Mobile apps have shaken up the retail industry. The way customers shop, browse, and purchase is evolving, and retail sales have become more complicated with the introduction of e-commerce, and now, m-commerce. Retailers aren’t just selling merchandise in-store anymore; today, online sales are a huge part of retail stores’ revenues.
The introduction of mobile apps has both enhanced and complicated the shopping experience for both the customer and the company, and many retailers are still learning how integrating customer-facing apps can improve their existing strategies. Alchemer Mobile (formerly Apptentive) recently conducted a consumer survey on retail mobile app usage to help demystify the complex world of retail shopping through mobile apps.
The report sheds light on the evolving retail landscape and is jam-packed with stats you won’t find anywhere else. You’ll also learn how smartphone shoppers currently use retail mobile apps, how often, and what it all means. To wrap everything up, we take a glimpse into the future of holiday shopping habits, and offer tips for retailers on how to provide the best mobile app experience.
Best of all? The report is free for anyone to download.
To give you a taste of the findings included in the report, here’s a quick preview of what you’ll learn:
Mobile app usage in-store soars
One of the most incredible findings from the survey is that 88% of respondents use retail mobile apps, and of that 88%, 51% use retail apps while they are shopping in-store. Reasons for using apps in-store varies, with the top five reasons including: redeeming in-store discounts, comparing prices, earning rewards points, reading about product features, and to find products.
The shockingly high percentage of people using apps in-store opens the door for endless opportunity retails can seize to interact with their customers in unique, intuitive ways. Giving customers the opportunity to engage with a brand on multiple platforms at the same time (in-store and in-app) allows customers to direct the experience, further strengthening their loyalty toward the brand and driving sales.
“App-rooming” replaces show-rooming
M-commerce has alleviated some of the pain of show-rooming (the act of checking out merchandise in store and then purchasing the item online, often at a lower price and from a competitor) for brick-and-mortar retailers and has introduced a new shopping tactic that has taken its place: “app-rooming,” the act of using a mobile app to browse items, then physically going to the store to purchase said items. Of survey respondents who use retail mobile apps, 71% said they have “app-roomed” at least once in the last month.
Want to learn more? Of course you do! Grab your free copy of the complete survey and boost your retail mobile app knowledge now.
