Staying current on the latest retail customer trends can help businesses tailor their marketing and sales efforts to drive up sales and draw in customers. The latest report from Interactions, a retail solutions provider, indicated that most women research products before they buy, and the majority do so through merchant websites.

According to the survey findings, 91 percent of women research before they buy, and good reviews are enough for 92 percent to pay more for a particular brand. Conversely, negative reviews are enough to turn 67 percent of female shoppers off from buying an item. Most women (60 percent) turn to retailer websites to find these reviews, while only 3 percent check social media sites, making it increasingly important for retailers to focus on ecommerce software and marketing strategies. More female shoppers are also using their mobile devices to research, with 37 percent whipping out their phones while at brick-and-mortar locations.

"These numbers speak to the impact that mobile is having in the retail industry," said Giovanni DeMeo, Interactions' vice president of global marketing and analytics. "Consumers want information on their terms and their schedules, which means that both retailers and manufacturers need to adapt, if they haven't already." 

In the digital age, consumers expect more from retailers online, in-store and via mobile, making an omnichannel approach a major boon to improving services. Having a streamlined retail technology setup will attract customers, especially the younger crowd, and help bring in more sales and repeat shoppers.

Omnichannel strategies allow consumers to seamlessly take their shopping experience from one platform to the next, and 84 percent of retailers believe this is key to create a consistent experience for shoppers, according to TeleTech. Many of the consumers who fall in line with this sentiment are in their 30s and younger. A recent survey of retail customer trends conducted by Retail Pro International and Merchant Warehouse revealed that 53 percent of millennials prefer seamless shopping experiences across multiple channels.

Combining various channels  – computers, smartphones, tablets and brick-and-mortar stores – streamlines marketing and sales. This allows customers to research a product on their smartphones, see it in person at a store and then make a purchase from their computer without any gaps in service. Marketing Interactive reported that more shoppers are using brick-and-mortar locations more like showrooms so they can "try before they buy" in person before deciding to purchase it.

Knowing where to find consumers and how to give them what they want is a major aspect of marketing, and the results of a recent ShopVisible report provide valuable insight for retailers. The Influence & Impact report focused on retail customer trends concerning marketing, various shopping channels, payment methods and more, and the results showed that ecommerce traffic grew, especially when it came to mobile and tablet use.

"Our Influence and Impact report serves sellers by helping them make informed decisions about omnichannel commerce trends. Chiefly, mobile commerce is booming, so online retailers must provide an optimized experience on all devices, or potentially risk losing sales," said Sean Cook, CEO and co-founder of ShopVisible.

Mobile and tablet use drove retail traffic
The survey results showed that site traffic is increasingly coming from mobile devices and tablets, as these accounted for 20 percent of site traffic during the holiday season, and 30 percent for the entire year. Not only are handheld devices becoming more prominent among consumers, but the need to implement ecommerce software that caters to this technology will only increase. Optimizing a retail site for mobile use can help convert site visitors to paying customers.

Omnichannel strategies remain important
When it came to online sales, the survey found that only 4 percent of shoppers made purchases through their smartphones and only 11 percent used tablets to buy online. The other 85 percent made their online purchases via desktops, which had the highest conversion rate of 2.5 percent. Mobile and tablet conversion rates came in at 0.5 and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Streamlining ecommerce software to make it easier for consumers to seamlessly switch from mobile to desktop may prove beneficial, especially if retailers are willing to examine their point of sale services. More shoppers were using alternatives to credit cards to make purchases online last year, as the survey found more than 25 percent of orders were made with services like Amazon Payments, PayPal and Bill Me Later.

Optimizing online experience will prove most useful
Although 2013 saw an 8 percent increase in overall site traffic, the survey found that only 35 percent of visits to retail sites were made by returning customers. This is a clear indicator that online merchants should consider focusing on retail technology that improves the online shopping experience across every channel to reap the most reward. Having POS software that allows customers to easily transition between platforms may be a cornerstone of change that leads to more sales and repeat business.

Retail customer trends indicate that most consumers are willing to pay a little more in exchange for better service and higher quality products. Two recent reports found that shoppers are looking for better experiences and goods, rating these factors as more important than lower prices. 

In a recent study, Duke University's Fuqua School of Business discovered that shoppers were more concerned about product quality than getting the best deal on price, eMarketer reported. Of the survey respondents, 31.0 percent said quality was the most influential factor, compared to 16.8 percent who said low prices were their biggest concern. This marks a change from Duke's August 2013 study, where the number of shoppers concerned most with prices was nearly equal to those focusing on quality (22.7 and 21.0 percent, respectively).

Similarly, a retail customer intelligence report by SDL revealed that 60 percent of global consumers and 75 percent of shoppers in the U.S. will open their pocketbooks a bit wider for brands providing a positive customer experience. 

In their retail marketing strategies, merchants can use these insights to optimize their initiatives. For example, the SDL study recommended focusing on ways to enhance the customer experience.

Retail technology offers merchants many opportunities to enhance the customer experience and improve their marketing strategies. However, the popularity of mobile devices and social media is also shaping consumer expectations and transforming the way they respond to less-than-satisfactory service. For example, an unhappy shopper might take to Twitter to vent his frustration, potentially spurring a PR problem. Merchants need to leverage their own technological resources to mend relationships with unhappy customers and improve their service.

Forbes magazine described how Wal-Mart improved its approach to online criticism by shifting from a no-action policy to a rapid-action response. In other words, rather than let negative comments sit out in the Internet universe, the retailer quickly responded to comments on Twitter and similar platforms. The source emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive, respectful attitude.

"People are not looking for perfection online," Shama Kabani, CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, told Forbes. "What they're really looking for is humanity and a genuine response, so a negative review can be a great opportunity to respond in a positive and transparent manner."

Additionally, merchants can use data analytics to identify their shortcomings, suggested Business 2 Community contributor Christy Uher Ferguson, Teradata's applications community strategy leader. Using insights from retail reports, store managers can improve their operations to address shoppers' concerns.

Merchants should remember the needs and preferences of older people as while implementing retail technology. In addition to the humanitarian value of making life a little easier for the aging, it's also good for business.

According to Neilsen, the World Health Organization indicated that the number of people 60 years old and older will reach an impressive 2 billion by 2050. As baby boomers age, the older demographic will be increasingly important to the merchants, but the retail industry is under-prepared to serve this group well, the source cautioned.

"The findings serve as a wake-up call to manufacturers, retailers and other marketers that need to bolster efforts to better reach and cater to an aging demographic," said Todd Hale, senior vice president of consumer & shopper insights at Nielsen.

Where does technology fit in? First, merchants can use retail customer intelligence to identify trends in what aging populations need and prefer as well as offer personalized suggestions to older patrons. For example, Marketing Charts explained that older age groups responded favorably to services like immersive shopping technology, which allows shoppers to virtually "try on" clothes on a high-definition screen. Retailers should also remember the needs of the elderly when planning their technology, making sure services like in-store kiosks are accessible and intuitive for this group of people.

Retail industry leaders are driving changes to enhance the customer experience across their channels. According to a recent survey, this strategy is a wise one, since providing excellent service has a positive impact on the bottom line. The J.D. Power 2014 Customer Champions recognized how high-performing companies are prioritizing customer relationships to drive their business success.

"Not only does satisfaction encourage customer loyalty, but happy customers also become advocates of the brand to others. Particularly given the ability of today's consumers to easily communicate their experiences far and wide through social media and online reviews, customer advocacy can be critical to a company's bottom line," said Finbarr O'Neill, president of J.D. Power.

Innovations in retail technology offer merchants additional resources to empower their employees to better assist patrons. For example, mobile POS systems allow clerks to be more present to customers in the store and offer them convenient check-out options. The key to the success of these initiatives is to engage employees and make sure they're on board with programs and processes, such as by providing better training to ensure they're comfortable with the technology. Other organizations have found success in creating fun engagement strategies that put customer service at the center of the company culture, CIO Magazine explained. For example, FreshDesk introduced a game-like point system to motivate its workers to provide better service.

Although cold weather kept many shoppers indoors last month, consumer sentiment indexes continued their slow but steady rise, offering optimistic news for the retail industry. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment increased to 81.6 in February, up from 81.2 in January. The February result was slightly above analysts' predictions.

"While the harsh winter weather has kept consumers away from retail outlets, it has not had a detrimental impact on their outlook for future economic conditions," said Richard Curtin, chief economist for the consumer sentiment survey. "Consumers have displayed remarkable resiliency in the face of the polar vortex as well as higher utility bills and minimal employment gains."

Money News mentioned that shoppers' growing optimism comes from their expectations to have higher incomes over the next year, giving them more disposable income – even if they wait for the weather to warm up before hitting stores.

"Consumer spending will continue on the same pace and grow modestly throughout the year," predicted Yelena Shulyatyeva, U.S. economist at BNP Paribas in New York, according to Bloomberg. 

The economy still has a long way to go on its recovery, but these numbers offer hope that retail customer trends will continue to move in a positive direction.