Consumers are becoming more receptive to location-based instore services, according to a study released by Zebra Technologies Corporation.

Zebra Technologies’ Global Shopper Study, which surveyed nearly 2000 people in 12 countries, reveals that mobile coupons are the most popular form of location based service, with 51 per cent of respondents supporting this. This was closely followed by shopping maps, at 46 per cent; and associate assistance, at 41 per cent.

The survey examined behaviour of shoppers from the US, Canada, Singapore, Australia, England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, China, Japan and Thailand.

The study also identified that more than one-third of shoppers (34 per cent) believe they are better connected to real time information than in store associates. Meanwhile, 64 per cent of shoppers would be willing to purchase more merchandise if they received better customer service, and over half (52 per cent) value retailers who use technology to make the shopping experience more efficient.

“As online and mobile shopping become more prevalent and accepted worldwide, the importance of the customer experience remains high – as noted by the majority of respondents who would buy more merchandise from retailers they believe provide better customer service,” said Nick D’Alessio, global retail solutions development, Zebra Technologies.

“Mobile technology helps provide real-time visibility of product availability, flexible delivery and payment options – freeing retailers to focus on the shopper experience and delivering personalised service to customers.”

Key Facts:

• More than three quarters (76 per cent) of shoppers feel positive about shopping in stores and nearly one half think that technology solutions are helping retailers enable and improve their shopping experience.
• Fifty two percent of shoppers “show-roomed” or looked at items in store but purchased them online
• More than three in 10 shoppers would prefer to go to a retail store to pick up items purchased via online or mobile channels.
• Retailers can recover 66 per cent of out of stock incidents by offering shoppers an immediate discount.
• Nearly eight in 10 respondents are willing to share some level of information with retailers. But, retailers rank low on the list of institutions that shoppers trust with personal data as only five percent reported they completely trusted retailers.
• Sixty four percent of shoppers value retailers who give the flexibility to control how personal information is used to tailor experiences.