaller 23% use mobile access to loyalty/rewards programs.



Millennials are much more likely than consumers as a whole to make mobile purchases. Forty percent of millennials respondents make mobile purchases at least monthly, while 28% make mobile purchases weekly and 11% do so daily.



When asked to choose between price and convenience when shopping online, American shoppers prefer convenience: Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents say convenience is the main reason they shop online, with price a distant second (32%).



Omnichannel retailers looking to draw more customers into their stores should also focus on convenience. Forty-six percent of respondents said ease of checkout makes visiting a store worthwhile, while 41% cited knowledgeable sales associates. Another 32% want the ability to check another store or online stock quickly, and 23% want in-store WiFi with fast, simple login.



In addition, more than two-thirds of consumers said social media influences their online shopping behavior. Forty percent read social reviews comments and feedback, while 37% receive promotional offers and 26% view social advertisements.