How Mobile and Social Drive Shopping Decisions

A recent Emphatica survey of 6,500 U.S. Internet users revealed the increasingly important role social media and mobile play in influencing buying behavior.  The infographic below shows how consumers use social media and online tools to shape purchase decisions prior to entering a store as well as how consumers are using their mobile devices once in a store.  Brands with retail locations should use the survey results to shape digital strategy designed to drive consumers into brick and mortar stores.

Most notably, the survey found that 55% of shoppers use mobile devices in-store to compare prices.  Retail brands should capitalize on this learning by running mobile ad campaigns on search and competitor display sites with price based messaging designed to lure consumers to store locations during the price comparison process.

The survey also demonstrates the importat role mobile is playing leading up to a store visit as 37% of respondents visited a brand’s website on a mobile phone and 26% downloaded a brand’s mobile application.  Brands with a retail presence should realize that having a mobile optimized web presence is becoming more important than ever based on this data.

In terms of which social networks drive the most traffic to store locations, 73% of respondents said Facebook influenced a recent store visit.  Brands should use this data to create dedicated Facebook tabs and Facebook ad campaigns with promotional messaging focused on driving consumers into physical store locations.

Mobile and social customer experience strategies have potential to become more important than ever when it comes to brand marketing.  Are you a business that could benefit from this type of marketing?