Vibes, a mobile technology and marketing firm, recently completed the first annual Vibes Mobile Consumer Report, which gathers information pertinent to retail brands interested in enhancing customers’ online shopping experience, based on feedback from 1,006 mobile phone owners of age 18 and older. Just shy of 50 percent of all customers were found to use their smart phones as pacifiers, by using their devices to garner more information about the product they purchased. Of those surveyed, 14 percent of shoppers decided to make an additional unplanned purchase after scanning or texting for product information, 15 percent were dissuaded, and 48 percent were reassured.
The Vibes research found that 84 percent of shoppers who showroom have done such research while browsing, with one-third looking to competitors to search for the better price. Researchers also investigated customer use of retailers’ apps, and found that 17 percent of consumers have utilized a retailer’s app during shopping trips, and 69 percent of users have admitted to unsubscribing from a retail site’s emails because the constant contact was overkill.
What About Retail Apps?
While app use outside of the store was not reported, the number was slightly lower than many retailers expected. Possible factors in this number could be awareness of the app, ease of use, or general interest. CEO, co-founder and president of Vibes, Jack Philbin, stated, “Today, consumers are turning to their mobile phones to make purchasing decisions, which means that access to mobile-optimized content needs to be an effortless experience for the mobile consumer. Retailers who understand this and listen to their customers, to engage them on their terms and provide them with relevant and timely information, will be successful in building a loyal customer base.”