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Survey: 91 Percent Have Gone Into Stores Because Of Online Promotion

Greg Sterling on December 14, 2012 at 10:12 am

Though most retailers, advertisers and brands have not yet caught up, we are firmly in the multi-platform era. Newspaper-backed local shopping platform Wanderful Media released findings from a shopping survey of just over 1,000 US adults yesterday. The findings both confirm what we already know about changing consumer behavior and provide more color.

Reflecting the direct way in which the internet now influences in-store shopping the survey found that 91 percent of respondents “have gone into a store as a result of an online experience.” Multiple online experiences have driven consumers into stores: email promotions, coupons, online ads and so on.

Email is the most common channel to have sent people into stores, followed by coupons.

Source: Wanderful Media (n=1,027)

While in stores 77 percent of respondents said they had gone online to check prices or other product information. The group most inclined to do this was Millennials (85 percent).

In terms of devices used while in stores, the survey found that the majority used smartphones (92 percent). However, somewhat surprisingly, 34 percent said they have used connected tablets to get information while in stores.

The most common online research tool used while in stores are search engines (84 percent) followed by Amazon (76 percent). Consumers also used the websites of the stores they were visiting (53 percent) and more than a third used social media (37 percent) to obtain information or feedback.

In-store online shopping and product purchase behavior

Source: Wanderful Media (n=1,027)

Most of these in-store online shoppers (62 percent) actually wound up buying the item they were considering but many of them bought it online (showrooming). The survey found that 49 percent bought the item from the store but nearly the same number bought the item online (48 percent). Of those online buyers the survey doesn’t reveal whether it was from that store’s website or another site (probably). The remainder (3 percent) bought the intended item from another physical store.

Consumers preferred online for research and locating specific items. They preferred stores for returns and “knowing exactly what was being purchased.” They also preferred stores for items that “express personal style” (e.g., furniture, apparel, shoes). They expressed preferences for online when it came to items such as electronics and books. In many cases there was no channel preference.

Source: Wanderful Media (n=1,027)

The survey also asked about the impact of online sales taxes on online purchase behavior in those areas where they are now being collected. The majority (78 percent) said there was no impact on their online buying behavior; however 22 percent said they now shopped less online. Men were more likely than women to shop less online because of sales tax.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.