Shoppers want stores to provide digital tools

Dive Brief:

Consumers are looking for more “self-directed” digital shopping experiences in physical stores, according to a report from in-store engagement firm InReality.
69% of shoppers surveyed for the “Reality of Retail” report say they would be more likely to buy in-store if they had digital signage, kiosks, and interactive displays that allowed them to help themselves.
75% say that digital options that help compare products or get price comparisons would encourage them to buy in-store, and 78% want digital technologies to help them find a particular product.

Dive Insight:

Shoppers empowered by digital technologies are still buying in stores, but want those stores to give them more opportunities to research and price-check products digitally on their own, says the second “Reality of Retail” report from in-store analytics and customer experience firm InReality.

“Shoppers’ new expectations of digital technology in-store is one of many shifts changing the role and function of brick-and-mortar stores,” Gary Lee, InReality's president and CEO, said in a press release. “To remain competitive, brands and retailers in brick-and-mortar will have to quickly become just as smart, data-driven and agile as they are online.”

Shoppers have grown to expect a multichannel experience, the survey indicates. For instance, consumers are now twice as likely to discover brands or products online than through traditional advertising channels, but 91% of those consumers say they research products online before buying in-store.

More than two-thirds indicated that digital kiosks and interactive displays would encourage them to buy in-store, with 78% looking for digital technologies that help them find a particular product and 75% wanting digital self-help options to compare products or compare prices.

While most consumers already have multiple self-help tools in their pockets, stores wishing to control more of the customer interaction (and the data it produces) would be wise to install interactive signage, store directories and kiosks that allow customers to help themselves.