Article
Report: Path to online purchasing is nonlinear
New survey results found that 60 percent of consumers shop online at least once a month and prefer smartphones to tablets.
April 28, 2015 by Josh Fischer — Editor, NetWorld
Bronto Software's "Consumers Tell All" research asked more than 1,000 shoppers to reveal how they shop, confess what irritates them and disclose what makes them want to make a purchase. According to the data, consumers are not spontaneously window shopping via online stores or casually browsing product pages, said Jim Davidson, head of research for Bronto Software. Instead, they are utilizing multiple devices to extend their shopping experience and influence purchase decisions, creating a nonlinear path to purchase that today's marketers need to understand and embrace.
Not only do modern shoppers take a nonlinear path to making their purchases, it's how they regularly shop. A quarter of the online shoppers surveyed made an online purchase at least once a week; consumers from the 30-39 age group were the most active online shoppers, according to the study, with 37 percent of that age group making a weekly purchase.
Apps vs browser
The study reported that 61 percent of shoppers said they prefer buying on a mobile Web browser as opposed to using a mobile app.
That doesn't mean shoppers aren't downloading and using apps, however, said Davidson.
"This data should not be a cause for alarm," he said. "Retailers should start finding ways to utilize apps that go beyond presenting an app-ified version of their mobile site. Apps, such as Target's Cartwheel, go beyond site browsing within an app and give shoppers a unique way to shop and save that would not be easily accomplished within a mobile browser."
Males vs female shoppers
A large part of the study focused on the online shopping habits of modern shoppers and found that 60 percent of consumers shop online at least once per month, with one in four shopping online at least once per week. Males shop online more than females, according to the study that found 30 percent of men shopped online vs the 18 percent of females. Females shopping online once per week declined 7 percent, according to the study.
"It's surprising that the shopping frequency of males is higher than females," said Davidson. "However, the frequency of male vs female shoppers may in reality reflect a change in the perception of what defines online shopping – especially that of these most active online shoppers."
These stats have forced retailers to create seamless shopping experiences between channels, where shoppers can easily transition between devices while they research purchases, Davidson said.
"This multi-device, cross-channel behavior goes beyond the actions of what has traditionally defined online shopping, visiting a product page on a retailer's website, adding an item to the cart and starting the checkout process," he said.
Shopping by regions
Regionally, the Bronto also report provided some fascinating results. Online shoppers in the Western half of the United States are the most active with 66 percent making purchases online at least once per month. The proportion of weekly shoppers in the Northeast jumped 5 percent, while the South and Midwest showed declines of 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
In the final analysis, the report corroborates the shift in retail tactics coinciding with technology and consumer's imbedded habits involving their computers, tablets and smartphones.
"Consumers who have historically shopped less frequently and are engaging in ways they never have before may perceive these back-of-the-funnel interactions as part of the shopping process," said Davidson. "As retailers make these tools more convenient, useful and accessible, consumer adoption has increased."
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