Consumers who shop at retailers across America revealed that their expectations are not being met when they shop, an Accenture survey shows.
The global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company surveyed 750 U.S. consumers and conducted a separate analysis of how U.S. retailers operate across multiple sales channels.
Consumers said that to win consumer loyalty and achieve growth across all channels, retailers must enhance their mobile commerce offerings and improve the in-store shopping experience.
Only 42 percent of shoppers said it’s easy to complete a purchase using their mobile device. Also, when asked which aspect of the shopping experience most needs an upgrade, 39 percent ranked the physical store first.
All of the U.S. retailers assessed as part of Accenture’s benchmarking analysis have mobile optimized websites, however, only 53 percent have optimized their websites for tablets.
“Our findings highlight a clear gap between the cohesion consumers expect from their shopping experience and what they seem to be getting,” Dave Richards, global managing director of Accenture, said in a statement. “This suggests it is time for retailers to rethink their investment approach as they look to drive sales.”
Surveyed consumers said they would like to access services via their mobile phones while shopping in-store. Nearly 40 percent said that they would seize the opportunity to earn loyalty points and save money on their purchases through in-store mobile phone offers, and 45 percent would like to receive real-time promotions sent to their phones or tablet computers. Yet, only 28 percent of retailers have the capability to deliver that service.
“It is critical for retailers to build the capabilities such as digital marketing and analytics that will enable them to tap into the core strengths of the physical store and seamlessly integrate with the rest of their digital offerings,” Richards said. “The winners will be those most successful at transitioning their online visitors into in-store purchasers and vice versa.”
Few embrace mobile pay
Though some consumers want retailers to amp up their mobile offerings, according to a CreditCards.com report, two-thirds of Americans don’t want to use their cellphones to make purchases.
The report indicates that the public is skeptical of services like Apple Pay and Google Wallet, despite massive promotional efforts from the companies.
Only six percent of survey respondents would “always” make a mobile payment compared to 11 percent who would do so “most of the time.”
“The biggest obstacles to mobile payments usage are convenience and security,” CreditCards.com senior industry analyst Matt Schulz said in a statement. “Consumers are already very comfortable swiping their credit and debit cards. Most people don’t see why a mobile payments service would be quicker, easier or more secure.”
Training course set
The Urban Chamber of Commerce presents “Creating a Winning Capabilities Statement,” a three-part series to help boost business with various agencies.
April 14 kicks off the first part, which will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., and will provide suppliers with corporate expectations, supplier diversity program criteria, and tips on creating a winning Capabilities Statement for government and private sectors.
From 9 to 11 a.m. May 5, Fortune 1000 corporations and government procurement officials will review capabilities statements during a one-on-one corporate connection. Structured, direct feedback will be given during the session.
Confirmed corporate and government participants include Caesars Entertainment Corp., Whiting-Turner, MGM Resorts International, College of Southern Nevada and Wynn Resorts Ltd.
All sessions will be held at the Urban Chamber of Commerce Training Room, 1951 Stella Lake St., Suite 30.
For more information or to register, visit www.urbanchamber.org.
