Consumers Increasingly Using Their Mobile Devices In-Store

People from around the world are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to improve their shopping experience in physical stores, according to a study by DigitasLBi. The research examined consumer behaviour patterns from customers across 12 countries, including China, the UK and the US.

Around 50% of participants in the poll agreed that their shopping experiences have dramatically changed due to the arrival of smartphones, with around a third of the sample now using their device to make a purchase. Some 72% said they use their smartphone whilst in a physical store.

In the UK, m-commerce was found to be popular with 35% of consumers, which was the same rate measured in the US, Germany and Singapore. Mobile shopping was the most widespread in China, where 76% of consumers had made a purchase via their mobile device within the past three months. France, the Netherlands and Belgium all recorded significantly lower percentages of mobile buyers, with 20%, 18% and 15% respectively.

Other findings from the study suggest that a large number of consumers take advantage of the Internet to enhance their shopping experience; nine out of ten shoppers, from 11 out of the 12 countries examined, agreed this was the case. Nevertheless, physical stores are still considered the most important point of contact for customers, making it the third preferred source of information for consumers on a global scale.

The research also revealed that currently almost one in five people will not leave a store before researching their desired product online, in a bid to find it cheaper elsewhere.