Retailers failing shoppers, smartphones could be the answer

You are not alone if you walk into brick and mortar stores to check out a product only to turn around and buy it online later. According to a new study from Retrevo, 66% of all shoppers and 78% of smartphone owners “look at a product in a store” and then purchase the product online from a different outlet. Consumer electronics stores are taking the biggest hit; 58% of smartphone owners decide to buy products first spotted in a store online. Retrevo suggests that is because consumers feel overwhelmed with the amount of products on display. 53% of the respondents who walked into a retail electronics store could not decide what to buy. 30% of those shoppers said it was because they did not have an adequate amount of information on the products they were searching for and sales staff were of no help. Smartphones could help save stores such as Best Buy, however. 42% of shoppers use their phones to check prices while in store, 25% use smartphones to find coupons and 29% read reviews and product specs on their phone. Retrevo suggests that a carefully crafted application that provides access to the aforementioned information could help consumers stay in stores instead of heading home and buying goods online.

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