July 22/29; Volume 27/Number 7
By Jenna Lippin
Accenture’s survey revealed the browsing habits of consumers prior to buying, including ‘showrooming’ (in-store) and ‘webrooming’ (online), the more popular choice.In a study conducted by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) titled “How America Shops and Spends,” 2,000 interviews were held with individuals 18 and over to help advertisers better understand consumer shopping habits and how they relate to print media, newspapers in particular.
Ninety-three percent of those questioned reported using at least one of 19 advertising sources to plan shopping or make purchasing decisions during the previous seven days. Print newspapers scored highest at 62%, and when combined with newspaper websites, the net number came to 66%. Store product displays and online sources came in second place at 57% each including eight different digital channels, including e-mail, websites, social networks, search engines and mobile.
According to NAA research, 81% of adultssurveyed took action (started browsing product) after seeing a newspaper ad.
“More than 8 in 10 adults, 81%, took action in the past month as a result of seeing an ad in any section of the newspaper,” said Jim Conaghan, NAA vice president of research and industry analysis. Actions included becoming aware of a sale, clipping a coupon, visiting a brick-and-mortar store and discussing with friends and family. Three online responses—visiting a website to learn more, using search to find additional information and making a purchase—comprised 40%. He noted more than half, 53%, of those adults made an actual purchase.
With respect to gender, newspaper ads as an effective marketing tool scored higher for women at 65%, than men, which came in at 58%. Newspaper reach was considerable starting at age 25, while the eight online channels collectively performed well (around seven in 10) with those under age 50, and even better with ages 18 to 24 (80%). Direct mail ranked higher with women than men (59% versus 46%) and reached just above 50% in the group starting at age 25. Television advertising came in at under 50% for both women and men, and barely went above that number for ages 18 to 24 and 35 to 49.
The survey also measured Internet usage. In the month prior, 79% of those surveyed spent time online. Smartphones topped the breakdown at 44%, followed by tablets at 25% and e-readers at 14%. Men led women in usage via both smartphones and tablets.
“We naturally asked about online shopping activities overall,” Conaghan said. “As it turns out, newspaper website visitors are substantially above the average in terms of shopping activity.” On a net basis, while 67% of respondents said they engaged in some type of online shopping activity in the previous 30 days, 93% of newspaper website visitors participated in online purchasing.
Online and mobile shopping
The increasing use of the Internet, on both desktop computers and mobile devices, has influenced the way consumers research products and make subsequent purchases.
According to the “Seamless Retail Study” conducted by Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, 49% of consumers believe the best tactic for retailers to improve the shopping experience is to better integrate in-store, online and mobile shopping channels. Further, 89% of consumers stated it was more important for retailers to allow customers to shop for products in ways most convenient for them, regardless of which sales channel is chosen.
The old-fashioned method, in-store shopping, is still successful as per the Seamless Retail Study, with 94% of all participants finding the experience easy overall. Surprisingly, only 26% found mobile shopping easy, while 74% said online shopping in general was a relatively simple process.
The survey’s results suggest consistency is key for consumers as 73% expect a retailer’s online prices to be the same as those in-store. In terms of promotions, 61% expect those online to be the same as in-store offerings. Interestingly, a benchmark analysis completed by Accenture revealed that while 73% of retailers offer the same promotions online as in their stores, only 16% offer the same prices in both outlets. Furthermore, while 43% of consumers surveyed expect a retailer to offer the same product assortment online as they do in-store, only 19% of retailers actually offer the same products, per Accenture’s analysis of top retailers.
According to Accenture’s research, the relationship between brick-and-mortar stores and online resources are mutually beneficial. During the six months prior to the survey, 73% of participants noted they took part in “showrooming,” or browsing in-store at least once before making a purchase online. Eighty-eight percent reported participation in “webrooming”—browsing the Internet before buying in-store. The survey found 43% of all U.S. consumers plan to shop more online and 23% plan to do more shopping via mobile phones in the future.
In terms of direct advertising, 69% said they are influenced by Internet pop-up ads while 62% reported being influenced by mobile banner ads. In terms of in-store promotions, such as displays and information offered by salespeople, 49% of those surveyed found these methods influential, while 56% are swayed by email offers and discounts. The same percentage said coupons mailed directly to their homes influence their shopping habits.