Using mobile device in-store: which implications for retailers?

Abstract

The widespread mobile connectivity has not only changed the way we interact and communicate, but has significantly impacted on consumer decision-making process. Consumers in a retail setting use mobile devices with different purposes: finding information on the web, comparing pricing and purchasing goods and services. Therefore, it becomes crucial to understand how the mobile influences the decision-making process as well as the purchasing decisions in-store. This topic is of great importance in grocery sector since retailers and manufacturers devote many investments in instore marketing activities with the aim to influence consumers’ decisions and stimulate impulse purchases. The rise of the mobile channel has produced disruptive changes in shopping habits designed to gradually reduce the effectiveness of in-store marketing levers in influencing shopping behavior. Manufacturers and retailers are worried that the mobile could potentially distract the customer from the products and services offered within the store. Our research intends to explore the impact of in-store mobile technology use on shopper behavior instore in order to understand its effects on planned versus unplanned purchases. According to our preliminary results, consumers using mobile technology instore make less unplanned items and fail to purchase more planned items. Moreover, the use of mobile technology negatively affects shoppers’ ability to recall in-store stimuli. Our findings are interesting for both retailers and manufacturers who are looking for new ways to better address their marketing efforts and increase consumers’ engagement instore.