Dive Brief:
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A survey by Accenture — a management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company — of 750 U.S. consumers, found that some 21% of shoppers said they’ll be making more purchases in-store, up from 9% a year ago.
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Of those surveyed, 40% said the shopping experience in physical stores must be improved, while 16% said online shopping needed improvement.
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Expectations of easy shopping across channels are high, with 19% of consumers saying they’re using “click and collect” to buy online and collect in a store, up from 12%. Similarly, 14%, up from 7%, are buying in-store and having products shipped to their home.
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Nearly 80% of shoppers said they had browsed online and went to a store to buy, while 72% had browsed in-store and bought online, according to the study.
Dive Insight:
E-commerce is growing, and retailers are focused on the increasing need to make online and mobile shopping a pleasant and productive experience for their customers. But this survey shows that there is no room for neglecting brick-and-mortar stores. Consumers will shop and browse across all channels, and have their reasons for sometimes browsing online, sometimes in-store, and making their purchases various ways, too. And, note, they expect shipping options through all channels. Retailers will need the policies and staff to attend to consumer expectations, and should make sure their products are available — not just one way or another, but one way and another.
