Poll reveals how high streets are used for shopping inspiration
A new poll has revealed that one in three UK shoppers visit the high street to window-shop using their smartphones to compare prices, then save the details for buying items online or for making a purchase at a later date.
The survey of 2,000 UK shoppers, commissioned for digital wallet provider Skrill, found that 22.8% of respondents had compared prices on their mobiles when out shopping while 33.6% had saved details of an item in store to complete their purchase online. In addition, 33.8% were found to have seen an item in store but ordered it online at another time.
A small, but potentially significant, 7.4% of high street shoppers admitted to using their smartphones as an alternative check-out and purchased goods while in store, a figure that rises to 10.1% for those aged 25-34 years.
Siegfried Heimgaertner, Skrill CEO commented: “Our research has uncovered an emerging generation of shopper, one who is combining their mobile device with the internet to reach an alternative retail check-out process.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“While we see cries of the ‘death of the high street’, consumers continue to leave the house for shopping inspiration, even if they then make the purchase via a smartphone or at home on the computer. As a result, we see an opportunity for high street retailers to turn browsers into buyers whilst in-store.
“We expect this trend to continue as people look to remove traditional cash and card transactions. It will be fascinating to see what’s in-store for the future of shopping, with physical stores, online and mobile all incorporated into the retail experience.”
