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Canadian shoppers crave seamless online, in-store experience: Study
While four in 10 consumers who shop at big box stores do so at least once a week, retailers are still missing out on valuable opportunities to drive consumers in store and boost online sales, according to a new study designed to give marketers a deeper understanding of Canadians’ shopping habits.
The new research from Yahoo Canada—Talking Retail: Canadian Retail Insights—focuses on big box retailers and reveals the major appeal is pricing, convenience and favourite brands.
Participants in the online study had shopped in a big box store at least once in the previous three months, with nearly three in four turning to big box stores for at least the basics in most product categories, including grocery.
While 32% agree they like the one-stop shop, 51% advised retailers to stick to doing one thing well, complaining many big box stores fall short when taking on additional categories, while 25% say big boxes fail to offer a good in-store experience.
The good news, however, is if a retailer meets a shopper’s need in one area, 47% will consider purchasing from other product categories. For instance, while 42% prefer to buy groceries at supermarkets, 77% bought groceries during their last visit to a big box.
“While they want to buy one thing at a time, they are looking for convenience to help balance their hectic lifestyle,” says Sarah Bradley, research manager, Yahoo Canada. “This means brand messaging around the store itself needs to come secondary to featuring what is actually in-store.”
Indeed, store loyalty isn’t huge, with 43% of consumers shopping wherever they’ll get the best prices: 71% saying they’ll visit a store if something is on sale. And, while 60% buy only what they need, 28% will spend on impulse.
Most consumers, however, plan even for everyday item purchases, with online playing a critical role: 38% use the internet for coupons; 35% digital flyers; 28% store websites; 25% store/brand e-mails and 22% for perusing ads.
“Online is key, from everyday items through to big ticket purchases, and brands, especially big box stores, need to work on that seamless online and in-store experience,” says Bradley, adding todays’ consumers research every purchase, big or small, and they do so across devices.
Unfortunately, 48% of shoppers say big box stores fail online.
“While we know that a lot of Canadians tend to research online and buy offline, they still want to be able to engage with the store and product offerings online,” says Bradley, adding there are multiple opportunities for marketers to target consumers. “E-mail newsletters, search engines and display advertising are becoming more prevalent, as are the brand/store sites for the products consumers are buying.”
Mobile is a key part of the equation, with 45% using mobile to research and 29% for purchases. Smartphones also shape the in-store experience, whether garnering second opinions, comparing prices, reading reviews and searching e-coupons. And, 35% of in-store shoppers abort purchases based on something they find via their device.
That’s not all turning off consumers—37% cite poor customer service and 44% say big box stores lack inspiring rewards programs.
“Shoppers will forego big box stores, although convenient, in favour of good sales, rewards, and a store experience that isn’t a chore,” says Bradley.
The big (box) opportunity for retailers is to focus on creating a seamless, and satisfying, consumer experience, thereby driving activity both online and in-store.
For more insights and an infographic, click here.
