Shoppers today expect and demand a streamlined experience and are expecting an easy access to information and integrated online and in-store tools, according to Baynote’s 4th Annual Holiday Online Shopping Survey.
According to the survey, 74% of shoppers cite finding what they want on a retailer’s site by using on-site search as extremely important. Sixty percent cites viewing products on web pages that include complete copy, strong imagery, photography and user-generated content as extremely important.
Sixty percent used a smartphone to research stores and products prior to visiting a store. Seventy-six percent of respondents used a tablet, at least two times over the past few months.
According to the survey, 74% of shoppers leveraged promotions such as free shipping and coupons when making holiday purchases. Thirty-four percent of shoppers made a purchase on a retail-branded app, which is an increase of 48% from 2012.
Thirty-three percent of shoppers cite a simple, streamlined shopping cart that makes checkout fast and easy as very or extremely important. Forty-eight percent of shoppers were always or frequently influenced by online ratings and reviews; Google search results accompanied by a picture influenced 21%.
When it came to promotions, 60% percent of shoppers indicated that free shipping without conditions is important when making a final purchase, according to the survey. This is a 58% increase from the 2012 holiday shopping season.
Thirty-eight percent of people always or frequently take advantage of promotions received via email while 42% leverage flash sales. When it came to price matching, 60% of respondents said they purchased a product on Amazon or another competitor while in a store if the store didn’t price match.
Mobile continues to see growth across the board as branded apps start to exert influence. Thirty-four percent of shoppers made a purchase on a retail-branded app, an increase of 48% in 2012.
The survey revealed that 62% of respondents used a smartphone to compare prices while in a store, while 61% redeemed a mobile coupon during in-store checkout; 43% of respondents used a tablet for the former and 44% used a tablet for the latter.
Shoppers between the ages of 18 and 34 were 43% more likely to use a smartphone to research stores and products before visiting a store than those 55 years or older, according to the survey.
According to the survey, 64% researched products online prior to their store visit to check for inventory availability.
Product ratings and reviews have the greatest influence on both online and in-store purchases. Ratings and reviews influenced online purchases by 48% of shoppers, a 45% increase from 2012.
Ratings and reviews influenced in-store purchases by 37%, a 12% increase from 2012. Fifty-two percent of shoppers use mobile phones to look at product ratings while in store, a 24% increase.
The survey was administered to 1,000 consumers the week following Cyber Monday, 2013. All respondents had their own smartphone and 65% of respondents also owned tablets.