News

Survey: 90 percent of wireless retailers looking to improve the in-store experience

October 25, 2011

iQmetrix, a provider of retail management software for the North American wireless industry, has announced the results of its 7th annual "State of the Wireless Industry" survey released at its Wireless Summit held in Miami, FL Oct. 16-18. The survey, conducted by iQmetrix, polled 158 independent wireless resellers across North America, and provides an inside peek at trends, challenges and plans for expansion.

The most significant finding was that despite economic uncertainty, the majority of mobile resellers expect growth over the next five years. Additionally, nearly half of the mobile resellers surveyed see recruiting and retaining staff to be one of their biggest business challenges.

Highlights of the survey include:

• Nearly 70 percent of respondents believe the industry will continue to grow over the next five years, with the same percentage planning to expand their businesses.
• More than 85 percent plan to improve the in-store experience in 2012 with a focus on employee training (88 percent) and store design (63 percent).
• Mobile payments, digital signage, interactive retail and location-based advertising will be the top in-store investments for 2012.
• 70 percent of respondents are currently using social media to communicate with their customers and many are planning to invest in mobile advertising in the near future.
• Trends and technology that respondents consider important for the future include: 4G, mobile broadband growth beyond traditional devices with a continued growth of tablets and mobile payments.