Photo: Nordstrom
A study from IBM in partnership with the National Retail Federation (NRF) shows hybrid shopping — mixing physical and digital channels in shopping journeys — is on the rise as shopping habits adopted out of necessity during the pandemic become routine.
Some examples of hybrid shopping offered in the report include buying in-store and shipping/delivering to home, and buying online and picking items up curbside. The findings also reflect how the discovery process increasingly involves multiple digital, mobile and in-person touchpoints.
A global survey of more than 19,000 respondents across 28 countries in September
2021 as part of the study found hybrid shopping is the primary buying method for 27 percent of all consumers and 36 percent of Gen Z (more than any other generation).
The hybrid preference varies by product category. So far, the home category was found to be farthest along in the evolution to hybrid shopping, with 40 percent of survey respondents saying hybrid is their primary buying method. That compares to 25 percent for apparel and footwear, 22 percent for personal care and beauty, and 20 percent for grocery.
Hybrid shopping also depends on access and comfort with digital tools. Asked about digital tools they have used and plan to continue to use, the top answer in the global survey was self-checkout, cited by 58 percent; followed by restaurant delivery, 56 percent; order online, pick up at store, 50 percent; mobile payment, 47 percent; and grocery delivery, 44 percent.
In a keynote address at the recent NRF Big Show Mike George, departing NRF chairman and former CEO of Qurate Retail, said that “the older generation reports that they are more comfortable now with buy online, pick up in-store, or pick up at curbside. They are more comfortable with online grocery ordering. There’s no turning back to the way things were pre-pandemic.”
84.51°, Kroger's data analytics subsidiary, has similarly found that hybrid shoppers and e-commerce have doubled within the grocery channel versus pre-pandemic level, opening up opportunities to target different segments of online consumers. Barbara Connors, VP, Commercial Insights, 84.51°, said on a recent Supermarket News podcast, “This trend will continue to grow as adoption and trial continues to expand across different customer groups.”
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