It has long been known that consumers are looking for a seamless experience when they shop across the various channels offered by brick & click retailers. That fact was reinforced once again by a new study from Accenture. However, what is somewhat puzzling is that, according to the study, many retailers are still struggling to deliver what consumers want in this regard.
Nearly half of the 750 consumers interviewed said the best thing merchants can do to improve the shopping experience is integrate the in-store, online and mobile channels. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed said in-store shopping was easy compared to 74 percent for online and only 26 percent for mobile.
"In many cases we have found a significant gap between consumer expectations and reality, but we believe seamlessness is achievable," said Chris Donnelly, global managing director of Accenture's Retail practice, in a statement. "Traditional retailers must take stock of their operational capabilities. They require a presence at every stage of the customer journey to deliver a consistently personalized, on-brand experience from discovery through research, purchase, fulfillment and beyond to product maintenance or returns."
Echoing sentiments expressed in a recent RetailWire article by RSR Research's Nikki Baird on pricing consistency across channels, 73 percent expect a retailer's online pricing to be the same as in-store. According to Accenture, only 16 percent of retailers offer the same pricing online and in stores.
As an extension of the pricing issue, 61 percent of respondents expect online and in-store promotions to synch up. According to Accenture, 73 percent of retailers offer the same promotions across selling channels.
Accenture's research points to physical store locations as an asset that can be exploited by retailers in competition with pure play e-commerce operations. While 73 percent of respondents engaged in some degree of showrooming activity, resulting in an online purchase, 88 percent did their research online before going to a store to buy.
When asked what information they would like to have before heading out to a store, 82 percent said current product availability was top on their list. According to Accenture, only 21 percent of merchants currently provide this information.