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Consumers Prefer to Shop in Physical Stores

Consumers Prefer to Shop in Physical Stores

retail shoppingThe Fitch 2012 Joy of Shopping study reveals that 54% of shoppers prefer to do their shopping in brick-and-mortar stores over any other channel. 50% of respondents to the global survey indicated that they prefer to shop on the web. Both channels rate significantly higher than mobile app shopping (13%) and social media shopping (7%).

However, there are some regional differences in consumers’ preferred shopping channels. Internet shopping is far more popular in emerging markets like China and Brazil than it is in mature markets. Furthermore, while the Chinese are the happiest and most enthusiastic shoppers (55%), Brits are the most unhappy shoppers in the world. Only 21% of British respondents to the Fitch survey claimed that they enjoy shopping.

Differences were also found in enthusiasm levels for specific categories. For example, the highest levels of enthusiasm were found in the electronics category where 83% of respondents overall are either very enthusiastic about shopping for electronics products (43%) or at least enjoy the electronics shopping experience (40%). Fashion is another category that consumers enjoy shopping for. 89.3% of respondents to the Fitch survey overall claimed they were very enthusiastic about shopping for fashion products (37.4%) or at least enjoy shopping in the fashion category (51.9%). Grocery shopping ranks a bit lower with 85.3% of respondents overall stating they are very enthusiastic about shopping for groceries (39.0%) or at least they enjoy grocery shopping (46.3%).

Fitch offers some suggestions for increasing retail shopping satisfaction and enthusiasm levels to help businesses succeed in the future:

  1. Don’t underestimate your customers’ enthusiasm for shopping and going to stores.
  2. Rethink how you define and measure success and deliver shopping experiences that lead to happier customers.
  3. Play to new differentiators by appealing to consumers’ exploring and dreaming mindsets rather than just the locating mindset that often happens after the purchase decision has been made.
  4. Don’t think off- or online. Think seamless.

You can read the complete report here.

Image: pipp

4 Ways Brands Can Wow with Twitter Header Photo Designs

Last week, Twitter rolled out its new header photo design feature for user profiles. Now, all Twitter profiles can include not just an avatar image, but also a large header image that appears at the top of their profile timelines, similar to the Facebook cover photo design.

The launch of Twitter header photos gives brands another way to visually connect with consumers, and already, brands are getting creative with header photos that enhance their Twitter profiles in a variety of ways. Following are four ways that brands have already found to wow audiences with Twitter header photo designs. Take a look at these great early examples and think about how you can turn your boring Twitter profile into a visualization of your brand promise with a great header photo.

1. Show Your Products

Imagine a bakery with a Twitter header photo filled with delicious treats or a high-end jeweler displaying its beautiful designs. Already, brands like Starbucks and Vanity Fair have rolled out Twitter header photos that show their products in very different ways.

twitter starbucks
twitter vanity fair

2. Show Your Employees and Offices

What better way to make your brand more human than by showing your employees in your brand’s Twitter header photo? It’s a smart move for a brand like Ford. You can also give your audience a peek into life at the company and people behind the brand by displaying photos of your office or working environments. Take a look at the Twitter header image from The Huffington Post below for a great example.

twitter ford
twitter huffington post

3. Show What You Do

Service organizations and non-profits might not have tangible products to display in their Twitter header photos, but they can show photos of what they do. Check out the Twitter header photos for Charity: Water and Greenpeace to see what I mean. Also, take a closer look at the Greenpeace header image and you’ll see a clever design trick where the avatar image matches up exactly with the larger header image behind it. Instead of using the organization’s logo, like most companies and organizations do in their Twitter profiles, Greenpeace focuses more on the brand’s mission in its avatar and header photo.

twitter charity water
twitter greenpeace

4. Show Your Brand Promise

Brands like Nike and Red Bull use inspirational and motivational images in their Twitter header photos, which reflect the brands’ promises. These are brands that connect with consumers on an emotional level, and the decision to use visuals that represent the brand promise rather than products is a smart one for both brands.

twitter nike
twitter red bull

Have you seen any brands with amazing or creative Twitter header photos? Leave a comment and share your favorites to date.

Taking Creative Recruitment Online

It’s easily forgotten that the recruitment process is a two sided affair. Though it’s primarily a way of attracting appropriate people into your business, it’s also your chance to make a good first impression. Many graduates will have had only a taste of the sort of workplace they’re applying for, and the type of application form or interview experience they receive will really set their expectations.

If thought is given to the recruitment process, the benefits can be twofold: not only are your applicants given a positive impression of your company at the outset, but you’re more likely to appeal to creative and thoughtful graduates. Here are a few tricks that market leaders are already using to appeal to the top talent in the country:

Allow your Recruits to Flourish

Most people are familiar with the form of an ‘open question’, but even they generate rigid and homogenous answers. Anything can be done with the right technology, so why not request your applicants to upload a portfolio to a Tumblr feed, post a trial blog article on WordPress or just show off their organisational abilities using a spreadsheet master.

Don’t be afraid of Flash

Flash elements in web pages can get incredibly complex and be a great hindrance to an interviewee, but when done well, an interview process that integrates Flash can work wonders. Consider using Flash to simulate the sort of tasks your recruits might be doing and to test cognitive ability. Always make sure anything you use is well designed and compatible for all users.

Try Twitter

It might sound mad, but creative graduates will pick up a call for applications on Twitter and they will respond quickly. Even in 140 characters you can ask applicants to send through a CV or portfolio and provide an email address. This both encourages applicants to act quickly and it shows that your business is dynamic and a little bit bold.

Keeping the application process creative demonstrates from the off to your recruits that you’re prepared to invest time and thought in finding the right people for your organisation. At the same time, it’s possible to tailor a task that allows you to see through the CVs and get a feel of the individual behind the application.

User Experience Critical to Luxury Brand Mobile App Success

brand mobile appsHigh-end consumers who purchase luxury brands have high-end expectations for those brands. In the past, luxury brands surrounded consumers with in-person brand experiences that enabled those consumers to feel special with customized shopping experiences.

However, research shows that the wealthier a consumer is, the more likely he or she owns a smartphone or tablet device and the more likely he or she is to make a purchase using that mobile device. The question for luxury brand marketers is how do you successfully translate the high-end consumer experience from brick-and-mortar stores and locations into a mobile environment? The answer might not be as hard to figure out as they might think.

According to a survey conducted by Luxury Institute and Plastic Mobile, affluent smartphone owners who have downloaded or plan to download a mobile app have fairly simple expectations for a luxury brand’s app. The features high-end consumers want from a luxury brand mobile app are:

  • Loyalty programs = 46%
  • Early access to sales = 45%
  • Exclusive updates about new products or services = 39%
  • Exclusive offers for those who downloaded the app = 38%
  • Early access or sneak peeks to new releases = 36%
  • High-quality images and/or video = 36%
  • Services and VIP privileges for top customers = 36%
  • Ability to purchase from mobile device = 34%
  • Easy access to customer service from device = 34%
  • Extension of brand’s website = 29%
  • Customization based on consumer preferences = 28%
  • Recommendations based on personal preferences = 25%
  • Information unattainable via the website or in-store = 20%

Bottom-line, consumers expect luxury brands to make them feel special and it can be done with loyalty programs, sales, and other traditional marketing programs. However, high-end consumers are also likely to expect exceptional performance from luxury brand apps, sleek designs, and an overall perception that the app is just as high-end as the brand and the consumer. This is definitely an instance where an app that doesn’t look and work amazingly could do more harm than good to the brand. After all, most consumers who purchase luxury brands expect nothing less than the best, and that includes luxury brand mobile apps, too. A luxury brand mobile app that doesn’t look great or work well could completely destroy the high-end consumer’s perception of that brand.

Image: Cristiano Betta

QR Code Scanning Among Smartphone Owners in Europe Doubles in 2012

qrcode scanning eu5According to research from comScore’s MobiLens service, the number of Europeans who scanned quick response codes (QR codes) using their smartphones nearly doubled (up 96%) in the past year to 17.4 million users. That’s equal to 14.1% of the total smartphone audience in Europe and shows that European consumers are starting to understand the value of QR code scanning. That’s great news for brand marketers.

The study found that Germany ranked first for usage of QR codes with 18.6% of the country’s smartphone users scanning QR codes. That tops the penetration in the four other leading European markets (Spain = 16.0% penetration, France = 12.5% penetration, Italy = 11.9% penetration, and the United Kingdom = 11.4% penetration).

The payoff for scanning QR codes for the EU5 smartphone audience came in the form of product information for 3 out of 4 scans (71.7%). Event information was delivered as the result of 31.8% of scans, and coupons or other offers were delivered for 19.4% of scans. Less common were application downloads (13.4%) and charity or cause information (12.1%). These results were fairly similar for each individual country’s smartphone audience as well.

To put the growing popularity of QR code scanning among smartphone owners in the five leading European markets into perspective, consider the following penetration rates for various common mobile activities as identified in the comScore MobiLens data. Keep in mind, 51.3% of mobile users in the EU5 use smartphones.

  • Sent text messages = 83.3%
  • Used applications (excluding pre-installed apps) = 45.2%
  • Used browser = 44.6%
  • Access social networking sites or blogs = 30.6%
  • Played games = 30.2%
  • Listened to music = 29.2%
  • Scanned QR codes = 14.1%

Clearly, there is still a lot of room for growth in QR code usage among EU5 consumers, but rapid growth in their use during the past year bodes well for the future. Marketers should focus on creating useful QR code campaigns that deliver timely information, particularly when that information can be accessed at the moment of the purchase decision when consumers are in stores and seeking that little something extra (such as additional information, a review, comparison pricing, or a discount) that can tip them in the direction to pull out their wallets and buy.

Image: Brian Suda

Brands Securing Higher Social Media Marketing Budgets

facebook ipad screen

Finally, brands are starting to put together the data they need to show how social media marketing affects leads and sales. That means, brand marketers are securing higher budgets for social media marketing initiatives than ever before.

In a new report from Webmarketing123, State of Digital Marketing 2012, 52% of U.S. business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers and 41% of U.S. business-to-business (B2B) marketers indicated that they planned to increase their social media marketing budgets in 2012. In fact, just 2% of B2C respondents to the study survey indicated that they would not increase their social media marketing budgets in 2013, and just 3% of B2B respondents did not plan to increase their social media marketing budgets next year.

Taking a closer look at which social media sites B2C and B2B marketers have been focusing on, you can see that marketers understand the audiences on social media sites vary significantly. 69% of B2C marketers spent money on Facebook in 2012 versus just 40% for B2B marketers. Data from the survey revealed the following percentages of B2C and B2B marketers that invested in specific social media sites during 2012:

  • Facebook: 69% B2C, 40% B2B
  • Twitter: 39% B2C, 30% B2B
  • LinkedIn: 23% B2C, 39% B2B
  • Google+: 17% B2C, 14% B2B
  • Pinterest: 14% B2C, 6% B2B

Furthermore, the study reveals that these social media marketing investments are working, which is opening the doors for increased spending in 2013. According to the study results, the following percentages of B2C and B2B marketers have generated leads or sales from social media sites:

  • Facebook Leads: 67% B2C, 39% B2B
  • Facebook Sales: 39% B2C, 19% B2B
  • Twitter Leads: 43% B2C, 30% B2B
  • Twitter Sales: 19% B2C, 14% B2B
  • LinkedIn Leads: 21% B2C, 44% B2B
  • LinkedIn Sales: 9% B2C, 23% B2B
  • Google+ Leads: 15% B2C, 7% B2B
  • Google+ Sales: 7% B2C, 3% B2B
  • Pinterest Leads: 13% B2C, 3% B2B
  • Pinterest Sales: 6% B2C, 1% B2B

Based on these findings, it’s clear that both B2C and B2B marketers are having a great deal of success in driving business through social media marketing on the leading social media sites, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, the problem with tracking social media results still exists, and 20% of survey respondents still didn’t know how social media affected their leads. Similarly, 40% didn’t know how social media affected their sales.

In other words, there is still much work to be done in creating the tools to effectively track social media marketing return on investment, but the results to this study show that marketers are making strides in this area — enough to increase social media marketing budgets at least, and that’s a good thing.

Image: Judit Klein