The Federal Reserve Board’s March 2013 Consumers and Mobile Financial Services report, found that consumers would prefer to use their smartphones for showrooming above anything else.
When given a list of ways to use their mobile phone, 39% of the respondents tagged comparison shopping as the number one pick, followed by 27% who would prefer to use it to receive/manage discounts and coupons, and 26% who preferred to use their phones to receive special offers based on their location.
Although 26% of respondents said they would like to receive special offers based on their location, when asked how much they agreed with the following statement, “I am willing to allow my mobile phone to provide my location to companies so that they can offer me discounts, promotions, or services based on where I am,” 40% indicated that they “strongly disagree.”
While consumers stated that they were uncomfortable providing companies with personal information through their phones in order to receive discounts, 50% said they “strongly agreed” and 32% said they “disagreed.”
As for showrooming, the survey found that the increasing prevalence of smartphones with barcode, QR code and internet capabilities “has altered consumer behavior in the retail environment.” The survey found that consumers can now “quickly and easily” compare prices or locate an item at another store or online that is out-of-stock.
In fact, the survey found that 42% said they have used their smartphone for comparison shopping while inside a traditional bricks-and-mortar store, 32% have used barcode scanning applications looking for price comparisons, 34% have used QR codes for product information, and 44% have used their smartphone to look up a review of a particular item inside a store.
Of those who said they showroomed, 64% reported that they actually changed their mind after comparing prices, and 70% said they changed what they purchased as a result of reading an online review inside a traditional store.