RichRelevance finds multi-channel shopping to be thriving on both sides of the Atlantic
Research shows that one in four shoppers in New York and London plan to use the Internet to continue shopping after visiting a store.
London, 21 July 2010 – RichRelevance, the leading provider of dynamic e-commerce personalisation for the world’s largest retailers, today announced the publication of research conducted among London multi-channel shoppers who use the Internet to aid their in-store shopping excursions.
The research, conducted in June by Hall & Partners on behalf of RichRelevance and retail consultancy Envirosell, intercepted shoppers outside a variety of stores including Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Primark and BHS. Store-goers were questioned about their online and offline shopping habits and responses, and results compared with those from an identical survey carried out amongst shoppers in another global shopping destination, New York City.
In London, almost half of all shoppers surveyed left the store empty-handed. About a quarter of these non-buyers planned to go online to continue shopping for the desired product, confirming an increased willingness to cross channels when making purchases. The New York survey results produced identical results for this dimension, with one in four shoppers planning to go online to continue shopping after leaving a store. When it came to using the Internet to conduct product research, however, the geographically dispersed shopping segments generated disparate figures. While a third of the London shoppers said that they used the Internet for product research, a staggering 85% of the New Yorkers claimed to have compared prices online prior to shopping in-store.
“Retailers in the UK are starting to face the same challenges as their US counterparts,” commented Paco Underhill, founder and CEO of research consultancy Envirosell. “In the 20th century, marketers and merchandisers determined what the consumer would buy. The growth of the Internet has meant that the consumer is now not only more empowered, but often three or four steps ahead.”
“In the last few years, consumers have drastically changed the way they shop,” added David Selinger, CEO of RichRelevance. “Multi-channel retailing is still in its infancy, but retailers need to ensure that they can accommodate complex customer behaviour no matter where customers interact with them – whether online, in store, via a mobile app or over a phone.”
The results of the research are available to e-commerce executives via the RichRelevance Respect the Shopper: Summer School programme, which provides an array of online content, including white papers, webinars and blogs addressing hot topics and tactics for retailers this summer. Research findings—as well as best practices—are covered in the company’s whitepaper, Harmonising the Multi-channel Experience, which can be accessed at: www.richrelevance.com/resources/summerschool.
About RichRelevance
RichRelevance is the leading provider of dynamic e-commerce personalisation for the world’s largest retailers, including Wal-Mart, Overstock.com and Sears. Founded and led by the e-commerce expert who pioneered personalisation R&D at Amazon.com, RichRelevance helps retailers increase revenues by powering relevant experiences throughout the customer lifecycle and across multiple sales channels. The company stands apart for its dedicated team of personalisation experts, integrated product suite, and award-winning personalisation engine, which enables twice as many consumer touchpoints as the industry average. RichRelevance is located in San Francisco, with offices in Seattle and London. For more information, please visit www.richrelevance.com.
About Envirosell
Founded by Paco Underhill, Envirosell is the premier consumer behavior research and consulting agency for commercial environments, integrating analysis of layout, merchandising, operations and multi-channel convergence. With a 25-year history conducting in-store research for major consumer product manufacturers, retailers, banks, restaurants and design agencies, Envirosell boasts a client list that includes almost half of the Fortune 50 list. To each project Envirosell brings internationally recognized experience and unmatched processing skills, understanding the dynamics of shopping behavior and the factors that impact the customer experience as well as the actual purchase decision. Envirosell is based in New York with offices in Tokyo, Milan, Moscow, Mexico City, São Paulo and New Delhi. For more information, please visit www.envirosell.com.
