Survey: Holiday texts pay off for brick-and-mortar retailers

Instead of sending holiday cards, retailers with physical stores may want to send texts, instead.

According to the new seventh Annual Holiday Research Study from e-commerce technology platform MarketLive, 78% of shoppers are likely to visit a store as a result of a text promotion or alert via mobile device.

In addition, 56% of shoppers look for gift ideas on social sites like Pinterest, and 55% are now comfortable with sharing their preferences with retailers in exchange for convenience and personalized product recommendations

Texting is not the only mobile activity holiday shoppers will be engaging in. Sixty-nine percent will ask an in-store associate to use a mobile device to locate a product and have it shipped to their home and 62% will make a purchase as a result of a notification or offer sent to their mobile device while in the store. Twenty-eight percent of shoppers consider the quality of the mobile website experience when selecting a particular retailer.

Whereas only 27% of survey respondents have made a purchase as a result of an engagement with a social networking site, the majority of shoppers are now using social channels for ideas and recommendations.

This includes 75% who find product reviews to be the most valuable/influential type of “content,” 53% who share product recommendations with friends/family via social channels, and 51% who discover new products via social channels.

Furthermore, technology that tracks shoppers’ preferences and proactively recommends related products is now perceived as efficient and convenient, and is welcomed by a majority of consumers. Fifty-five percent of shoppers are likely to take advantage of personalized product recommendations sent to them by a retailer via e-mail.

Another 52% of are likely to take advantage of personalized product recommendations they get when visiting a retailer’s website, and 42% are likely to take advantage of personalized advertising they receive on their mobile phone.

For the first time, this year an equal percentage of shoppers are deciding where to buy based on retailers’ websites as on their physical stores. Forty-eight percent of shoppers take into account the quality of the website experience when choosing a particular retailer; also 48% consider the quality of the physical store when choosing where to buy.

Motivated by convenience and efficient shopping experiences, a majority of survey respondents eagerly want to use advanced technology features:

• 89% want the ability to buy online and then pick up in-store.

• 76% want technology that assists in finding the exact location of a product within the physical store (e.g. aisle maps on a mobile phone).

• 77% want the ability to purchase items in-store for same day delivery.

• 69% want in-store text messages (prompted while visiting the store) to receive coupons or be alerted of promotions.

• 66% want the ability to pay via a mobile device using a method beyond standard credit card such as PayPal or Apple Pay.