[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2014\/05\/13\/can-a-digital-world-be-retails-mortar-between-the-bricks\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2014\/05\/13\/can-a-digital-world-be-retails-mortar-between-the-bricks\/","headline":"Can a digital world be retail’s mortar between the bricks?","name":"Can a digital world be retail’s mortar between the bricks?","description":"There\u2019s no doubt that the smartphone is disrupting retail in a whole new way, beyond even what the web has done. Mobile phones are powerful computers that not only put the wide world of the internet in people\u2019s pockets, but also have their own app-based platforms that are challenging retailers in everything, from\u00a0marketing\u00a0to\u00a0payments. Americans’ phones\u00a0are […]","datePublished":"2014-05-13","dateModified":"2022-08-11","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/admin\/#Person","name":"From The Editor","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/admin\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f6b4d01c0a2a6beaf559e7b1674e57e2132bcc97fb9c5917786acc398639d6a6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f6b4d01c0a2a6beaf559e7b1674e57e2132bcc97fb9c5917786acc398639d6a6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_192105422.jpg.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/shutterstock_192105422.jpg.jpg","height":350,"width":550},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2014\/05\/13\/can-a-digital-world-be-retails-mortar-between-the-bricks\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},"Retail Trends, Data, News",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/trends-commerce\/","name":"Trends","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fad","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q787045"]}],"wordCount":773,"keywords":["E-commerce","Mobile","Payment Processing","Retail","Showrooming"],"articleBody":"There\u2019s no doubt that the smartphone is disrupting retail in a whole new way, beyond even what the web has done. Mobile phones are powerful computers that not only put the wide world of the internet in people\u2019s pockets, but also have their own app-based platforms that are challenging retailers in everything, from\u00a0marketing\u00a0to\u00a0payments. Americans’ phones\u00a0are always on, and always within reach.But brick-and-mortar\u00a0retailers\u200b\u00a0needn’t feel threatened by this constant digital presence. In fact, they have good reason to embrace consumers\u2019 web and mobile activity: It may be what\u2019s driving customers to the store.Be not afraid \u2014 of showroomingSpotting a customer milling around a store, constantly looking from the products on the shelves to their phone can be a\u00a0frustrating moment\u00a0for a retail store manager.But maybe it doesn’t need to be so. A recent study from IBM found that, while half of online purchases in 2012 derived from showrooming, that number fell to 30% last year. Showrooming\u00a0needn’t\u00a0always work to a physical store\u2019s disadvantage. Most of the time, consumers are checking for price comparisons, and by matching the lowest price a customer finds, the physical store often wins. After all, the customer is probably inches away from his or her object of desire \u2014 no waiting, no shipping, no problem.Furthermore, mobile technologies like iBeacon\u00a0bring to physical stores the kind of\u00a0opportunities\u00a0for fun, payment, customized offers, product information, and other benefits to customers that help\u00a0blunt the advantages\u00a0of searching the web.      7 tips for successful omnichannel selling                Consumers are at the ready to buy, but they want to do it when and how they choose, so brands must get omnichannel selling right.      There\u2019s more to mobile shopping behavior than showroomingThe fact is, as a\u00a0new study by Deloitte Digital\u00a0has found, the web and mobile devices are affecting shopping in physical stores to a greater extent than retailers may realize. Consumer activity on all devices \u2014 computers, tablets, and phones \u2014 is influencing 36% of brick-and-mortar retail sales. That has risen stratospherically since 2012, when digital activity impacted just 5% of physical store sales. By the end of this year that will reach 50%, Deloitte\u2019s researchers believe.One of the most interesting findings in the Deloitte study was that consumers’ attitude toward retail shopping is perhaps\u00a0even more\u00a0seamless than anyone thought. Although retailers have been hearing the buzz about \u201comnichannel\u201d for a while now, they may not fully understand what that means from the consumer\u2019s point of view. For example, Deloitte Consulting\u2019s director, Jeff Simpson, says that many online shoppers may go as far as clicking a product into their shopping cart, only to \u201cabandon\u201d it to buy it in the store\u00a0instead.Other surprises from Deloitte: Digital shoppers buy 40% more often in a physical store than online or through an app, and 84% of digital shoppers use their devices before or after store visits. And a whopping 75% say that product information they found on social media networks influenced their shopping behavior, and in some cases cemented brand loyalty.Then there\u2019s paymentsBecause of the success of its app, Starbucks is the company that seemingly put mobile payments (plus mobile loyalty)\u00a0on the map.\u00a0Paypal,\u00a0Square, and Apple, among others, are charging ahead full speed to provide brick-and-mortar retailers with mobile payment systems that could maximize loyalty and minimize the security worries that come with credit and debit card payments.But it’s not all about mobile, either. Web-based shopping and payment are potential gold mines for brick-and-mortar retailers, provided they see them as an opportunity for sales, in addition to a fulfillment option. Some three-quarters of shoppers say they want\u00a0in-store pickup\u00a0as a shipping option for their online purchases. They want to be able to shop via the web, on their phones, or in the stores at their discretion \u2014 even if it\u2019s all one shopping trip, for one item.That’s what retailers must keep in mind as they think about “omnichannel.” Mobile especially provides physical retailers with an\u00a0opportunity to smooth out the divisions\u00a0between these channels. Key to this is providing customers with quick, intuitive experiences online, on their phones, or in the store. That means good web and app designs, and superb customer service.Marketing, personalization, shopping, product research, price comparisons, delivery, feedback, reviews, and customer service \u2014 consumers expect these to be available everywhere, whether in the palm of their hand or in the store.  In 2023, customer loyalty dropped 13%.In 2024, it fell by 10%.Is your brand retaining \u2013 or repelling \u2013 customers? Get the data + details on how to keep consumers loyal in this REPORT. 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