By David Hall, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Cutting-Edge Solutions
The facts are in, and it’s good news for brick-and-mortar stores. According to a new study by Deloitte, consumers who use smartphones when out shopping are 14 percent more likely to make a purchase while in the store than those without them.
Deloitte’s study, “The Mobile Influence Factor in Retail Sales,” takes a second look at the common misconception that consumers are increasingly going into brick-and-mortar stores, getting their hands on items they’re shopping for and then using their smartphones to buy these items from competitors, online or elsewhere.
According to Deloitte’s Alison Paul, “Mobile devices’ influence on retail store sales has passed the rate at which consumers purchase through their devices today. Consumers’ store-related mobile activities are contributing to, not taking away from, in-store sales.” Roughly half (48 percent) of all smartphone users surveyed say their phones have influenced their decision to buy an item in a physical store. Overall, the consultant estimates smartphones will influence 19 percent ($689 million) of U.S. retail sales by 2016.
Mobile marketing and technology company Vibes released its first study, the “Vibes Mobile Consumer Report.” More than 1,000 smartphone users were surveyed, and they found that 90 percent of shoppers carry their smartphones with them into stores. A whopping 84 percent use their devices to research products to locate product information and the best deal.
Both reports clearly indicate that consumers are relying more on their smartphones to help validate their purchases, and that the presence of a smartphone in a shopper’s hands can be an aid to closing the sale. In the Vibes report, 48 percent of smartphone users said that they felt better about their purchase after doing some in-store research and shopping around on their phones. Researching the product ahead of the purchase creates a feeling of confidence and helps to eliminate buyer’s remorse.
In today’s music retail climate, informed consumers make educated purchases. Remember that it’s not always a price issue; it’s essential to help facilitate getting the right information into your customer’s hands as quickly and easily as possible. Free QR code scanners represent one of the best mobile applications available.
A QR (Quick Response) is a matrix code created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave. It is a two-dimensional bar code that can store up to 7kB of data, such as plain text, specific URLs, contact details, geographic information, images, PDF files, links to videos and other information. Best of all, they are free to create and use.
There are many free QR code generators online, and a simple search will provide numerous options.