Consumers may make impulse purchases on a regular basis, but when it comes to desiring a specific item, they're likely to conduct research on the product, as well as the merchandisers that offer it for sale. The latest retail customer trends point toward a need for information, and shoppers are they're willing to obtain it from wherever they can find it.

Looking for convenience
According to Business News Daily, more people are beginning to research goods online and visit brick-and-mortar stores to purchase them, a process known as Webrooming. The source referenced a survey conducted by Merchant Warehouse, which discovered that nearly 75 percent of respondents said they engage in Webrooming because they don't want to pay for shipping or wait for delivery. Over one-third (37 percent) of study participants claimed they enjoyed the option of returning the item in-store, rather than having to ship it back.

Searching for opinions, the experience
Business News Daily acknowledged the consumer desire for a more intimate shopping experience. Sure, they can read product reviews and look at interactive 3D displays of items they're researching, but having a conversation with a sales representative or fellow customer in-store can convey so much more information. For example, a person looking for a laptop may look up different brands online and then go to a specialty retail store offering a particular model to seek expert advice.

Placing confidence in the order
At times, the inability to physically interact with goods can be a deal-breaker. There are some consumers who simply can't be assuaged by a collection of rave reviews posted on a website or detailed product description posted directly below the picture. Roopa Unnikrishnan, a contributor to Quartz, noted that 68 percent of online carts are abandoned, with 25 percent of customers saying they did so because navigating the website was too complicated.

Essentially, purchasing items from a brick-and-mortar store is much more simple. Unnikrishnan wrote that these centers offer solace to those who don't feel like perusing a website for half an hour looking for a specific product. Yet, she recognized the importance of differentiating one store from another. Specialty retailers – such as the hypothetical tech boutique mentioned in the third paragraph – can capitalize on such a strategy by bringing their own specific look and feel to the atmosphere. Taking time to visit an outlet is seen as a social experience, so taking the time to make it unique can work to a shop's advantage. 

Part of leveraging retail customer intelligence is finding out what people are willing to pay for. Producing a high-quality product and marketing it to a target audience consisting of individuals who may not be able to pay for said commodity is an example of poor analysis. Same-day shipping is becoming quite popular with many e-commerce businesses, prompting some of them to deduce whether their logistics operations will be able to support such an operation while still exercising cost-efficiency on the buyer's end of the deal.

Not on the radar
According to RetailWire, a survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers conducted by The Boston Consulting Group discovered that the majority of participants, about three in four, listed free delivery as a key decision-maker regarding purchases. Coming in at second were lower prices (50 percent). A mere 9 percent of respondents maintained that same-day delivery was a top priority. BCG noted that the latter contingency likely consisted of people between the ages of 18 and 34 with household incomes greater than $150,000 living in affluent urban areas.

"Same-day delivery will be a niche service in the near future," said BCG partner Rob Souza, as quoted by RetailWire. "Retailers may choose to offer it to build customer loyalty, enhance brand awareness, or keep up with the competition. But it is unlikely to generate significant revenues for either retailers or carriers."

Targeting the wrong audience?
For merchants offering discount prices, retail customer trends often point in the direction of affordability. The Boston Herald noted that nationwide merchandiser Target will try its hand at same-day delivery in Boston during June, allowing consumers within select parts of the New England city to order items online by 1:30 p.m and receive them between 6 and 9 p.m. for an additional $10. Jason Goldberger, Target's senior vice president, maintained that the the service will allow the retailer to deliver products more flexibly.

However, some critics such as Norwell analyst Michael Tesler believe that same-day shipping doesn't make sense for discount merchants, asserting that luxury brands such as Neiman Marcus could benefit from the practice because their customers will be willing to pay for it.

"Ten dollars additional on a Neiman Marcus item isn't very significant," said Tesler, as quoted by The Boston Herald.

Consulting point of sale software and figuring out how shoppers are spending their money can give merchants a better idea of whether same-day delivery will benefit their operations or simply be a waste of resources.

Retail sales in Ireland saw an uptick in March, but the majority of retail sectors saw little financial growth. The 1.7 percent jump in sales was the biggest month-over-month gain in a year, according to The Irish Times. However, most retailers saw little change in their monthly sales numbers.

According to the source, this could have been the result of merchants offering discounts and other deals to bring in customers. They may have seen a surge in transactions, but the lower cost of items could have offset the increase in foot traffic. However, the overall growth bodes well for this industry. Reuters reported that retail sales volume rose 8.9 percent compared to March 2013, giving Irish retailers and consumers hope for the nation's continued economic recovery.

While offering deals to consumers can be a great way to improve brand awareness and bring in new customers, there are other ways to achieve the same goals without losing money. Investing in modern, efficient point of sale systems could improve the shopping experience by offering shorter lines, faster checkouts and a larger range of payment options.

Teens represent a large portion of the consumer population, and retailers that cater to this demographic need to keep a close eye on ever-changing trends to ensure the success of their businesses. Piper Jaffray's 27th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens research project recently revealed the latest trends among teenage consumers in terms of how and where they shop, as well as how they use technology and mobile devices to fuel the shopping experience.

"Over the 13-year history of our survey, we have observed notable changes in the brands teens aspire to own and wear, the influences that direct what they buy, and how teens are consuming, interacting with and sharing the brands they love," Steph Wissink, Piper Jaffray's senior research analyst, said in a release. "The universal truth about teens remains the same – they continue to seek peer affirmation, their spending is almost entirely discretionary and they are early adopters of change."

Teen spending habits
The survey revealed that teens are spending less than they were in Fall 2013, resulting in about 1 percent sales loss from this demographic. Wissink pointed out that teens today have taken a greater interest in non-conformity than past generations, and as such are more likely to connect with brands that are functional but still cool and provide an experience for their shoppers.

The fashion industry may want to take note of that, as this sector saw a decline in sales, being beaten out by food for the first time in the study's history in terms of the percentage of the average teen's budget per sector. This marks the second study in a row where fashion saw double-digit losses. Fashion retailers can use this knowledge to their advantage, changing their brand experience and revamping their ecommerce software to appeal to this demographic.

In-store shopping reigns supreme
Perhaps the most surprising finding to come out of this study was the fact that most teens would rather go to a brick-and-mortar store than order products online. In fact, 74 percent of female teens and 53 percent of male teens preferred the act of shopping in a store over buying items through ecommerce retail sites. Retailers with brick-and-mortar locations can capitalize on this by offering in-store perks, such as discounts or gift giveaways at the point of sale.

Combining the shopping experience with social media outlets to create an omnichannel brand experience could help win over younger shoppers as well. The study found that Instagram was the most highly ranked social media site, beating out Twitter and Facebook for the first time. To take advantage of this, retailers could offer a discount when shoppers upload photos to Instagram that meet certain parameters and contain brand-specific hashtags, which can double as free viral marketing.

The luxury retail sector has a new and growing consumer base – young urban males, or "Yummies." Researchers from HSBC recently looked into this demographic to learn more about who they are and what they're buying, and ecommerce retailers may want to take note.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the report detailed a few reasons for a surge in luxury sales among urban men in their 20s, but the primary factor seemed to be that they are getting married later in life. This means that more of their income is disposable, giving them the opportunity to make more purchases for themselves. 

Part of the reason they aim for luxury items is because they have an inherent need to establish their social status. Business Insider indicated that a big part of this is following trends, and much of this is done through social media. Yummies are finding out about the hottest new products from sites like Twitter and Instagram, highlighting the need for retailers to have a strong online marketing presence to attract shoppers.

Retailers that want to capitalize on this market can look into ecommerce software to expand their omnichannel offerings, making them more accessible to this digitally driven group of consumers.

In the U.K., the retail industry has seen four months of continuous growth, but the latest report showed that sales dipped slightly in March. The Confederation of British Industry's Distributive Trades Survey revealed that the sales balance dipped to +13 percent growth, the lowest it had been since November, which is a stark contrast to February during which time sales reached their highest point since June 2012.

"The pace of growth has slowed, likely in part down to the later timing of Mother's Day and Easter this year," said Barry Williams, the chair of the CBI Distributive Trades Survey Panel and chief merchandising officer for food at Asda, a British supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart.

According to Reuters, analysts had predicted a slight drop from February's +37 to +28 percent growth, but the actual numbers fell rather short of these expectations. Fortunately, experts are predicting an uptick in sales for April that should bring the numbers back to about +36 percent and on par with February. RTT News reported that this would be the largest amount of month-over-month growth since December 2010, indicating that the U.K. marketplace continues to recover from the recent recession.

Things are looking up for the American retail industry, as the latest retail customer trends show gains in nearly every sector. The February U.S. Commerce Department report revealed February saw seasonally adjusted month-over-month gains of 0.3 percent from January. According to Bloomberg, this follows a three-month stretch of losses, including 0.6 percent drops in retail sales in January. Many economists believe the low sales numbers this winter were caused by harsher weather conditions.

"The economy seems to be rebounding from a winter-related slump," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist for the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York.

Retail sectors that experienced growth in February included restaurants, automotive, furniture and building materials, USA Today reported. Electronics and grocery stores, on the other hand, experienced modest declines.

If weather really was the driving factor for the drop in sales, merchants can expect to see an uptick in the amount of traffic in their online and brick-and-mortar stores as Americans get back to shopping. This could be a great opportunity for retailers to update their ecommerce software and POS retail management systems in preparation for the anticipated influx of customers.

From ecommerce websites to in-store retail technology, merchants are turning to creative ideas to improve the customer experience and their bottom line. Mobile apps offer a number of opportunities for retail marketing, and merchants are jumping on board with a number of exciting services that engage consumers to ultimately encourage purchases. 

Fashion retailers find mobile apps particularly advantageous as a way to tap into social discussions about clothing trends to draw customers. The Guardian described a number of interactive apps with which users can "like" a photo or add it to their profile page. The idea is that eventually they'll be more likely to purchase the item. For example, LIKEtoKNOW.it makes it easier for consumers to track down the clothes their favorite style bloggers are wearing, the source added.

To optimize end-user mobile apps, merchants should be aware of the latest retail customer trends and preferences regarding mobile engagement. The Financial Times emphasized the importance of making sure mobile apps offer relevant services and value to shoppers. Apps should be designed with shoppers' habits and preferences in mind so that marketing opportunities are complemented by increased convenience and exciting options.