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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Using Mobile Devices in the Retail Store by Suri Weisfeld-Spolter * [10]


Use of mobile devices has become commonplace for contemporary retail shoppers.  At their fingertips, consumers can easily obtain lots of information to aid their shopping efforts and decisions. This phenomenon has been a challenge for some marketers; for others, a benefit.  For instance, brick-and-mortar retailers have announced store closings (e.g., Macy’s in 2016 and early 2017), dissolution (e.g., Limited’s elimination of its store format in 2016 ), or corporate layoffs (e.g., WalMart in 2017), as their financial metrics are upended through e-commerce. At the same time, e-tailers have parlayed their technological competencies to embrace technologically-savvy buyers. Witness Alibaba’s acute aspirations to become a worldwide e-marketer and Amazon’s tremendous expansion of the breadth and depth of its offerings as well as recent establishment of its own global delivery service.
Retail salespeople have traditionally been providers of information for customers. Indeed, until the advent and enormous growth of the internet and e-commerce, sales personnel tended to be the primary purveyors of information in selling.  As noted above, however, the retailing dynamic has changed markedly. Many retail customers now turn increasingly to marshaling information from alternative sources—particularly from mobile devices. In fact, consumers seem to be replacing traditional retail salesperson functions—such as collecting information, comparing prices, and securing the order—with mobile devices. This situation may well foreshadow a decline in the importance of salespersons in buyer-seller interactions.
Interestingly, a consumer’s mobile device is somewhat similar to retail salesperson input in that it mimics the personal nature of selling. Accordingly, many of today’s consumers tend to consult their smartphone rather than interact with retail sales personnel. Indeed, 73% of shoppers would rather use their phones than deal with the salesperson. 
With increasing consumer preference for mobile devices for both hedonic and utilitarian reasons and avoidance of the retail salesperson, we did a study to explore the consumer’s information search behavior vis-à-vis the salesperson’s selling behavior so as to enhance understanding of how retail salespeople can influence mobile dependent shoppers.
We found that the more searching consumers do on their phones, the more they experience increases in perceived control, which fosters their purchase intention. These findings suggest that retailers should create an environment that facilitates feelings of perceived control because that construct is closely connected to the pathway between search and purchase intention. For example, providing consumers with easy access to free wi-fi in stores is one technique to help create a shopping environment that nurtures mobile phone searching. Retailers might also adopt a selling philosophy that helps consumers in their role as search agents to perceive that they are controlling the interaction with the salesperson (e.g., “Come to our store and be the boss,” “We don’t push you; you are in charge”). Because the mobile phone seems to increase feelings of control, retailers should also assist consumers to stay connected to their phone so that they can continue to search in the store. Furthermore, salespeople should be trained to be search assistants for the customers rather than assume the traditional role of “pushing the sale.” In this context, retail salespeople could assist consumers in their search activities by providing comparison websites, review sites, and alternative search terms. In a similar way, companies can create apps for the mobile phone to engage consumers while in the store, and salespeople can direct them to download these applications. 

* Suri Weisfeld-Spolter, Ph.D., is a Professor of Marketing at Nova Southeastern University. She can be reached at sw887@nova.edu  This post is based on her journal article in Psychology & Marketing titled, “Under the sway of a mobile device during an in-store shopping experience”.


11 comments:

  1. Smartphones have become an integral part of our society. We've become dependent on mobile devices to facilitate the delivery of information that if a task cannot be done "right from my phone" it's automatically deemed burdensome. In the e-commerce boom that's left traditional stores struggling to appeal to shoppers I think its relevant that stores make effective technological changes to market to the new-age tech shoppers. It's interesting that stores such as Walmart enable shoppers to utilize their app while in store to check prices and compare products, which goes back to the shopper feeling in control of their experience at the store. Walmart also utilizes an expansive self-checkout system that further enables the shopper's feeling of independence and control, hence why the retail giant has stayed in business even with Amazon as a threat.

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  2. I believe when It comes to purchasing, consumers value minimum wasted time or hassle. Their phone offers an effortless transition into retail shopping. The point of the "you are in control" slogan is a good one. This is something that i fell attracts a lot of consumers. They value taking ownership in the retail experience.

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  3. This was a thorough and interesting post to read. I believe Phones are great for offering ease of access for a variety of commercial purposes, and this can translate well into the field of retail shopping. I also think that it is important that the retail business market accepts and implements this upcoming preference in style of shopping and develop apps of their own for coupons, store deals and item availability.

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  4. Often retail assistants come off as a form of pressure to purchase a product whereas a cellphone offers the consumer complete control. When a consumer wishes to attain the best possible price or value for money research is often needed to ensure this. By retailers providing WIFI and comparative price reviews such as you exampled, it enables a consumer to feel more in control. I find myself a perfect example of a consumer wishing to be in control. I personally compare prices before purchasing to ensure I am getting the most for my money. If in control of my purchasing power I am far more likely to complete the purchase such as you suggested than be put off by an "in-your-face" sales assistant.

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  5. This was an interesting post to read. It is especially true today, that phones create shopping ease. It can help people who may have difficulty talking to strangers, it can relieve the pressure to buy the product, and it can make the shopping process faster. It will be interesting to see what further technology will make customers feel more in control.

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  6. With advancing technology, it's no surprise that consumers are using their phones when they are shopping, even when they are in the physical stores. Most shoppers will now use their phones in stores to research about products, whether this means comparing prices to other stores or looking at reviews. It's important for retailers to take this into consideration when coming up with a marketing and advertising plan. I think this blog highlighted the importance of retailers making sure that they are featuring adequate and accurate information online to meet shopper expectations.

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  7. Such an interesting article. Talking about how use of mobile devices in retail has transformed shopping behaviors. By enabling easy access to information for consumers is the answer to more transactions being made. e-tailers have capitalized on technology and have generated high profit in return. Consumers work off of accessibility and the simplicity through the process of buying a product. The article also speaks on the importance of retailers making sure that they are featuring adequate and accurate information online to meet shopper expectations as technology shifts more into our daily lives.

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  8. I can disagree with many things in this in this article. I for one work luxury retail and know first hand that 9/10, customers prefer an in person experience when shopping. Although we have most of our products online, the customers will tell me themselves that they will always prefer to come in an try things on. Not only that, but having a knowledgable salesperson makes their decisions easier rather than the bias reviews on the website.

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  9. M-Commerce is becoming more and more popular in the digital era, as smartphones become an integral part of consumers lives. From my personal experience, I do agree that us, consumers, rely a lot on smartphones when in time of a purchase. For me it is very normal that while I am in a store I would look for prices, different styles and colors in other websites of the product that I am interested in buying. I find it very useful to have my phone to rely with information just in case it does not match from what I am seeing in the store. Additionally, having the purchase assistant provide you with information gives me more confidence of the product to buy it.

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  10. Truly an interesting and insightful read! It is clear that consumer behavior has changed as phones and advanced technology have become more prominent in society. Not only does the consumer feel a sense of “perceived control” with their phone, but also a sense of convenience as they can comfortably shop and search from their device. Rather than focusing on “pushing the sale,” it is vital for retailers to adapt their current strategies and integrate mobile devices into their common practice in order to assist consumers more effectively.

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  11. I really enjoyed reading this and agree with most of the article. I personally would like to have more control when shopping, I would rather look up my questions/compare prices on my phone. Sometimes I feel annoyed when I walk into a store and the salesperson immediately tries to sell me a product, and I personally think it would be more beneficial if they aided in the search for specific questions, as stated in the article I do not believe that salespeople should be completely replaced by mobile devices but as technology advances, the training of salespeople should as well.

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