Mood Media has published a global study on ‘The State of Brick & Mortar 2017″, interviewing 11,000 consumers in nine countries (USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Russia, China, Australia). The results suggest that consumers still like to ‘touch, feel and try’ products in retail stores, with 78% supporting that, but with variations between countries. For France the number was 10% lower at 71%, while in Russia it was 87% (which might reflect differing expectations of consumer protection online – Man. Ed.). Getting products ‘instantly’ also is important with 67% agreeing overall.
Shopping is viewed being able to browse and discover new things as important in-store (48% overall, 59% in the UK), but this dropped to just 21% in China. On the other hand, Chinese consumers rank ‘atmosphere and experience’ higher than other nations (39% against 20% overall).
French and British shoppers are the most concerned to speak to shop assistants (at 32%), while only 26% of consumers globally value that activity. When you look at the age groups that value this most, the over 55’s value this most at 33%, going down to only 21% of 18-24 year olds. These young consumers, on the other hand, care most about the ‘atmosphere and experience’ in-store.
Impulse shopping varies by nation, with 39% of French consumers saying that being in the right mood can drive impulse purchases, while 62% of Australians are influenced most by discounts and promotion and 72% of Spaniards.
Looking at the negatives, waiting in line was the biggest frustration, followed by lack of stock
Mood Media (which supplies in-store music) said that they like to hear music in-store with the Chinese the most positive at 86% – the same figure as 18-24 year olds globally. When waiting in line, music makes the lines more tolerable and 41% said that they would like to influence the music, rising to 52% among 18-24 year olds.
Of course, even in-store, smartphones are used and 82% of 18-24 year olds use their phones in store globally, rising to 92% of all age groups in China, but just 38% for the Dutch and 39% for Germans.
The study can be downloaded from here.
