How mobile is contributing to showrooming

Asian consumers are leading global change in shopping behaviour with over 75% of Chinese consumers making purchases on their mobiles in the past three months versus 35% of their Western counterparts.In Singapore, 78% of consumers use their smartphone while in store, and 89% of users think that having the option to compare and get more information via their mobile phone can affect their buying decisions. With this, 73% of Singapore consumers would leave a store if after consulting their smartphone they found the product 5% cheaper somewhere else.Overall 19% of global consumers report leaving a store after consulting their smartphone and learning that a product they want is cheaper elsewhere, while a further 29% of consumers say they would consider doing so - a behaviour known as showrooming.[gallery link="file" ids="44586,44587"]Smartphones and mCommerce has nearly half of the respondents worldwide agreeing that the use of smartphones has changed the way they shop. Nearly 34% of smartphone users have made a purchase on their smartphone, and 72% of smartphone users report using their smartphone while inside a store.China leads the way in terms of m-commerce with 76% of smartphone users making a mobile purchase in the last three months, compared to 35% in the US, UK, Germany and Singapore. The percentage of m-shoppers is less in France (20%), Netherlands (18%) and Belgium (15%).“More than anywhere else in the world, consumers in Asia are changing the way they shop. To get ahead of the curve and grow sales, brands must place greater attention on the value they deliver through both mobile and social channels and how those channels connect to and augment the offline experience,” Justin Peyton, chief strategy officer for DigitasLBi APAC added.[gallery link="file" ids="44583,44582"]Approximately 80% of both Singaporean and Chinese consumers said that purchase preferences are “heavily influenced” by Social Media, according to a global consumer study by digital and technology agency DigitasLBi.Nearly 74% of Singaporean social network users say that social media influences their buying patterns while the number stands at 82% in China. Spain, Italy and the US show an average of 55%.Also, 96% of Singapore consumers use at least one social network and 45% declare that they buy more products of brands they follow on social media. In Singapore, Italy, Spain and the US, between 40% and 50% have shared a purchase via a social network. Overall, 49% of global social networks users who have ever shared a purchase on social networks, did it “just to let their friends know”.“You can see from the research that consumers here are adopting very fluid and advanced digital behaviours while shopping and buying compared to their western counterparts,” Roy Capon, CEO for DigitasLBi APAC said.The proprietary research entitled “Connected Commerce: A Snapshot of the Modern Shopper”, looks at the multiple screens and data streams that affect the purchase behaviour of consumers across 12 countries: Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United-Kingdom and USA.[gallery link="file" ids="44580,44581"]The survey was conducted with a 1000 consumers all aged 18 and above from Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and USA based on gender, age, region and PCS. The study period was 17 February to 6 March 2014.