What consumers want in 2015: the connected customer
As part one of a three part series DigitasLBi‘s 2015 Connected Commerce study of retail trends reveals a significant rise in the use of connected devices, including wearables, and an increase in social commerce; urges retailers to personalise the shopping experience in order to boost sales.
Shoppers around the world now expect multi-channel, multi-screen experiences from brands and retailers, with the average consumer using a total of five devices when making a purchase – a significant increase from the 2.8 devices reported in 2014. This is according to DigitasLBi’s 2015 Connected Commerce study of the latest retail trends across 17 countries including Australia, China, India, Japan, the UK and the USA.
The new connected consumer
As well as computers, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, consumers are rapidly embracing wearable technologies, with 17% of shoppers revealing that they now own a wearable device – a figure that is likely to rise with the launch of Apple Watch and similar devices with the potential to offer new in-store experiences.
DigitasLBi’s Connected Commerce study also shows that in 2015 shoppers are increasingly comfortable going beyond the traditional e-commerce experience to embrace mobile commerce (28%) and shopping via tablets (20%).
Products and services that allow this new breed of connected consumer to act on impulse are also proving popular. The survey shows that in-store pick-up is becoming a particular favourite of shoppers, with 51% taking advantage of ‘click and collect’ services globally, a figure that jumps to 73% in the UK.
Jim Herbert, managing partner of DigitasLBi Commerce commented: “Customers want to save time and money whilst being able to choose from more ways to shop than ever before. Mobile is increasingly becoming the platform of choice for bargain hunters on the go, with 85% of those surveyed now using smartphones whilst in-store. A further 55% of consumers claim that smartphones have changed the way they shop altogether. We also know that 62% of smartphone users would be happy to use their devices to pay in-store. With the launch of Apple Pay in US and the growing number of start-ups in the in-store payment arena, 2015 could be the year of mobile payment. Brands and retailers would be wise to take note of the fact that mobile is set to fundamentally change the retail experience.”
Read more:
DigitasLBi’s Connected Commerce survey is now in its fourth year. The study covers a total of 17 countries, up from 12 last year. Countries taking part are Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, UAE, the UK and the USA. The 2015 survey was conducted online by IFOP from March 5th to March 25th, 2015 with a sample size of 1,000 web users per country aged 18 and over using the quota method (gender, age, income or social profile and region).
