How the internet is changing offline retail

The advance of mobile technology has turned the bleak future of the offline retail industry completely on its head. Yes, customers are continuing to shop online, but increasingly they’re using the internet to enhance the offline shopping experience.
 
The future of shopping isn’t online or off. It’s both.

The advance of mobile technology has turned the bleak future of the offline retail industry completely on its head. Yes, customers are continuing to shop online, but increasingly they’re using the internet to enhance the offline shopping experience.
 
The future of shopping isn’t online or off. It’s both.

There is a growing body of research that suggests the awareness a brand generates online (websites, apps, social media, marketplaces, etc) can have a considerable effect across other sales channels too.
 
Of course, customers are unlikely to consult online reviews and opinions from their social networks while shopping for their groceries (although they might be looking up recipes as they trapse the supermarket floor). However, the more a purchase is considered (generally related to expense and perceived risk), the more likely customers are to turn to their mobile devices.
 
Clothing, electronic goods, and even cinema tickets are just a few examples of items being purchased regularly across different channels.
 
A comprehensive survey carried out by eMarketer suggests that, despite there being 145.9 million mobile shoppers in the US in 2014, purchases made directly from mobile devices is forecast to account for a mere 1.6% of total retail sales.
 
Mobile has instead, in their own words, become “the catalyst for sales captured elsewhere.”
 
The survey not only analyzed consumers’ buying habits over the past year, but their intentions for the coming one. Among smartphone owners, only 14% of those asked intended to buy something on their device. Many more intended to use their device to find a local retailer (39%), get social feedback on an item (38%), or find a coupon in-store (33%).
 
Plenty of people still shop online from home of course, but the increasing prevalence of mobile technology in everyday life means that they can make the most of it while still satisfying the urge to roam and socialize. Seeing your intended purchases up close and personal is incredibly reassuring, as well as being instant and, in many cases, more enjoyable.
 
So how exactly should retailers respond to this evolving trend?
 
This recent revolution in retail has been one of the industry’s most democratic. It hasn’t so much been driven by developments in technology and marketing, as tends to happen, but by the subsequent changes in consumer behavior and preferences.
 
In their report, eMarketer notes that “consumers don’t think about online or offline — they’re shopping.” This is an important point. Customers demand a smooth transition between channels.
 
Marketing to this demographic can be daunting, especially to established business owners witnessing the rapid, sometimes short-lived changes that their industry is constantly undergoing. The best ideas are often the simplest though, and the execution of your mobile marketing should be deceptively simple and easy to engage with. It’s no good offering online coupons in-store if the process is confusing or finicky. People simply won’t use them and they’ll lose their power to capture sales.
 
This shift in the marketplace has opened up a whole new playing field upon which smaller businesses can compete with the big-hitters. Such opportunities boost competition too though, so working on omnichannel strategies should be an immediate concern for all modern retailers.