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What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 1A DMI CONSUMER SURVEY What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 2 People love their smartphones. But they adore the experience of strolling the aisles of a boutique or big-box store even more. Question after question in DMIs survey reinforces the value of in-store retailing. But what about Amazon? Arent they supposed to be taking over the planet? Isnt the “retail apocalypse” playing right into Amazons hands? Not yet. But theres no denying the clouds on the horizon for retailers who ignore the lessons Amazon teaches millions of consumers every day. DMIs annual survey of consumer behavior extols the virtues of in-store shopping while acknowledging the colossal impact of Amazon. This exclusive in-depth report summarizes consumer practices and preferences under three main headings: The State of Connected Commerce: Why people prefer in-store experiences, how Amazon educates the retail sector and how AI reshapes customer service Enhancing the Consumer Experience: Why consumers prize convenience, how shipping deals and loyalty programs have merged, and why social commerce is on the rise. Optimizing the Path to Purchase: How to make life better for consumers when theyre browsing, buying, seeking support and communicating with your brand. Read on to discover the surveys key findings plus actionable guidance from DMI experts on e-commerce, digital strategy, customer experience, artificial intelligence and technology implementation. What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 3 THE STATE OF CONNECTED COMMERCE Buyers Still Believe in Brick-and-Mortar 88% of survey responses cited in-store purchases in the past month, vs. 59% for online and 38% for retailers mobile apps. Our data underscores the reality that retailers must build holistic experiences that meld mobile, desktop and in-store shopping. Amazon is a Rival, But its Not the Enemy 49% of responses call Amazon the top place to learn about new products, topping social media (45%) and search engines (38%). Amazons edge in product awareness reveals a formidable competitor whose mastery of the customer experience provides vital insight. AI is at an Inflection Point 34% of survey respondents have encountered AI in customer service. Of those, 54% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience. While people still prize human customer service, theyre acclimating to AI and automation, recognizing the efficiency and speed AI offers. Mobility Defines the Shopping Experience 51% of survey responses confirmed people like to buy online and pick up in-store. A similar proportion confirmed checking to see if a specific item was available in- store before visiting. Retailers have to adapt to this new mobile reality. 12 CRUCIAL INSIGHTS FROM THE DMI SURVEY OF MOBILE SHOPPERS. AT A GLANCE: 88% 49% 34% 51%What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 4 KEY CONSUMER EXPERIENCE INSIGHTS Convenience and Cost Savings Rule 73% of retail website buyers call convenience the top reason for impulse purchases (vs. 63% for researched purchases). Pricing factors also have a profound influence on buying decisions. Thus, retailers have to build convenience and compete on price. Shipping Deals Drive Loyalty 31% of consumers say shipping discounts are their favorite benefit of loyalty programs, while 24% give the nod to points or rewards that provide freebies. Together, shipping deals and loyalty programs create hard-to-resist incentives. Product Knowledge is Beyond Retailers Control 49% of survey responses cited search engines as the top way to find out about products for the first time. Shoppers also crave product insights from social media and review sites. While retailers cannot control external content, they should try to influence it. Social Commerce is on the Rise 45% of survey responses said social media helped people find interesting products in the past three months, outpolling search engines 38%. Surpassing search engines at raising product awareness is an important step in the evolution of social commerce. 73% 31% 49% 45%What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 5 OPTIMIZING THE PATH TO PURCHASE Awareness is the Crucial First Step 21% of responses named social as the best way to learn about products for the first time, less than half of the responses for search engines (49%). Awareness is a complex riddle because knowing about a product might not mean people want to buy it. Browsers Prefer Mobile Devices 42% of consumers surveyed preferred mobile devices when browsing, vs. 30% for in-store visits and 28% for desktop computers. Savvy technology strategies can accelerate browsing and move buyers closer to a purchase. Purchases Must Reflect Buyer Preferences 30% of survey respondents said reviews helped them feel comfortable enough to purchase, followed by product details (29%) and price comparisons (19%). Subtle differences in motivation help define how and why people buy. Support Requires Effective Communication 76% of respondents said store visits provided the most satisfying way to communicate with brands, besting email (59%) and phone calls (56%). When contacting brands, people preferred Facebook by a 6-to-1 margin over Twitter and 5-to-1 over Instagram. 21% 42% 30% 76%What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 6 DMIs Survey explores the shopping behaviors of todays mobile-empowered consumers. . SURVEY METHODOLOGY WE SURVEYED 1,530 U.S. ADULTS. TWO-THIRDS HAD A FAMILY INCOME BELOW $100,000 PER YEAR 57% LIVED IN THE FASTER- GROWING REGIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST AND WEST. EVERY RESPONDENT OWNED A SMARTPHONE: 57% ANDROID AND 43% IOSBecoming interested in a product even though they were not shopping The single most important variables that affect buying decisions All the ways they browse for products theyre interested in buying How impulse purchases differ from well-thought-out, researched purchases Thus, findings vary depending on the scenarios we explored and the questions we asked. RESPONDENTS VS. RESPONSES Most of the survey questions seek a single reply from each of the 1530 survey participants. In these cases, we present the results as a percentage of respondents. However, some questions ask participants to choose “all that apply.” In these cases, we present results as a percentage of responses. The distinction is crucial because multiple-reply questions produce a much larger quantity of responses (e.g. 4500). Thus, the pertinent data is the percentage of total responses, not total participants. This is akin to a fractional-voting election, which is decided by total choices cast, not total voters.What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 8 I. INTRODUCTION: CONSUMERS VASTLY PREFER BUYING IN STORES “The death of the retail store is a myth,” says Michael Deittrick, DMIs vice president for strategy and chief digital officer. “Enhancing in-store experiences still brings people in.” DMIs survey data agrees: When we asked people to state all the ways they bought something in the past 30 days, 88% of their responses cited in-store purchases, vs. 59% online and 38% retailers mobile apps. Moreover, 44% of respondents purchased either mostly in the store are all in-store, while 27% of respondents shopped mostly online or all online. The survey revealed striking contrasts in the frequency of in-store and online purchases. Online purchases come out ahead only in the once-a-month category, primarily because people are so much more likely to buy in a store either daily or weekly. When asked about purchases in the past year, 81% of survey responses cited physical stores, besting retailers websites and Amazon, both of which had 62%. In that same time frame, 46% of respondents said in-store was their favorite purchase method, vs. 19% for Amazons website and 15% for retailers websites. Despite their strong in-store preferences, consumers use mobile devices in every phase of their shopping experience, DMIs survey found. They scan search engines, compare prices and read reviews while stalking the aisles of their favorite stores. The most adept retailers use analytics, artificial intelligence, digital marketing and social media to elevate the in-store experience. As people become more habituated to mobile and online engagement, e-commerce will keep growing. “But it will not overtake the in-store retail experience in the near future,” Deittrick says. “People still like to shop.” “Frictionless engagement from mobile to online and into the store and vice versa is still a critical component to transforming retail businesses.” Michael Deittrick, vice president for strategy and chief digital officer, DMIWHAT ABOUT THE RETAIL APOCAL YPSE? While legacy chains like Sears and JC Penney have endured major setbacks, talk of a “retail apocalypse” overlooks a few crucial points: Retail sales account for $2.6 trillion of U.S. GDP. Suffering in some sectors is balanced by growth in others. The retail marketplace is rapidly evolving as companies combine in-store and online sales. Nobody is either-or anymore. Its both. E-tailers from Amazon to Warby Parker to Wayfair are launching stores because consumers want a blended online/in-store experience. Source: “Setting the record straight on the state of retail and store closures,” National Retail Federation. What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 9 They dont shop the way they used to, however. Forward-looking stores dont sell the way they used to, either. Consider Best Buy: It sells electronic gear tailor-made for online shopping, but it is not giving ground to Amazon without a fight. Best Buy encourages in-store price matching, disrupting Amazons discount-driven strategy. Customers can close sales on the company website and pick up products in-store. They dont have to wait two days and fear somebody will steal the package off their front porch. Product pages include reviews, specs and in-depth descriptions. In short, Best Buy deploys the tools of digital transformation to create holistic shopping experiences on desktops, mobile devices and in- store. With Amazon gaining strength by the day, adding distribution centers and getting into brick-and-mortar retail, retailers have no choice but to adapt. “Every retailer has got to figure out their position in the market, assess how theyre being disrupted and find the best way to become disruptors,” Deittrick says. What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 10 II. LEARNING FROM AMAZON Amazon leaves large and small footprints on American markets, reeling in 5% of U.S. retail sales and about half of U.S. e-commerce, according to Chain Store Age magazine. Our survey found that 55% of respondents were Amazon Prime members, mirroring estimates from eMarketer and other online sources. Theres nothing sinister about Amazons place in so many American households. “That 55% doesnt buy from Amazon every day,” DMIs Michael Deittrick notes. “Some Prime members just enjoy the free movies and buy on Amazon now and then if they dont mind waiting a couple days for a shipment. Its all about shopper preference. This concept of one program shifting everybody to online is misguided, and the data points that out.” Indeed, our survey responses show Amazon is a fierce competitor that wins customers on price, service, convenience and content. By hitting these marks consistently, Amazon trains consumers to expect them all. Thats a lesson no retailer can afford to overlook. Among our survey findings: Amazons website and apps represented the most popular place to find out about interesting products when people werent shopping (49% of responses), ahead of social media (45%), search engines (38%) and email (27%). Amazons vast array of reviews, customer Q&As and product recommendations reveal the power of content. Why do people buy on Amazon? Here are survey respondents top four reasons: FREE SHIPPING RAPID DELIVERY FAMILIAR PURCHASE EXPERIENCE CUSTOMER SERVICETHE AMAZON PRIME EFFECT DMIs survey found that Amazon Prime members arent like everybody else. The 55% of survey respondents who belong to Prime are: 45% more likely to shop with a mobile app 86% more likely to use a mobile device in-store 44% more likely to shop in-store at least weekly 208% more likely to shop online at least weekly Thus, Amazon Prime membership is a proxy for more digitally engaged consumers who embrace digital tools to improve their shopping experience. What Buyers Want: A DMI Consumer Survey | 11 These stats for impulse buys were essentially identical to the rationales for heavily researched purchases. “People can find pretty much anything they want on Amazon, usually at the best price,” Deittrick says. “All retailers have to embrace this customer experience model: No-hassle returns. When you make a mistake, you own it with the customer.” Though in-store retail has built-in advantages over Amazon, complacency is risky. Amazon has mastered logistics, storage, distribution and online sales. Its purchase of Whole Foods marks a significant foray into brick-and-mortar retail. The company is adding distribution centers with an eye on same-day delivery. Shipping may soon become a crucial component of in- store retailing. “Some grocery stores are disrupting Amazon because it was selling people canned goods online and shipping to them in two days,” Deittrick says. “Now you have people who will go out, shop for you and bring your groceries to you.” Similarly, in-store price-matching encourages more abandoned shopping carts on Amazon. Of course, every retail company has to find its own way to model Amazons expertise. “They can start by doing what Amazon does best,” Deittrick advises. “Get people what they want as soon as possible. Always compete on price.” And never stop improving the customer experience. “To compete with Amazon, retailers have to embrace this customer experience model. No- hassle returns. When you make a mistake, you own it with the customer.” Michael Deittrick, vice president for strategy and chief digital officer, DMI