Dive Brief:

• Cross channel sales (where shopping is done in part online or via mobile, but completed in physical stores) are now four times what web sales are and growing, reaching $1.8 trillion in four years, according to a study by Forrester Research.

• Mobile purchases remain low, but mobile is a growing influence on completed transactions, according to the report.

• Retailers developing mobile capabilities that enable customers to shop in store are finding success. Forrester’s vice president and principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru cites Target as an example.

Dive Insight:

Shoppers already expect mobile apps to assist them with their shopping, sometimes while they’re in the store, according to Forrester’s vice president and principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru. Making lists, checking inventory, comparing prices, and finding items on the shelves are among the ways consumers are using their phones while in the store. This use is helping drive what will be $475 billion in retail sales growth between 2014 and 2018 — 75% of that digitally influenced in-store sales, according to Forrester.