72% of consumers look for products in physical stores before making an online purchase, according to report
Despite advances in digital shopping in recent years due to the pandemic, consumers continue to seek omnichannel experiences. This is what Criteo’s research points to with an analysis of the last three years, comparing and identifying consumer behaviors. The study shows, for example, that as soon as the restrictions on movement dropped, purchases in physical stores increased over the past year, up 20%.
Among the 17,000 respondents worldwide, many said they continue to enjoy the in-store shopping experience. Four out of ten stated that “convenient location” and “immediate need for a product” are among the top reasons for their face-to-face transactions.
In addition, 72% of respondents reported that they like to look for products in physical environments and then purchase them online, a practice that the market called “showrooming”. There has also been an increase in the number of people who enjoy visiting stores to see what’s new and trends. In 2019, it was 44% of respondents, a percentage that rose to 48% in 2021. And four in ten don’t like to buy unless they can see and touch the products in a store.
“Omnichannel is an essential part of the modern marketing mix as the combination of online and offline enhances the shopper experience. Our research also indicates that customers are less reliant on stores for immediate service today than they did during the pre-pandemic period,” said Tiago Cardoso, Criteo’s managing director for Latin America.
Hybrid shopping path
In other trends, the survey identified that consumers have been experimenting with new forms of interaction. Examples are “buy online, pick up in store” and “search online, buy offline”, which have been growing since 2019.
According to Criteo, this data shows that shoppers are comfortable with a journey that allows access to both e-commerce benefits, such as the ability to quickly compare prices and products, and offline advantages, including lower prices or special promotions. .
In addition to the interviews, Criteo worked with commerce data from its 22,000 advertisers.
