How does consumer use of traditional and online shopping compare? #DigitalInsight

A new in-depth report on consumer retail purchase behaviour

In 1999 Paco Underhill published Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. The first edition focused on offline or in store consumer retail behaviour. Although it was updated in 2009 to include online retail behaviour, it was still strongest for offline shopping.

This new retail research by Webloyalty and Columnino who specialise in the retail sector compares online and traditional shopping behaviour. We're recommending this in-depth report for retailers since it's a combination of consumer research, secondary research and market forecasting. The consumer research in this report is based on a survey conducted with a UK  nationally representative poll of consumers. 2,068 consumers interviewed during January 2015.

How and when do consumers shop?

The report assesses the well-known consumer buying process:

Browsing - Gathering Ideas - Checking Product details & Prices - Leading to buying the product

It compare cross-channel behaviour and use of different devices. According to this research, 87% of respondents with online access are visiting on-line stores to gather information on product and prices and search for general ideas. Though many are not serious buyers and 'not ready to buy' online, since many of the consumers in the survey identified that they are ' browsing just for fun'.

So how do consumers buy today? One example finding shows that consumers spend the most time in store (around 42 mins) compared to 23 minutes for on-line stores which is surprisingly long, but this is disclosed, not observed behaviour.

Although it's interesting, that at the same time they visit the store, consumers are engaging with technology and digital services since dwell time is high.

Download the full PDF report on the 'connected consumer'. For more insights on How We Shop, the John Lewis Retail report is a must-read for retailers.