A Google survey published at the end of last year indicated 61% of Australian smartphone users accessed their smartphones for product information.
McDonald says research has yielded four key points for retailers to consider when constructing their digital strategies: The device Australians use depends on their context, the daily consumer “journey” is a multi-screen experience, one device no longer commands a person’s attention and search functions continue to be useful to consumers.
The device a person uses, McDonald says, is determined by factors including the time of day, goal orientation (whether it is being used for entertainment, research or communications) and location.
“There is a movement between small screens and big screens and this is a really the fundamental split. A person’s location and their ability to carry the device around is a factor in terms of which device they use.
“There is a peak on mobile phones in the morning commute and at 9am it flips over to desktop usage. Mobile phones pick up again in the afternoons, at dinner there’s a lull, but at 8pm tablets go off. This is known as “couch commerce” – when the kids are in bed and people are sitting at home with a glass of wine in a happy shopping mood,” he says.
Google research indicated at the end of 2012, over 80% of Australians used multiple screens sequentially in a 24-hour period.
“Users go from the smartphone, get to the office and use their desktop and then get home later in the evening and use their tablet. What you’ve got to think about is how you’re going to appear throughout all those devices and drive people throughout their path to purchase,” McDonald says.
But despite the infiltration of electronic devices into every element of the day, McDonald says consumers are soon going to be demanding integrated surfaces and retailers should be ready.
“The device and the screen will become less important. Today, if I want to be up-to-date and want to be able to cook the latest recipe I go to my tablet. But why can’t that information be on my fridge where it’s more relevant to food, or why can’t it be on the door of my microwave or the cooktop that I’ve got?
“In the future, your kids and my kids will expect every device to be connected,” he says.
Equally, Fraser and McDonald say consumers will start to expect all retailers to integrate digital technology with the in-store experience.
“Digital point of sales merchandising solutions will need to be incorporated in the overall design of bricks and mortar retail stores. The hardware and the associated systems will have to include different screen sizes and retail shelf tags,” Fraser says.
Australian retailers have been slow on the uptake of new technology, but some are gradually beginning to integrate new technology into their stores.
Fraser says bedding franchise Bedshed noticed its customers were delaying purchase decisions because their partner was not with them at the time.
To combat this, two of the Bedshed stores installed a “touchscreen kiosk” in their stores which allowed shoppers to digitally browse an online catalogue, create wish lists, helped them select suitable mattresses and allowed them to email the details of the mattresses to their partner.
“What we’re seeing now is a faster sales conversion in the two stores that offer the digital kiosk and Bedshed plans to roll it out to their stores nationally,” Fraser says.
To truly drive up sales in the current retail environment, Fraser says a “total alignment” of digital and bricks and mortar solutions, combined with a seamless presence across all digital mediums, is necessary to win over consumers.
