Report: Shopper expectations up about mobile integration

Columbus, Ohio The increase use of mobile is raising consumer expectations for seamless cross-channel shopping, according to Sterling Commerce’s fourth annual consumer survey focused on how consumers want to interact with retailers.

The survey results reinforced previous findings that consumers’ cross-channel expectations are high, even in tight economic times, and that they expect retailers to deliver a consistent experience across all channels, now including mobile.

On average, 33% of respondents aged 18-44 years old said they were likely to access information about a product from their mobile device while in the store, while less than half that number (an average 14%) of respondents aged 45-64 would. When asked about comparing prices via their mobile device, 35% of respondents aged 18-44 years said they were likely to use this feature compared with 20% of respondents aged 45-64.

Meanwhile, about 31% of respondents aged 18-44 years old said they would check to see if an item was in stock via their mobile device, while only 19% of respondents aged 45-64 years old would use a mobile device for this reason.

“With consumers continuing to be more careful with their dollar as their cross-channel shopping expectations rise, retailers will find that a seamless cross-channel experience will be critical in capturing wallet share,” said Jim Bengier, global retail industry executive for Sterling Commerce. “Retailers who have their order management and inventory visibility processes in order will be best positioned to incorporate the mobile channel into the consumer shopping experience to take advantage of the growing consumer interest.”

Other findings of the survey highlighted consumers’ desire to link the online and physical experience, especially among women and “high-value” consumer groups (higher-income consumers and college graduates).

The survey found that 84% of respondents want to have the ability to buy an item online and return to a physical store, while 67% want the ability to order online and pickup in a store. About 56% of in-store shoppers have gone online to do research or look at an item before purchasing it in a store.

For consumers with household incomes above $75,000, the number rose to 73% and college graduates were 76%.

Women were more likely to exhibit cross-channel shopping behavior with 59% of female respondents saying they had researched an item online before purchasing. About 45% said they had an item delivered to their home and nearly one in 10 women surveyed reported they had returned an item purchased online to the store.