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Study: Young shoppers want integration of online, store experience

July 11, 2012

Millennials rely on brick-and-mortar stores and technology equally to access information or to gain insights about a product they plan to purchase, according to a study from Info Retail, an Atlanta-based strategy and design agency focused on the control and simplification of buying experiences.

The study found that the 18-to-35 year-olds were twice as likely to use technology to learn about products as their older counterparts. The majority also reported that the shopping experience was less than satisfying and that 64 percent of younger adult shoppers are using the web and 65 percent are using stores for sources of information. This information confirms for retailers that information both online and in the store must be consistent and that retailers must show continuity between the store and the web to keep the interest of young shoppers, said Florian Vollmer, senior vice president and principle of Info Retail.

"There's a big canyon between how the under-35 and the over-35-year old shop," he said. "The Retail Integration Survey allows us to focus on touch points that brands use to inform their customers. These results help us discover which of those touch points customers truly find meaningful in making buying decisions. The information we gathered from this survey highlights the future of multitouchpoint customer experiences for brands, retailers and manufacturers."

The 35-and-older group reported that the integration at each touch point was seamless, whereas the 18-35 group felt that the integration needed work.

"Younger shoppers have higher expectations for touch point integration," Vollmer said. "There's a big gap between the expectations of younger and older adult shoppers. These have to be managed to create a successful experience."

Read more about customer behavior.