Marketing to Women: Multichannel Retail Important to 4 out of 10
September 27, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Do I buy my new rug online or at a retailer? Those are the kinds of subconscious questions women are asking themselves every day. Female consumers continue to demand multichannel retail shopping options. They are continuing to place significant value on the ability to purchase from a retailer through different channels – bricks and mortar, online, mobile, catalogue, phone and more. And if you have doubts about the importance of online, here is an amazing statistic. Some 94% of US consumers either sometimes or always research a product before buying it from a local store.
A new report from Econsultancy says that 4 in 10 surveyed found it very important to be able to purchase their products and services somewhere other than in-store, such as online or mobile. And it seems the younger you are, the more important it is. Among US respondents, 45% of those aged 18-34 said multichannel retail is very important. This compares to 41% of 35-54-year-olds and 29% of those aged 55 and older.
Out of Stock is Out of Mind
It happens all the time. I went to buy a wedding gift. The online registry showed the product in stock. But when I got to the store, I found out that the registry was not only not updated but the items were out of stock. So I moved on to another store. A study released in June by RIS News and Cognizant found shoppers saying that products being out of stock is their most disliked experience when shopping in-store for both specialty items and consumables. Much like my experience, faced with a store not having the product they are looking for, some 46% of respondents to the Econsultancy survey said they would look for the product in another local store.
Some of the other things that consumers dislike – prices, promotions and discounts not being clearly marked.
Related articles
- 3 truths retail can’t obsess about enough, from Marks & Spencer (bazaarvoice.com)
