Dearth of Mobile Coupons Leaves Shopper Money on Table

January 13, 2010

This article is included in these additional categories:

Analytics, Automated & MarTech | CPG & FMCG | Financial Services | Mobile Phone | Retail & E-Commerce | Telecom

Just more than half of consumers (51%) across 11 countries including the US used mobile phones for in-store activities such as comparison shopping and getting peer feedback, product information and coupons, during the 2009 holiday shopping season, according to a study by Motorola.

The “Motorola 2009 Retail Holiday Season Shopper Study” found that this number increased to 64% among Generation Y shoppers ages 18-34, writes Retailer Daily.

Study results also indicated that customers did not only benefit from their own mobile devices. Nearly six in 10 (59%) of consumers say they had a better shopping experience when store associates used two-way radios, and 56% saythey had a better shopping experience when store associates used mobile computers.

Lack of Mobile Coupons and Discounts Hurts Retailers

According to the study, 39% of consumers were willing to abandon purchases if they could not obtain coupons or discounts. In North America, consumers left an average of $109 unspent during the 2009 holiday season because of stores’ limited merchandise, lack of availability of coupons and/or discounts and inconsistent customer service.

Furthermore, nearly 40% of surveyed shoppers abandoned their would-be purchase altogether, a significant increase from 2008 when 20% abandoned a purchase under those circumstances. The study found that the majority of abandoned purchases could have been recovered – including 54% of abandoned purchases from consumer electronics retailers, 46% in clothing stores and 42% in auto parts stores, if coupons or discounts were more readily available.

Mobile Shopping Popularity Grows

Before the start of the 2009 holiday shopping season, another study from Deloitte similarly revealed the increasing popularity of mobile holiday shopping. Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey found that 19% of consumers planned to access the internet via their mobile phones while shopping to find store locations, obtain coupons and sales information, as well as research products and prices. This percentage rose to 39% in the 18 – 29 age group.

About the survey: Motorola conducted a survey of 4,534 shoppers ages 18 -65 from November 25 -December 20, 2009 through research partners e-Rewards and TNS International. Some 2,082 US respondents and 216 Canadian respondents were included in the multi-country sample.

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