The annual Motorola Solutions study reports that in the digital age, shoppers believe they have better access to product information than associates.
The study found that technology continues to radically transform the traditional holiday shopping experience as 61 per cent of surveyed retail managers believe shoppers are better connected to information than in-store associates, increasing from nearly 59 per cent in 2011 and 51 per cent in 2010.
Nearly one-half (46 per cent) of Gen Y shoppers, 38 per cent Gen X shoppers and 32 per cent of Boomers felt better connected to product information than associates.
The increasing use of shopping-related technologies is having an impact on the shopper experience across varied age demographics, says the study.
It revealed 64 per cent of Gen Y and 52 per cent of Gen X shoppers used their mobile devices for shopping-related activities compared to only 37 per cent of Boomer and less than 15 per cent of pre-Boomer shoppers.
Meanwhile, 46 per cent of Gen Y and 36 per cent of Gen X shoppers agreed that they can more readily locate information on their mobile device rather than asking a store associate for assistance. Only 19 per cent of Boomer and less than 12 per cent of pre-Boomer shoppers agreed.
In-store wifi is popular with 54 per cent of Gen Y and 43 per cent of Gen X shoppers likely to access guest wi-fi for shopping-related activities, compared with 34 per cent of Boomer shoppers and 20 per cent of pre-Boomer shoppers.
Boomers say they are four times more likely to increase their spending as the result of a helpful associate than by using self-service technology.
Almost half of surveyed shoppers (47 per cent) agreed that they have a better experience when sales associates use the latest technologies to assist them and 48 per cent said that helpful store associates motivated them to spend more in-store.
More than half of surveyed shoppers (55 per cent) believed that information kiosks help store associates improve the shopping experience.
While overall customer satisfaction has risen since 2007, surveyed shoppers reported rising dissatisfaction with the return/exchange process – 29 per cent were not satisfied in-store and 45 per cent were not satisfied with online experiences.
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of surveyed retail associates recognise the positive effect of mobile loyalty account access on the shopper experience and 58 per cent recognise the positive effect of mobile point of sale on the shopping experience.
Eighty-two per cent of retail associates said improving in-store communication between staff and managers would have a positive effect on shopper satisfaction.
While 36 per cent of shoppers believed that store associates using tablets enhanced their shopping experience, and 59 per cent of store associates agreed that they could better serve customers if they were equipped with tablets.
Store management can better manage employees and operational processes when empowered with technology and better information, said by nearly eight in 10 (79 per cent) retail associates.
The study says 72 per cent of shopping-related walkouts resulted in lost sales – an average loss per abandonment of $156.
It was suggested that retailers can recover 69 per cent of out-of-stock incidents if associates are prepared to offer shoppers the option to order the items before leaving the store and have them sent to their homes.
“With nearly one-half of surveyed shoppers stating that they have a better experience when retail associates use the latest technology, retailers’ adoption of the right technology that targets shoppers of various age groups will help drive greater customer satisfaction and increased sales opportunities,” concluded Eduardo Conrado, senior VP and CMO at Motorola Solutions.
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