June 18, 2013
It's easier to understand the online customer's experience than the mobile customer's, say e-commerce executives responding to a survey from Econsultancy and IBM Tealeaf [download page]. 44% of respondents rated their company's understanding of the online customer experience as either excellent (7%) or good (37%), while only 30% could say the same about their understanding of the mobile customer experience. Indeed, respondents were as likely to rate their understanding of the mobile customer experience as poor (24%) or very poor (5%) as they were to rate it good or excellent. Read more »
June 17, 2013
In light of recent data from comScore suggesting that a majority of display ads go unseen (at least per the 3MS standard for 50% of pixels in-view for at least a second), it's worth taking a look at viewability benchmarks according to PointRoll's latest benchmark report [pdf]. Covering 2012 activity, the data shows that viewability rates were lowest on shopping and auction (34.3%) and ad network (36.7%) sites, and highest on employment (68.5%), news (67%) and music and streaming media (66.1%) sites. Read more »
June 14, 2013
A sizable majority of retailers believe that multi-channel customers are either significantly (47%) or slightly (29%) more profitable than single-channel customers, something consumers themselves appear to agree with. But a new RSR Research study [download page] finds that despite retailers' belief in the value of an omnichannel strategy, they continue to encounter significant difficulties along the way. Asked their top 3 organizational inhibitors to taking advantage of omnichannel opportunities, a leading 54% of respondents said they don't have a single view of the customer across channels. Read more »
June 11, 2013
Total US spending related to Father's Day (Sunday, June 16, 2013) should reach almost $13.3 billion this year, per results from a National Retail Federation (NRF) and BIGinsight survey. That would mark a 4.5% rise from a projected $12.7 billion last year. While the percentage of adults planning to celebrate Father's Day is relatively flat, at 77.7%, the average celebrant will increase spending by a couple of dollars, to roughly $120. By comparison, Mother's Day spending was expected to reach about $20 billion this year, with the average celebrant shelling out $169. Read more »
June 10, 2013
Many LGBT mobile owners put their devices to use for travel and shopping, reveals a new study from Digitas. Comparing the shopping activities of gay men and lesbians, the study reveals that much like the population at-large, men are more likely than women to engage in a variety of mobile shopping activities, with gay men more likely to: use mobile scanners while shopping (39% vs. 32%); use shopping applications (38% vs. 28%); and buy items on their mobile devices (32% vs. 29%). The study also finds that roughly one-quarter of respondents have purchased a hotel stay (25%) or flight (23%) from their device in the past 3 months. Read more »
June 10, 2013
3 in 5 consumers around the world would be interested in shopping at a fully automated "self service" store with vending machines and kiosk stations offering a virtual customer service, according to a new study from Cisco. With check-out often a pain point for in-store shoppers, the study finds that 52% of respondents prefer using self-check-out stations so as to avoid waiting in line to make purchases, with that figure rising to 57% among 18-29-year-olds and 55% among 30-49-year-olds. Read more »
June 7, 2013
Worlwide mobile payment transactions are on the rise, reports Adyen in its inaugural Adyen Global Mobile Payments Index. Among the findings, Europe sports the world's largest percentage of transactions made using a mobile device, at 15.3%, followed by Asia (12.4%) and North America (11.2%). Globally, the study reveals that the iPad is the leading device, at 6.6% of total worldwide transactions as of April 2013, up from 3.6% in June 2012. The iPhone is next at 4.4% of total transactions, up from 3.1%. Read more »
June 7, 2013
40% of American adults claim to have checked out a product in a brick-and-mortar store before purchasing it elsewhere online ("showroomed"), according to a recent survey from Harris Interactive, although recent data from xAd and Telemetrics suggests that smartphones aren't being used that often for showrooming. Nevertheless, retailers concerned with showrooming who have adopted a permanent price matching policy might be slightly encouraged with the results from the Harris study, which found 57% of showroomers saying they would be much (20%) or somewhat (37%) more likely to purchase in-store as a result. Read more »
June 6, 2013
Gen Y B2B buyers are far more likely than their older counterparts to make online purchases, per results from Acquity Group's 2013 State of B2B Procurement Study. The survey of corporate buyers with annual budgets exceeding $100,000 found that 90% of those aged 18-35 make company purchases online. The propensity to shop online declined with age, to 68% of those aged 36-45, 45% of those aged 46-60, and just 29% among those aged over 60. The study follows research from hybris released late last year, which found 94% of B2B procurers believing suppliers need to invest more to make their e-commerce experiences as effective as consumer websites. Read more »
June 6, 2013
Email volume increased by 11.6% year-over-year in Q1, following a 5.4% year-over-year increase in Q4, details Experian Marketing Services in its Q1 Email Benchmark Study [download page]. Multi-channel retailers increased their email volume the most rapidly, by 20.2%, as 70% of brands sent more emails compared to the prior year. Travel brands saw the next-highest growth, of 113.6%, although only half of the brands increased mailings. Read more »
