In-store buys more after mobile research, report suggests
A new study released today suggests that consumers are making their in-store purchasing decisions based on a quick review of a product on their mobile phones which suggests that although word of mouth advice from friends and families remain the top resource for considering a product, mobile advertising is increasingly as influential to making a final purchase decision.
The study was conducted by Yieldbot, in partnership with Kantar Retail, and further suggests that for new product information, mobile ads are actually outperforming brand/retail information sources and social media.
Yieldbot President Chris Copeland said the goal of the research was to better understand how mobile is influencing in-store shopping behaviors, and to evaluate various types of mobile advertising to understand their respective roles in consumers’ purchase decisions.
“Everyone knows that mobile devices are gaining in influence. We wanted to help brands quantify that influence and provide guidance on how they can be relevant to consumers before they buy in-store,” Copeland said. He added that relevancy is the number one requirement for consumers to consider advertising before in-store purchases.
The categories included in the study ranged from regularly purchased products like food to less frequently purchased products like women’s beauty and consumer electronics. Additional categories covered in the survey included baby products; beer, cider, FMB; and dry/canned goods.
The study also found that one third of all shoppers indicate that they are open to outside influences in the buying process. With 52% of millennials selecting mobile ads as their go-to source for product information, 48% of them found mobile video ads the most helpful when making purchasing decisions. The study found that baby product shoppers find mobile video ads most helpful, and that baby product and beer shoppers are most consistently engaged in mobile resource and most attached to their mobile devices while shopping.
Many of the shoppers in the study said they make their product decisions two-to-three days before purchasing, with the exception of consumer electronics, where most consumers start at least two-to-three weeks prior to purchase. In all categories, the study suggests that shoppers are increasingly seeking value and discounts and are driven to purchase products based on coupons they find on their mobile devices.