A holiday shopping study conducted by Motorola Solutions found that 61 percent of retail managers surveyed believe that shoppers were found to be better connected to information than in-store associates, increasing from nearly 51 percent in 2010 and 59 percent in 2011.
Surveyed shoppers echoed a similar sentiment, with nearly one-half (46 percent) of Gen Y shoppers (people between the ages of 18-34), four in 10 (38 percent) Gen X shoppers (people between the ages of 35-49) and one-third (32 percent) Boomer shoppers (people between the ages of 50-64) felt better connected to product information than associates.
The study showed that the increasing utilization of shopping-related technologies is having an impact on the shopper experience across varied age demographics. Sixty-four percent of Gen Y and 52 percent of Gen X shoppers used their personal mobile device for shopping-related activities compared to only 37 percent of Boomer and less than 15 percent of pre-Boomer shoppers.
Fory-six percent of Gen Y and 36 percent of Gen X shoppers agreed that they can more readily locate information on their personal mobile device rather than asking a store associate for assistance. Only 19 percent of Boomer and less than 12 percent of pre-Boomer shoppers agreed. Moreover, 54 percent of Gen Y and 43 percent of Gen X shoppers were likely to access guest Wi-Fi for shopping-related activities. This compares to 34 percent of Boomer shoppers and 20 percent of pre-Boomer shoppers.
Almost half of surveyed shoppers (47 percent) agreed that they have a better experience when sales associates use the latest technologies to assist them, and 48 percent reported that helpful store associates motivated them to spend more in-store. More than half of surveyed shoppers (55 percent) believed that information kiosks help store associates improve the shopping experience. Boomers are also four times more likely to increase their spending as the result of a helpful associate than by using self-service technology.
Eighty-two percent of retail associates agreed that improving in-store communication between staff and managers would have a positive effect on shopper satisfaction, and 58 percent recognized the positive effect of mobile point of sale (mPOS) on the shopping experience.
Eduardo Conrado, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Motorola Solutions, said when shoppers have so many options, it is clear that retailers who embrace technology to enable their store associates to directly engage shoppers are creating differentiation through customer service. Retailers’ adoption of the right technology that targets shoppers of various age groups will help drive greater customer satisfaction and increased sales opportunities.