Retail Media Note #112 for Furniture World: Mobile Is A Growing Part Of Shopping, Buying Habits

Furniture World News Desk on 4/11/2014

While the majority of the home furnishings world is or has been to High Point and the International Spring Market this past week, concentration has been on new introductions, new products, new fabrics, new finishes and new promotions that promise to save the world, as never before. Truth is, very little was talked about in the hallowed showrooms of ideas and design, about the one person who is really at the center of all this attention...’Her’.

She is the target. She is the one who will make the majority of decisions. She is the epicenter of the future of this industry. And she is joined at the hip with her mobile device. Her smartphone is never more than five feet away from her at all times. And when she enters a retail space, she uses it to find out information and competitive pricing. That is showrooming. Time to learn a little bit about what she is doing now, no matter where you live, with her smartphone. It is the key to your future success.

A third (34%) of smartphone users have made a purchase via their smartphone, and 72% of report using their smartphone while inside a store, research from DigitasLBi has found. In an article written by Ishbel Macleod in The Drum (04.03.14) the research, entitled ‘Connected Commerce: A Snapshot of the Modern Shopper’, looked at data stream affecting customer purchase habits in Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the USA.

The main takeaway from the research was the growth of Research Online, Purchase Offline (ROPO). This was found to be done by 90% of people in 11 of the 12 countries.

It was also found that 19% of consumers report leaving a store after consulting their smartphone and learning that a product they want is cheaper elsewhere, while a further 29% of consumers say they would consider doing so.

Marcus Mustafa, global head of user experience at DigitasLBi, said: “This research shows that the proliferation of digital devices is having a huge impact on the way we shop. We’re not just using these devices to purchase items online – we’re using them to augment our in-store shopping choices, so there’s a real opportunity for retail brands to tap into this behavior and create location-specific real-time digital products and services which enhance the in-store experience.”

China leads the way in terms of m-commerce with 76% of smartphone users making a mobile purchase in the last three months, compared to 35% respectively in the US, UK, Germany and Singapore. The percentage of mobile shoppers is smaller in France (20%), the Netherlands (18%) and Belgium (15%).

It is time for retailers to understand she is the center of attention. It’s time for retailers to understand that they can’t possibly know everything about how the world is buying today. But here is a clue: the secret is how to create a successful mobile strategy at the core of your integrated marketing strategic plan.

Mobile is absolutely important. It will be the most important aspect of all that you do this year. Next year it might be that new advancement in bedding. But today it is mobile. That is why we say, MOBILENow.

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Lance Hanish is Co-Founding Partner in CNA | Sophis Integrated Marketing Communications. 

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