SAN FRANCISCO -- When searching for stores online, consumers are more concerned about cost, proximity, product selection and online customer reviews or ratings than brand loyalty, according to Uberall Inc., a location marketing solution provider.
In a survey of more than 1,000 smartphone users in the United States, nearly 70% of respondents indicated that cost is the main reason for store selection.
“Today’s shoppers value cost and convenience when deciding to shop in-store,” said Josha Benner, co-founder of Uberall. “Surprisingly, brand loyalty has taken a back seat. Most consumers will only visit a brick-and-mortar location if the store is nearby.” More than 50% of survey respondents said proximity of the store is the main reason for shopping there.
Product selection (53%) and online customer reviews or ratings (36%) follow as the third and fourth most popular reasons customers choose one store over another, respectively. Brand loyalty is only the fifth most popular reason, at 34%.
The number of customers who use their smartphones to find stores is substantial. An earlier survey from Uberall found that 80% of people use “near me” searches on their phones to find stores. Furthermore, 42% of respondents said they were very likely and 39% said they were somewhat likely to use a store finder on a brand’s website.
“When planning a shopping trip to physical stores, shoppers often want to know what location is closest to them for convenience, but they also want more information about what products or services each location has to offer and at what cost,” said Benner. “One of the easiest ways to figure that out is by visiting a store’s website. Store locator pages answer a lot more questions than just a listing. Too many retailers are assuming search engines will do this work for them. But that’s not enough. Many consumers are still going to brand websites for local store and shopping information.”
Uberall is based in Berlin, with U.S. offices in San Francisco. The company’s Location Marketing Cloud platform gives retailers tools to help them control their digital presence and manage their online reputation.
Photograph courtesy of Uberall
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