Although recent trends indicate an increasing comfort among consumers when it comes to marketing commerce (also known as mcommerce), this isn’t necessarily translating to a drop in brick and mortar retail sales. On the contrary, according to a March 2014 Gallup poll canvassing U.S. consumers across the country, mobile technology, rather than taking away from in-store sales, has actually driven growth in onsite retail shopping trends.

Some interesting statistics from the Gallup poll “Effect of Mobile Technology on In-Person Retail Shopping”:

  • 59% of the Americans queried reported that the amount of shopping they do in person at retail stores has not been affected by the increasing availability of mobile technology (including smartphones and tablet computers).
  • Only 19% admitted that they now shop less at retail stores as a direct result of their increased usage of mobile technology.
  • 22% said they are shopping more frequently at retail stores as a result of this technology.
  • 18 to 29-year-olds were nearly twice as likely to say that mobile technology has led to an increase (29%) rather than a decrease (15%) in their shopping at brick and mortar stores.

According to a similar survey conducted by Deloitte Digital, digital interactions have a direct influence on 36 cents of every dollar spend in a retail store, or approximately $1.1 trillion. That number is expected to climb to $1.5 trillion of total store sales by the end of 2014.

Furthermore, the survey demonstrated that consumers who used a device during their shopping experience made a purchase at a rate of 40 percent higher than those who did not use a device. Digital devices seem to also have a dramatic impact on overall in-store traffic, spending, and the loyalty of digital shoppers.

References:

Deloitte. “Deloitte Study: Digital Influences More Than $1 Trillion in Retail Store Sales.” 4/28/14.

eMarketer. “Mobile Devices Boosting, Not Hurting, In-Store Shopping: Mobile Usage Before or While Shopping in a Store Accounts for One-Fifth of U.S. In-Store Retail Sales.” 5/14/14.

Jones, Jeffrey M. “For Many, Mobile Technology Increasing Retail Shopping: Young Adults More Likely to Say Mobile Tech Increasing Retail Shopping.” 5/1/14.