The local mobile advantage of retailing

The Local Mobile
Advantage of Retailing
A Snapshot of How Mobile
Untangles and Enhances the
Path to Brick and Mortar

2The Local Mobile Advantage of Retailing
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................... 3
Methodology & Objectives ............................................................. 3
Major Findings ............................................................................... 4
Survey ............................................................................................ 5
Conclusion ..................................................................................... 8
About G/O Digital and Key Ring .................................................... 9
The Local Mobile Advantage of Retailing

Introduction
Retail shopping today – in a world where digital and mobile
devices are the norm – is no longer just about reaching people
faster and more effectively. It’s about reaching them in more
personal, targeted and meaningful ways. Because of the
benefits afforded by this new “always on, always connected”
way of life, some analysts believe mobile has complicated the
path to purchase. However, that is far from the case.
The path to purchase – traditionally ordered from discovery to
consideration to purchase to loyalty – is no longer what it once
was. As more and more consumers divide their attention
across multiple devices and screens – at home, at work and
on-the-go – it’s become even more difficult for retailers to
connect, engage and build meaningful, long-term relationships
with consumers. For many retailers, these challenges have
caused them to approach their marketing with a channel-
specific strategy. However, this is a missed opportunity and
one that fails to drive sales from online and mobile channels
to brick-and-mortar stores.
This opportunity – as we see it – will rest heavily on how
brands and retailers leverage iBeacons and push-notification
technology to deliver more contextually relevant and proximity-
aware advertising to shoppers in real-time. The end goal
should be to create a seamless, customer-focused shopping
experience – from the second screen to physical stores – that
is as easy-to-use, intuitive and engaging as possible.
Methodology & Objectives
In order to gain insight into the digital and mobile shopping preferences of US
adults, Key Ring, a G/O Digital company, conducted a research study to
understand how consumers use their smartphones and tablets in the pre-store,
in-store and post-store shopping stages. The study was fielded from May 27,
2014 to June 2, 2014 and garnered a total of over 13,000 responses from Key
Ring app users, aged 18 years or older, who own at least one desktop/laptop
computer and a smartphone or tablet.

Mobile shopping lists facilitate in-store purchases.
of mobile shoppers indicated they “always” create a shopping list before they shop and
another 39 percent do so “often.”
Major Findings
Purchase influencers are not identical across retail categories.
Smartphones promise greater “list making” convenience than tablets.
of respondents reported that their smartphone is the most convenient device to create
a shopping list prior to visiting a physical retail store. This is in stark contrast to only
6.1 percent of respondents who prefer to use their tablets and 4.7 percent of respondents who
find their computers to be most convenient.
Beacons and push-notification technology have the power
to untangle and enhance the path to brick-and-mortar.
When asked to identify the type of device that is “easiest to use” for
shopping in a physical store, a whopping
of respondents
identified their
smartphones.
90%
Mobile acts as
conduit for
saving money.
Saving money in
research stage leads to
in-store transactions.
overwhelmingly ranks as the Number 1
mobile shopping activity (35.86 percent),
ahead of “buy item online” (12.05 percent).
Nearly half of respondents (47.4 percent) say they are most likely to purchase
an item in-store that they have been researching or planning from their mobile
device “when the item goes on sale” or “when I find a coupon.”
“Search for
a coupon”$
The convenience of everyday low
prices (20.7 percent) trumps
discounts for grocery shoppers.
Apparel and shoe shoppers, on the
other hand, set their sights on sales
and clearance items (60.7 percent).
Meanwhile, ratings and reviews (54.4
percent) top the list of influencing factors
for electronics and technology purchases.
20.7% 60.7% 54.4%
89.3%
22%

Match the type of device that is easiest
to use for the following activities:
Making Grocery Lists
Shopping In-Store While Cooking
To Plan Meals Browsing Deals,
Coupons & Sales
Finding Recipes
80.6%
90.7%
24.1%
25.3% 27.4%
21.9%
50.7%
31.6%
43.1%
18.5%
29.1%
52.4%
9.3%
10.1%
4.2%
53.9%
22%
5.1%
ComputerTabletMobile
Beacons and Push-Notification
Technology Will Untangle &
EnhancePathtoBrick-and-Mortar
When asked to identify the type of device that is “easiest to
use” for shopping in a physical store, a whopping 90 percent
of respondents identified their smartphones. Meanwhile, over
three-quarters of respondents (80.6 percent) believe their
computers are easiest to use when browsing deals, coupons
and sales. What this should tell brand marketers and
brick-and-mortar retailers is that digital and physical do not
have to butt heads.
In today’s “Age of the Customer,” consumers want and expect
the shopping experience across every single channel and
device to be highly personal, relevant and targeted to their
local needs – and in real-time too. That means retailers must
understand how and where their consumers are interacting
with their brands, services and products – across every stage
of the shopping experience.
This is where iBeacons and push notification technology will
prove to be a critical tool in helping both sides – marketers and
brick-and-mortar – deliver hyperlocal, contextually relevant ads
in real-time to ultimately facilitate in-store transactions. In fact,
a recent study conducted by our partner inMarket found that
the use of beacons in retail stores caused a 19-time increase in
interactions with advertised products, a 16.5-time increase in
app usage in-store and a 6.4-time increase in the likelihood
that a shopper kept an app that sent them a beacon message
on their phone.
Mobile Acts as Conduit for
Saving Money
According to our study, “search for a coupon” overwhelmingly
ranked as the Number 1 activity (35.86 percent) that respondents
perform when shopping on their mobile devices. Coming in as the
Number 2 and Number 3 most popular mobile shopping activities
are “access shopping list” (25.61 percent) and “buy item online”
(12.05 percent), respectively. Clearly, mobile acts as a conduit for
helping consumers save money. Retailers and brand marketers
must first understand the role mobile devices play across the
entire shopping funnel before they can create shopping
experiences and advertising that is tuned into their needs
at the most personal, contextually relevant and local level.
Search for
Coupon
Accessing Shopping List
Buy Item
Online
Browse Deals
and Sales
Compare
Prices
Check Ratings & Reviews
What types of shopping activities do
you perform on a mobile device?
35.86%
25.61%
12.05%
9.22%
6.32%
10.32%
Note: Figures may not add to 100, due to rounding.

Saving Money in Research Stage Leads to
In-Store Transactions
100
R
esearch
an
Item
What types of activities do you perform
when you need to buy something?
When are you most likely to purchase an item
you have been researching or planning to buy?
When do you search for offers and deals?
C
om
pare
Prices
Search
for
C
oupons
Add
Item
s
to
Shopping
List
M
ake
Purchase
In-Store
orO
nline
75
50
25
0
70.5%
81.1%
73.3%
59.6%
54.7%
Every
tim
e
IPlan
a
Shopping
Trip
W
hen
Iam
Shopping
In-store
Frequently
in
m
y
Free
Tim
e
O
nly
W
hen
I N
eed
Som
ething
Specific
R
ightBefore
IPurchase
Som
ething
O
nline
75
50
25
0
7.8%
39.6%
29.6%
23.0%
When I find a coupon
When the item goes on sale
When I need the item
When I am finished comparing
the item to the other similar items
36.7%
29.2%
39.3%
43%
49.2%
R
esearch
an
Item
When are you most likely to purchase an item
you have been researching or planning to buy?
C
om
pare
Prices
Search
for
C
oupons
Add
Item
s
to
Shopping
List
M
ake
Purchase
In-Store
orO
nline
25
0
Every
tim
e
IPlan
a
Shopping
Trip
W
hen
Iam
Shopping
In-store
Frequently
in
m
y
Free
Tim
e
O
nly
W
hen
I N
eed
Som
ething
Specific
R
ightBefore
IPurchase
Som
ething
O
nline
0
7.8%
39.6%
29.6%
23.0%
When I find a coupon
When the item goes on sale
When I need the item
When I am finished comparing
the item to the other similar items
Due in large part to the convenience and instant connectivity of
mobile devices, shoppers today are prone to do their fair share
of investigating, researching and comparison-shopping before
stepping into a physical store. As a result of this webrooming
behavior, the study found that 39.6 percent of respondents are
most likely to purchase an item they have been researching or
planning to buy “when the item goes on sale” and 23 percent of
respondents are most likely to do so when they are finished
comparing the item to other similar items.

Smartphones Promise Greater “List Making”
Convenience than Tablets
In today’s digitally ruled and interconnected environment, mobile devices have become a natural extension of consumers’ lives across
every stage of the shopping experience – from pre-store to in-store to post-store. Interestingly, the study found that smartphones
dominate as the most convenient device in making shopping lists. In fact, 89.3 percent of respondents reported that their smartphone
is the most convenient device to create a shopping list prior to visiting a physical retail store. This is in stark contrast to only 6.1
percent of respondents who prefer to use their tablets and 4.7 percent of respondents who find their computers to be most convenient.
These findings should reassure retailers of the value of mobile
devices in the path to in-store purchases. More importantly, it
should dispel the myth that mobile poses a threat to brick and
mortar. That is not the case. Instead, retailers should first
understand how shoppers are using each device in each stage of
the shopping experience. From there, it’s important for retailers to
deploy the type of advertising across their mobile sites and apps
that simplifies and improves the shopping experience – and
ultimately, moves shoppers from the second screen into physical
stores. That should be the metric of success for today’s retailers.
10.9%
60.7%
9.4%
7.9%
Having a coupon
or offer
Item being on sale
or clearance
Wide selection
Brands
None of the above 11.0%
GROCERY: Convenience &
Quality Trump Coupons
Having a coupon
Everyday low price
Item is on sale
Quality of item
None of the above
13.1%
20.7%
29.8%
26.4%
10.1%
APPAREL & SHOES: All Eyes Are
On Sales and Clearance Items
Brand
Item Being on Sale
None of the Above
Reviews &
Recommendations
Having a Coupon
or Offer
15.2%
21.1%
54.4%
3.4%
5.9%
ELECTRONICS/TECHNOLOGY:
Reviews and Recommendations
Matter Most
Purchase Influencers
Are Not Identical Across
Retail Categories
What’s crystal clear from our research is that purchase influencers
are not identical across retail categories. Interestingly, the
convenience of everyday low prices (20.7 percent) far outweigh
the benefits of a coupon (13.1 percent) for grocery shoppers.
For shoppers in search of clothing and shoes, on the other hand, sale
or clearance items rank as the top purchase influencer at 60.7 percent
- this is in stark contrast to having a coupon or offer (10.9 percent).
Meanwhile, reviews and recommendations (54.4 percent) tops the
list as the most important influencing factor for shoppers buying
electronics and technology. To retailers, this presents a huge
opportunity to align content organization and presentation on the
web, mobile and social media with these purchase influencers.
If you were to create a digital list, which
device is the most convenient for you?
ComputerTabletMobile89%
6%
5%
Note: Figures may not add to 100, due to rounding.Note: Figures may not add to 100, due to rounding.

Conclusion
In a recent Forrester Research blog, analyst Sucharita Mulpuru
professed that digital and physical are not the death of each other.
To put it in her own words: “The web keeps doing what it has
always done well: it provides huge assortments of products, at
comparable, often lower, prices than physical stores, with 24/7
access and often free shipping. For many categories like media
products or electronics, we’ve already observed a heavy shift to
the web channel away from physical stores. Add to that the
ubiquity of mobile devices and that drives even more shopping in
more instances and places. In fact, we’re projecting that $87B of
that $294B will happen on phones and tablets in 2014, and that
doesn’t even include another $28B in additional mobile
transactions on sites and apps like Uber and Domino’s Pizza that
aren’t even in that aforementioned mobile commerce number.”
Because we live in an era of empowered shoppers, brand marketers and brick-and-mortar retailers do not have an easy order to fill. As
consumers juggle with multiple devices and across channels to simplify and improve their shopping experience – from start to finish – it
will not be worthwhile to invest marketing dollars and resources into creating personalized content and advertising if it is not locally
targeted and contextually relevant to the real-time needs of consumers. Only then will it be possible for both sides – brick-and-mortar
and digital – to partake in significant pieces of the revenue pie.
Mobile Shopping Lists
Facilitate In-Store Purchases
As evidenced by the study, shopping lists help today’s
increasingly mobile-first shoppers browse, research and prepare
prior to stepping inside a physical retail store. In fact, 22 percent
of respondents indicated they “always” create a shopping list
before they shop and another 39 percent do so “often.”
We’re projecting $294B in eCommerce
sales across 30 retail categories in 2014,
expected to grow to $414B by 2018...Add
to that the ubiquity of mobile devices
and that drives even more shopping in
more instances and places.”
- Sucharita Mulpuru
Vice President, Prinicipal Analyst, Forrester Research
“
Do you create a shopping list
before you shop?
Often
Sometimes
Always
I Don’t Create Lists
39%
34%
22%
5%
This is further proof that mobile shopping is gaining momentum in parallel to the growth in smartphone and tablet adoption and
usage worldwide. It also signals to retailers a tremendous opportunity to create location-based targeted advertising that makes
the mobile shopping experience easy, intuitive and engaging and most importantly, personalized and locally relevant. By doing
so, retailers will not only see their mobile-specific engagement and sales grow, they will also experience a significant uptick in
local store sales.

About G/O Digital
The G/O Digital vision: To Transform Local Marketing and #WinLocal.
For Local Businesses, G/O Digital, a Gannett company, is a one-stop shop for local businesses looking to
connect with consumers through digital marketing, from search to social and everything in between. For
National Brands and Agencies, G/O Digital delivers local digital activation at national scale with push-button
simplicity powered by G/O Digital brands Shoplocal, BLiNQ Media & Key Ring
G/O Digital partners with more than 5,000 of the nation’s top brands and retailers, including P&G, Target, Walmart and
Walgreens and leads digital marketing programs with thousands of local businesses across more than 110 local markets.
For more information, visit godigitalmarketing.com.
About Key Ring
Key Ring, part of G/O Digital, a Gannett Company (GCI), delivers leading mobile solutions to
attract, engage and reward customers. The #1 shopping app for consumers, Key Ring has more than
10 million downloads and more than 50 million loyalty cards uploaded across industries from retail to
airlines, grocery and restaurants. Key Ring also provides shoppers with on-the-go, mobile access to
interactive shopping list development and digital promotions from 160 retailers representing more than
2,000 loyalty programs in 27 retail categories. Key Ring leverages its cutting edge technology and expansive user base to drive
in-store transactions, increase customer engagement, digitize loyalty programs for retailers, and promote CPG products to
hyper-targeted audiences. For more information about Key Ring, visit keyringapp.com.
Contact Us
For Corporate Marketing, Please Contact:
Addi McCauley, Director of Marketing
Key Ring, A G/O Digital Company
Tel: 214.721.0955
Email: addimccauley@keyringapp.com
For Corporate Communications & Media Relations, Please Contact:
Ragini Bhalla, Director of Public Relations & Content
G/O Digital, A Gannett Company (GCI)
Tel: 312.216.1423
Email: ragini.bhalla@gannett.com
in

The local mobile advantage of retailing

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Harrison Weber

More from Harrison Weber (20)

The local mobile advantage of retailing