••• consumer research
Comfort level drives consumers to different channels
The world is well into the digital age but it’s no secret that online isn’t for everything, at least not when consumers have a choice. “Consumers prefer doing familiar tasks online but still want to connect with a person when they are faced with less frequent, more complex situations,” said Bruce Temkin of Temkin Group, which released a report that examines which channels consumers prefer to use for a variety of interactions and the frequency of common cross-channel activities.
The research looked at how consumers would like to complete 11 different interactions with companies. For seven of the activities, using a computer was the most popular or tied for the most popular channel. At the high end, 71 percent of consumers want to go online to check the delivery status of a purchase they’ve made. Two-thirds of consumers would prefer to go online to update their address on an account, purchase a new book and check the balance on a savings or checking account.
But consumers do not want to do everything online. Less than one-third of consumers want to go online to open a new investment account or investigate a mistake in their monthly wireless bill. For those task and for re-solving a technical problem on their computers, consumers most prefer talking to someone over the phone. And they want to meet in-person for activities such as purchasing a new auto insurance policy, selecting a life-insurance policy and opening a new investment account.
••• shopper insights
Time is money; shopping apps must save both
There are few things more frustrating than standing in the checkout lane, ready to make a purchase, and trying to use a digital coupon that won’t load. Of the top four reasons consumers choose not to use shopping apps, according to a study from Catalina and InsightsNow, this scenario covers three: It slows down rather than speeds up the trip; doesn’t help get past the checkout faster; and is too complicated to bother with. The one that doesn’t exactly apply is not offering useful discounts and codes, though if the attempt is entirely unsuccessful, this would also be true.
What shoppers really want in a mobile commerce experience is very simple: to save time and money – without any extra hassle. Shoppers want an integrated application that makes them smarter, more efficient shoppers. The No. 1 reason mobile shoppers say they wouldn’t want a specific feature in their shopping app is because “it seems time-consuming.”
The most-desired features in a shopping app are digital coupons, real-time coupons, shopping list reminders and the ability to track spending. The least-desired features overall are social media integration, receipt imagery and generic geo-location notifications.