Yes, it’s true — it’s barely October and many retailers have already set their sites on enticing customers for the upcoming holiday season. According to a new Apigee Corp/Harris Interactive survey, soon-to-be holiday shoppers are already making sizable requests that retailers need to pay attention to.
Of the 2,000+ holiday shoppers surveyed, 82% said that there are major benefits to shopping with a mobile device. In fact, 57% said they are already considering purchasing holiday gifts via their mobile device, and 54% warned retailers of the consequences they may face if they don’t offer customers an app to use. This isn’t surprising, as smartphone users have already said that a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to engage with a company, and the responses compiled by this new survey support this evidence.
Although the most common consequences cited when a retailer doesn’t offer a smartphone app only inconvenience the customer (e.g. losing out on deals), customers also cited some long term consequences for retailers:
- 19% of survey respondents said that not having an app makes a retailer look old-fashioned
- 12% said it could result in a loss of money for the retailer
- 7% said it could hurt store loyalty
Recent data from comScore affirms that mobile customers are valuable customers to keep, as they tend to be younger and more affluent than even their desktop counterparts.
Do you think this information will spur retailers to create apps to make shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday easier? Share your thoughts with us! And if you’re considering creating an app for your brand, see if an app is really the best fit for you.
