Things consumers demand from Brands

As published in marketing-interactive.com

What do consumers want in 2015? Shoppers around the world now expect a personalised and multi-screen experiences from brands and retailers, with social media continues to be catalyst for online and in-store sales, a retail study from DigitasLBi suggests.

DigitasLBi’s Connected Commerce survey covers a total of 17 countries and regions including Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Japan, India, and Australia among other European countries. Here are three highlights from the study for retailer to take note:

Wearable devices increase impact on e-commerce

Since the launch of Apple Watch and similar devices with the potential to offer new in-store experiences, consumers are rapidly embracing wearable technologies with 17% of shoppers now own a wearable device, according to the study.

It also shows that shoppers are increasingly comfortable going beyond the traditional e-commerce experience to embrace mobile commerce in 2015, with 68% of Chinese respondents saying they have made a mobile purchase in the last 30 days.

Products and services that allow this new breed of connected consumer to act on impulse are also proving popular. The survey shows that in-store pick-up is becoming a particular favourite of shoppers, with 51% taking advantage of “click and collect” services globally.

“Customers want to save time and money whilst being able to choose from more ways to shop than ever before. Mobile is now the platform of choice for shoppers, with nearly 90% of those surveyed regionally stating that using the device to compare prices has changed the way they shop,” said Roy Capon , APAC CEO of DigitasLBi.

“We also know that 56% of smartphone users would be happy to use their devices to pay in-store. With the launch of Apple Pay and the growing number of start-ups in the in-store payment arena both globally and specifically in Asia , 2015 could well be the year of mobile payment.”

Rising demand for personalised shopping experience

The report shows 83% of Hong Kong respondents buy more and/or more often when met with personalised retail experiences. A further 27% actively look for personalised offers when shopping online and 75% log in to e-commerce websites that cater for their personal preferences based on previous behaviour.

Meanwhile, 86% of shoppers admitting they are more likely to embrace new in-store technologies such as GPS and WiFi tracking if they receive customised benefits in return, such as personalised money-off vouchers.

“Personalising the shopping experience and tailoring it to the needs of individual shoppers is a sure-fire way to attract more customers and boost profits both online and in-store,” said Capon.

“But we are just at the start of this journey. The in-store experience needs to become more agile, more digital and more connected. Retailers need to get smarter about using data in order to personalise the shopping experience to increase sales performance.”

Social media is influencing in an increasing number of purchases both on and off-line

Overall Facebook is leading the way with 67% of Hong Kong users now admitting that the social network impacts the way they shop. This compares to 62% for YouTube, 41% for Instagram, 27% for Twitter and 60% for Weibo China.

Social shopping is also rapidly gaining traction, with 40% of Hong Kong and up to 51% of Chinese consumers claiming to have purchased an item directly via a social media platform.

The 2015 survey was conducted online by IFOP from 5 March to 25 March 2015 with a sample size of 1,000 web users per country aged 18 and over using the quota method (gender, age, income or social profile and region).