Here’s nother in a long list of recent research that is showing how smartphone users are changing the way consumers shop while they are in a store. This one is from JWire.
This chart highlights the next challenge retailers are facing because of the power of the Internet. It used to be retailers worried about consumers buying online and never coming into the store. Now they have to worry about consumers coming into their store, learning about the product, then buying the same product for a lower price online.
Short of the buying online scenario (12%), consumers are using smartphones to replace the sales rep as consumers do their own comparison shopping (34%) while they are in the store.
What’s a retailer to do?
How about getting ahead of the curve and give all of the sales reps a tablet computer that can access the retailer’s site that is loaded with great information, videos and testimonials. A tablet computer makes for a better sales presentation then what can be delivered on a smartphone, and the retailers stays in control of the process.
If you’re a brand manager, your first step is to make sure your retailers have all of the digital assets they need to deliver a great product presentation on your behalf, on both the fixed and mobile web. And, you have to make it attractive to your retailers and even better for your consumers by allowing your retailers to add their sales pitch to your product presentation.
You’re probably doing it today for print media in your online ad builder. Now you need an ad builder that also has digital templates that deliver html output for use online. Better yet, host those html pages so you can track and react to every offer, every day.