Digital Devices Now Influence the Majority of US In-Store Sales

September 20, 2016

deloitte-digital-influence-in-store-retail-sales-2013-2016-sept2016Digital devices – or rather their use by US shoppers – now influence a majority (56%) of US in-store sales, up from 49% last year, according to the latest digital influence study from Deloitte. Digital’s influence on in-store sales has quadruped since 2013, per the study.

Most of digital’s influence comes from mobile devices, per the study, with these having grown at an even faster rate over the past few years. In 2016, mobile devices influence 37% of in-store sales, up from 28% last year and just 5% in 2013.

Recent data from Criteo suggests that mobile devices were responsible for 35% of US retail e-commerce transactions in the second quarter of this year.

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Meanwhile, when factoring in e-commerce sales, which are obviously fully influenced by digital devices, digital influences 60% of the US’ estimated $4.1 trillion in retail sales, per the Deloitte analysis, up from 56% last year. Part of the reason for digital’s growing influence is growing use of digital devices during shopping trips by non-Millennials. This year 44% of non-Millennials used digital during their shopping trips, up from 27% last year and closing the gap with Millennials (55% using).

Looking at digital’s role at various moments in the shopper’s journey, the analysis demonstrates that:

  • It has an outsized influence in post-purchase/service for automotive, beauty, children’s, and men’s, while;
  • It has a larger role in the purchase/pay stage for beauty, electronics, home and women’s; and
  • Its role in providing inspiration is greatest in the beauty, children’s and women’s categories.

The only categories – of the 9 identified – in which digital does not play an outsized influence at any stage are grocery and health.

Overall, digital’s influence is greatest in the electronics (69%), automotive (59%) and home (58%) categories, and smallest in the grocery (46%), beauty (51%) and health (52%) categories.

In other results from the report:

  • More than 9 in 10 consumers who use digital devices to shop use one in the browse and research moment of their shopping journey;
  • Almost 4 in 10 digital shoppers report being likely to initiate a product return or refund from a digital device, close to double the share from last year (20%);
  • Two-thirds of digital shoppers this year desire a self-directed journey, more than twice the share (30%) from two years ago; and
  • Only 35% of digital shoppers are willing to pay for shipping on online orders, though that figure is higher (47%) in the children’s category.

About the Data: This survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted online by an independent research company on April 25”“May 5, 2016.

The survey polled a national sample of 5,014 random consumers. Data were collected and weighted to be representative of the US Census for gender, age, income, and ethnicity. A 95 percent confidence level was used to test for significance.

Additionally, subsets of randomly assigned respondents were asked to provide information about how they use a digital device to shop for a product sub-category (such as cosmetics or perishables). Sample sizes ranged from 160”“164 (95 percent confidence, margin of error 7”“8 percent [+/-]). Specific digital behavior data represent consumers who use digital devices to shop.

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