Millennial Shoppers are online while in-store.
Millennials are very different types of shoppers than previous generations. They are more likely to use their phones while shopping in stores, whether it be to look at product reviews, search for better prices, find coupons, or something completely unrelated to shopping.
These consumers are always armed and ready with their phones in hand.
The ability for consumer to be constantly connected is posing a threat to retailers. They are distracted from the retail environment, and are therefore not shopping the same way they once used to. 77% of shoppers use a mobile device to look up product information while shopping in-store versus only 35% who opt to speak to a salesperson if they have a question.
While some consumers choose to go in stores to get the full shopping experience, from the atmosphere to the interaction with associates, a vast majority would rather keep to themselves. It may be true that 73% of millennials said they still prefer purchasing their products in physical stores, as opposed to online, however they are still looking online even then they are in stores.
Most still won’t buy something the first time they see it in store. It’s all about being told about the product multiple times.
For example, when my friend Mallory shops for new make-up products, the internet — especially social media — becomes critical for her research. Just imagine scrolling through your Instagram and seeing a beauty blogger promoting a product. Then you head over to Pinterest, where you see that product being promoted again. Next thing you know, you check your email and you have one a promotion from the retailer itself. And now, if you and your friend are talking about a brand new product that just came out on the market, one you may not have even researched yet, you could scroll across an ad for that exact product on your Instagram feed, through voice recognition on your iPhone. Simply being reminded of the product will encourage millennials to buy it, since they rely on what they see around them.
The same goes for product reviews. This generation seeks the opinions of others when it comes to purchasing products. They will first turn to friends, family, and the Internet (thank you Siri for making the search much easier). Millennials are all about making life easier for themselves. If they can get the information they are looking for without having to put in the extra time and money of buying a product, trying it, and discovering it’s not what they were expecting, they will choose that much more convenient way to get to that same conclusion.
With that being said, millennials not only have a “try-before-you-buy” mentality, but they also have a, what I like to call, “review-before-you-buy” mentality. This is why I think they are so inclined to keep their phones with them, even while shopping in stores. They want as much information as possible before committing to a purchase.
To learn more about how millennials are influencing the retail world, pre-order my book, Talk Beauty to Me: How Marketers Can Speak the Language of Beauty to the Next Generation, here.
