18 July 2013
New opportunities for retailers to build customer loyalty and offer new purchase experiences The Portaltech Reply Observatory on e-commerce has produced some new and interesting results. The study1 was run by Portaltech Reply, a Reply group company specialising in consultancy services for multichannel e-commerce strategies and solutions, together with eDigitalResearch, a research company specialising in the online and multichannel business sector. This year, for the first time, the Portaltech Reply Observatory sample also included tablet users, who seem very willing to use the internet and make purchases there: 90% of them search for information and an impressive 79% complete a purchase. The results of the survey confirm that mobile devices play an increasingly central role in every consumer’s life. Around two thirds of interviewees (66%) make purchases directly from their device: some weekly (32%, up from 14% last year), others monthly (25%). The research also shows how smartphone owners are increasingly using their mobile devices to buy things or to obtain information on products even when at the shops (68%, +36% in the last 12 months). But it is at home that most purchases via smartphone or tablet are made (78%). Among those who use the internet while out shopping, 47% do so to surf, 31% to pass the time, and 20% to make a purchase in store. This year, too, the trend continues of consumers preferring to buy online using mobile sites (48%) rather than through ad hoc apps (41%). Note, however, that app users buy more often, as this route often gives them faster access to their desired products. "Once again, our Observatory’s results make very interesting reading for retailers, who increasingly need to be aware of the potential to exploit internet opportunities through new purchasing models, even inside their own physical shops," commented Reply CTO Filippo Rizzante. "Free Wi-Fi and QR codes linking to additional product information are just two of the initiatives that retailers can deploy to deepen engagement with customers, to enhance their purchase experience, and to develop loyalty". The study has also analysed the potential ways for resellers to interact more with their customers. 29% of people who make weekly or monthly purchases from their device using mobile sites or apps would be ‘very interested’ in receiving information on their device about special promotions, even as soon as they walk into the shop (26% of smartphone owners). In addition, among those who buy online from their mobiles regularly – weekly or monthly – the interest in receiving personalised offers from their favourite brands jumps to 50%. Download the Portaltech Reply study "The role of mobile in retail commerce" - July 2013
Portaltech Reply Portaltech Reply is the leading hybris Partner with offices in London, Seattle, Milan and Dusseldorf. The company holds Platinum Elite Status and is Global Partner of the Year 2013, 2012 and 2010 with over 30 major hybris projects to its name. Portaltech Reply offers an end to end set of products and services for multi-channel commerce including consulting, commerce platform implementation and integration, mobile and digital design, SaaS and on-premise warehouse management, proximity marketing, mobile payments and Cloud based hosting on the Amazon platform wrapped in a full managed service from one single supplier. www.portaltechreply.co.uk
1 The studies were carried out online in Great Britain on a representative sample of over 1000 consumers possessing a smartphone or mobile phone.