Retailers, make way for the ‘omnishopper’!

Retailers must prepare for the next generation of shoppers and personalise service if they are to survive.

That’s according to a new survey of 1,000 shoppers from Symphony EYC, which found the majority of respondents cite personalised promotions as most important to the online experience. This was followed by 37% rating speed as the main benefit of shopping online and 55% of mobile shoppers admitting that they shop on their phones to make life less stressful.

Mark Croxton from Symphony EYC said: “UK shoppers are undergoing a fundamental transformation. Most are still rooted in traditional shopping and online purchasing with home delivery for their grocery goods, with 67% and 63% rating these forms of shopping as highly important, but other forms are growing in popularity.

“For example, with a focus on convenience the slow uptake of ‘click and collect’ in the UK [20%] shows shoppers aren’t seeing a clear benefit from this option. Compare this to France, where the ‘Drive’ concept has taken off and 35% rate this as important, vs. 36% traditional shopping and it is clear there’s an opportunity to attract the time-hungry shopper.”

The research also documented the rise of ‘showrooming’ with 54% of shoppers keen to use mobile devices to compare prices in-store. Predictably, this trend was particularly pronounced with younger shoppers, with 75% of 18-24s rating this as important, compared to 37% of over 65, the figures showed.

Additionally, consumers were also fond to demand interaction and individual recognition from retailers, with three quarters (74%) saying that they would like the ability to request that retailers stock different products. However, shoppers also wanted these to be bespoke to their own shopping preferences, with 47% of the population wanting to be recognised as a regular shopper.

Croxton added: “There is still time to prepare and get these technologies and delivery methods ready - only 34% of shoppers said that they’d switch retailers if one gave them the ability to influence stock; this is significantly lower than in the US or continental Europe.

“Although retailers should be looking to the future, there’s still a clear need to get the basics right, with 62% of shoppers ranking out of stock items as a key frustration. As shoppers become increasingly savvy, shopping behaviours varying widely between food and non-food items, and with non-food shopping growing in importance within supermarkets, the need for intelligent systems to help retailers understand and make the most of these trends has never been greater.”