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More than 60 percent of consumers are increasing their online shopping activity

The SmartFocus survey also reveals a significant age-related gap in digital shopping preferences. Nearly half of all millennials spend more time shopping online than in stores while only 27 percent of baby boomers prefer to shop online.

September 15, 2014

According to a new consumer survey commissioned by digital marketing company SmartFocus, while the majority of consumers prefer to shop and spend their money in brick-and-mortar retail stores, more than 60 percent are increasing their online shopping activities. This trend is most prevalent among women (71 percent) and millennials.

The SmartFocus survey also reveals a significant age-related gap in digital shopping preferences. Nearly half of all millennials spend more time shopping online than in stores while only 27 percent of Baby Boomers (consumers aged 55 and up) prefer to shop online.

There's also a gender gap, with women more likely than men to identify and buy products on a smartphone and receive offers from brands via smartphone or email. However, about half of both men and women in the U.S. were open to sharing personal data with brands.

Across the board people admitted to browsing in stores and then buying online ("showrooming"), with more than 60 percent of those in the U.S. saying this was something they did. More than 70 percent of shoppers cited price as a reason for showrooming.

Of the 1,515 shoppers surveyed, millennials are the most open to receiving product offers via email and sharing personal data with a brand in exchange for a more personalized shopping experience. Overall, about 75 percent of U.S. shoppers welcome digital offers and discounts — particularly women, 78 percent of whom were receptive to digital offers. Other survey findings include:

• 70 percent of Americans believe that technological advances and the Internet of Everything will continue to change the way they shop;
• by a 2:1 ratio, Americans report that they still love to shop at a mall or in a retail store, but 61 percent admit that they spot products at stores and then buy them online;
• bargain hunters are more likely to buy something if they've received a discount offer via email or text; and
• more than 60 percent of Americans don't understand location-based marketing and beacon technology.

"The U.S. shopper survey shows that consumers are becoming more sophisticated about digital shopping," said Rob Mullen, SmartFocus CEO. "Using mobile phones and tablets to find bargains is becoming the norm rather than the exception."