Research points to strong mobile use in retail industry
Consumers are increasingly using mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and other gadgets to perform a variety of daily operations. This trend is making its way to retail, as shoppers are taking out their devices to browse for and purchase items, both in brick-and-mortar locations and on merchants’ websites. While some companies have implemented solutions that accommodate device-carrying customers, a significant number have not, and if they fail to do so in the near future, they would risk losing out on business. There are several systems that can be adopted to give shoppers more mobile options, such as mobile POS software and applications. Whatever the approach retailers decide to take, they do not need to ignore the growing importance of the technology, which is set to increase over the coming years within the industry.
Mobile needs to be fused with store operations
At the beginning, mobile purchases were mainly made outside of retail brick-and-mortar locations, as merchants did not have the solutions available to provide in-store customers with mobile options. However, that is expected to change, as the technology can now be used to draw shoppers into storefronts, according to UTalkMarketing. Citing its own research, the source reports that approximately 26 percent of smartphone owners and 35 percent of tablet owners browse for merchandise on their devices before going into stores to make purchases. In addition, 70 percent of respondents would like the option of being able to reserve items through their gadgets and then go pick up them up in retail brick-and-mortar locations.
So what do these findings mean for merchants? The results point out the growing importance of mobile devices within the retail realm, and the research can help businesses see how consumers are beginning to prefer to bridge the gap between mobile commerce and in-store visits, the source writes. To accommodate these shoppers and attract them to storefronts, companies can adopt solutions, such as mobile POS systems and applications, that encourage the use of the technology at brick-and-mortar locations.
Overall mobile retail sales set to increase
Whether they want to boost in-store mobile use or remote purchases, retailers need to know how much the technology will impact their operations – and bottom lines – in the coming years. Forbes reports that a study by Forrester Research revealed that mobile retail sales within the United States are expected to reach $31 billion by 2017. This trend is forecasted to grow globally as well, the source notes.
