Hispanic smartphone owners who use their devices to help them shop in brick-and-mortar venues (“Hispanic mobile shoppers”) are motivated more by finding the best price than the right product. This preference also carries over to their perceived benefits of using a store’s own mobile application or website, per new findings [download page] released in a Sensis and White Horse report. 55% of Hispanic mobile shoppers said their primary goal when using their smartphone to help them shop was to get the best price, more than double the proportion who said their goal was to choose the right product (26%). Getting in and out quickly (7%), having fun (6%), and getting input from others not with them (6%) were important to far fewer of these respondents.
It is interesting to note that just 6% said their primary goal was to get input from others. This aligns with separate findings from the report, which found that while Hispanic mobile shoppers are more likely than general market respondents to conduct various in-store activities with their smartphones, such as look up specials or sales or scan a QR codes, they are far less likely to search for product reviews and recommendations (38% vs. 68%).
Price Consideration Top Retailer App Benefit, Too
Data from the second chapter of the “Hispanic In-Store Mobile Experience” indicates that 39% of Hispanic mobile shoppers believe that a store’s own mobile app or website will most likely benefit them by giving them the best prices on products, while 22% see the primary benefit to be helping them choose the right product for them. Only 7% feel that a store’s app or website will not be of assistance to them.
Stores Competing Locally, Rather Than Online
Interestingly, when asked what their main objective would be in using their smartphone to check prices, these shoppers were far more likely to indicate that they would be trying to avoid spending more than they would at another store, rather than ensuring that they don’t spend more than they would online (50% vs. 22% for expensive items; 62% vs. 11% for everyday-use items). In fact, for everyday items, respondents are more likely to price check to avoid getting ripped off (15%) than to make sure they don’t spend more than they would online (11%).
Overall, a significant majority of respondents are more likely than not to use their smartphone to check prices for expensive items (87.2%) and everyday-use items (63%).
Other Findings:
- 63% of Hispanic mobile shoppers have used a mobile app available from a large retail store to help them shop there. A slightly larger proportion (68%) say they have visited retailers’ websites to help with their purchases.
- The chief reasons for not downloading and using a retailer’s mobile app are wanting to get information from many stores, rather than just one (31%), wanting to buy something in person, not online (28%), and wanting objective information, not the retailer’s perspective (21%). Of note, according to a July study from Deloitte, in-store conversion rates are far higher for shoppers using a retailer’s dedicated app than for those using a 3rd-party app.
- Google Shopper and Barcode Scanner are easily the most popular mobile price-checking apps used by Hispanic mobile shoppers, each used by more than 40% of the respondents. Only 1 in 5 Hispanic mobile shoppers have never used a specific price-comparison app.
About the Data: The White Horse/Sensis report is based in qualitative and quantitative research performed in late 2011. The survey data is based on a nationwide quantitative survey of 500 Hispanic smartphone owners who use their mobile devices to help them shop in brick-and-mortar venues.
