Retailers, Don't Fear the Phone: More Than Half of Holiday Shoppers Will Use Their Phone to Support Purchasing Decisions

CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-six percent of consumers plan to use their phones this holiday season – and it goes beyond looking up prices. Today, Vibes, a mobile marketing technology leader, revealed consumer research presenting the specific ways shoppers plan to use their mobile phones to check off their lists this holiday season. Topping the list is looking up product information in order to trigger purchase decisions (53 percent) followed by finding specific store information such as location and hours (48 percent).

"For retailers, this insight into consumers' mobile plans could lead to a much more lucrative holiday," said Jack Philbin, co-founder and CEO of Vibes. "While retailers intuitively know mobile is a game-changer, so many of them get stuck when it comes to developing and implementing a strategy that sticks with consumers. These findings give them insight into today's mobile shopper so they can leverage mobile the way consumers plan to use it."

Key Findings

• For 53 percent of consumers, the No. 1 way they plan to use their phones this holiday season is to look up product information in order to help make the right purchase
• For retailers to break through the noise this holiday season, consumers report the following resonate most to get them into a store: 
  • 44 percent want to receive compelling offers and discounts
  • 17 percent are looking for the best selection of products
  • 14 percent will look for the most convenient location
  • 13 percent want personalized offers/discounts relevant to their behaviors (earlier research from Vibes found that 89 percent of consumers would sign up for mobile messages if they were personalized)
• Thirty-four percent will use their phones as a mobile wallet to organize coupons and loyalty cards (earlier research from Vibes found that 44 percent of non-mobile wallet users claim a non-payment mobile wallet tool would enhance their shopping experience)
• When it comes to using their phones to shop, 32 percent of consumers plan to make purchases on mobile websites, demonstrating the importance for retailers to develop omnichannel strategies
• Showrooming consumers (those who admit to showrooming activities often or always) are more likely to desire a more personalized experience from in-store personnel (9 percent versus 3 percent of non-showroomers)
• Those same showrooming consumers are more likely to respond positively to an engaging and fun mobile experience (8 percent versus 2 percent of non-showroomers)

An infographic illustrating the findings can be viewed here.

Methodology
The Vibes Mobile Consumer Report was fielded by the independent panel research firm Equation Research. Responses were generated from a survey among 1,000 smartphone owners from their online opinion panel. All respondents are age 18 or older and living in the continental United States. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.1 percent.

About Vibes
Founded in 1998, Vibes is a mobile marketing technology leader that helps some of the world's biggest brands acquire, engage and deepen relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Vibes' Catapult Mobile Relationship Management (MRM) platform enables marketers to drive revenue growth and loyalty through mobile messaging, mobile wallet marketing leveraging Apple's Passbook and Google Wallet, post-click engagement, and advanced segmentation, targeting and personalization. Vibes has delivered more than 3 billion mobile experiences on behalf of customers that include Sears, Home Depot, Verizon, Allstate, The Gap, Tribune, Fox, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Gannett and the Chicago Bulls.  Gartner Research recently named Vibes a "Cool Vendor in Mobile Marketing" and Forrester Research, Inc. recently featured Vibes in the October 2013 Mobile Messaging Vendor Overview report. The Common Short Code Administration (CSCA) recognizes Vibes as one of only seven Tier 1 aggregators with secure, direct connections to all the major carriers. To learn more about Vibes, visit www.vibes.com or connect on Facebook.com/VibesMedia or Twitter.com/Vibes. 

SOURCE Vibes