Dart’s data--the multichannel shopper

Our weekly look at industry reports brings you the latest news, by the numbers.

New technologies are increasingly important for the multichannel consumer. In a report by Shoppercentric, 87 percent of shoppers said they used bricks and mortar shops as part of their purchase journey, with 23 percent of shoppers using catalogues, 13 percent using smartphones, 7 percent tablets and two percent shopping through internet TV in the past month (January/February). The Shopping in a Multichannel World study also discovered that nine percent of respondents have used a retailer app, with 5 percent using a brand app, while seven percent used social media during a purchase journey.

Stores are the most trusted channel for getting expert advice (68 percent), followed by brand websites (52 percent). Brand websites (40 percent) and comparison websites (39 percent) scored the most for providing trustworthy information, with the least trusted route being social media (17 percent). Social media’s strength is in finding exclusive deals, with half of respondents citing social media as the best sources.

The Shoppercentric report, which sought to uncover what consumers really use to browse, research, consider or purchase from, and whether any age or gender distinctions might exist, found that 34 to 45-year-olds are the keenest online shoppers, with 55 percent saying they preferred shopping online to visiting shops.