Retail / studies

More than half of all tablet shoppers use videos while researching and shopping. We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in the tablet research process and purchase journey and found:

• As a direct result of viewing tablet product videos, 71% became interested in specific tablet models and 56% were introduced to tablet brands not previously considered
• 72% of viewers said tablet videos were useful in the purchase process and 44% visited a store as a result of watching
• 80% of tablet shoppers are likely to watch videos again the next time they are shopping for tablets

42% of TV shoppers use videos while researching and shopping. We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in today's TV research process and purchase journey and found:

• Of those that watch TV videos in the research process, 81% watch for more than 10 minutes
• As a direct result of viewing TV product videos, 59% became interested in specific TV models and 61% were introduced to TV brands not previously considered
• Mobile has a significant role in the process. After viewing a TV product video, 72% looked up a store’s location on their mobile phone. 57% researched and shopped on mobile device while in retail store

We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in today's tech research process and purchase journey. We studied across TV, smartphone, and tablet shoppers and found the following behavior surfaced as a direct result of viewing product videos:

• Overall, 44% of technology shoppers used videos while researching and shopping, of which 81% watch for more than 10 minutes
• Among those who viewed tech product videos, 64% became interested in specific technology product models and 55% were introduced to brands not previously considered
• 72% looked up a store’s location on their mobile phone and 57% researched and shopped on mobile while in a retail store

Gifters are always on the search for the best toys that will put smiles on those little faces. More than 68% of all toy sales are influenced by the web. We wanted to understand just what kind of role does digital, search and mobile play in the shopping journey and partnered with Compete to find these insights:

• Over half of all online toy shoppers research on online retailer or mass merchant sites. Conversely, only 26% of them research on manufacturer sites. This indicates that a co-op investment strategy is crucial for toy manufacturer brands
• The top two ad types that were most effective for online toy shoppers were sponsored search engine listings (26%) and email ads (21%). Marketers should make sure the messaging and deals in the two are consistent to delivery a better experience
• 39% of online toy shoppers research for a window longer than 3 weeks, which was surprising for many of those in the industry. Marketers should lengthen their attribution window to maximize the opportunity
• Among online toy buyers, 90% of those who visited Amazon.com converted on Amazon.com. 72% of those who visited ToysRUs.com converted elsewhere. This business skews heavily towards online and merchants that are very skilled at delivering a top notch online shopping experience will have an advantage

For a company that delivers curated advice from shopping experts to save shoppers money, measuring site and product performance is critical. SHOP.com was experiencing challenges with their current analytics tool and engaged Blast Advanced Media, a Google Analytics Certified Partner to help align the transition against strategy. Here are some of the wins SHOP.com experienced with the move to Google Analytics:

• A custom tracking strategy was implemented that would both meet SHOP.com's analysis objectives and provide for easy access to reports containing actionable insight.
• Integration of multiple Google AdWords accounts with their Google Analytics profiles to provide cost and conversion data that was previously not available.
• The transition to a custom Google Analytics configuration met all of their existing reporting needs as well as met new reporting goals that weren’t previously available. SHOP.COM gained better visibility into their many SEM traffic sources and millions of products in their marketplace.

Marketers are stoked around the official start of the holiday shopping season - door buster deals and early store openings resulted in a 6.6 percent sales increase over last year. Online outlets scored double-digit increases and Cyber Monday sales total exceeded $1.2 billion. Shopper Sciences collaborated with Affectiva and the MIT’s Media Lab to get at some biometrics using a wrist sensor to understand exactly just how shoppers feel during shopping frenzies. Here's what they found:

• Despite the crowds, pushing, shoving and retailer out-of-stocks – shoppers are generally really excited about the overall experience
• Peak moments of shopper excitement include 1) moments before entering the store, 2) the process of navigating and finding the on-sale items, 3) when the shopper located and claimed one of the key sale items on their list
• The long lines to check out were in fact the source of greatest stress to shoppers
• Shoppers who prepared with online research before heading to the stores had the lowest stress curves of any of the groups. Additionally, those who first browsed deals online and then shopped in stores spent the most – more than $400 on average

Almost 20% of total footwear sales are online. We asked Compete to help us track how footwear shoppers navigate the path to purchase, including how they search and found:

• 43% of shoe shoppers use search throughout purchase process
• There are more than 25,000 paths that footwear shoppers take, yet the top 20 paths represent 68% of all footwear shoppers
• If you're an advertiser who's not running on category terms, you're missing out on 1 out of every 5 searchers

Do marketers have a separate footwear marketing strategy for men vs. women? What about by type of shoe? We gleaned some of these insights out of this year's footwear meta study and share this piece here:

• Men were more likely than women to make their purchase offline, as opposed to doing so online
• Interestingly, 52% of men were more likely to remember seeing or hearing an offline advertisement (vs. 39% for women
• Sandals convert the most online (6.8%) versus other types of shoes like athletic shoes (4.4%) and lifestyle (2.1%)

A great deal of footwear retailers still rely on sales in the brick and mortar stores. What kind of role does search have on the cash register ring in the store?

• Offline footwear purchasers actually spend more time online researching their offline choices than online purchasers
• About 1 out of 3 footwear shoppers that use their mobile devices during the shopping process are using their devices to price compare and search for coupons.
• 43% of searchers purchase in the store, versus 36% of non-searchers. Targeting searchers with compelling messaging can help drive more customers into the store.

Footwear shoppers have a ton of choices these days of where to buy, and with all the online deals, it's a cutthroat environment. Learn about how these shoppers cross-shop to better understand how to beat your competitors at the race:

• Among the race between branded sites versus retailer sites, a branded site can lose up to 78% of shoppers to retailers
• As some examples, more than 75% of all shoppers who had considered Kohl's or JCPenney as their outlet of choice, DID end up buying there. More than half of all shoppers who had once considered FootLocker or Nordstrom along the path to purchase, actually converted elsewhere
• At the end of the day, many shoppers are undecided on a brand or retailer and they shop around. Develop search and display strategies to draw them in and keep them there to convert

Signs point to positive retail growth for the holidays: October same-store sales were on the rise, traffic to top retail sites have increased 10% vs. 2010, and FedEx anticipates a 12% increase in holiday shipments vs. year ago. We asked consumers their intentions this holiday and found:

• 43% of holiday shoppers planned to do the majority of their shopping by Cyber Monday
• 82% of holiday shoppers say that online research will significantly or moderately impact which retailer they will shop at
• 77% of holiday shoppers will turn to their tablet device for online shopping, 54% will turn to their smartphones

Motherhood means big changes. With another 8+ hours of parenting added to her day, how a woman spends her time has changed dramatically. For moms, magazine readership has dropped by 49%. Social and mobile have become her trusted side-kicks. Our partners at BabyCenter reveals the seven rituals moms use to serve their unique and forever changed shopping needs. Some eye-opening shopping behaviors extracted here: