Retailers have long known that the traditional shopper environment is changing and they need to evolve or die. The merging of online and offline channels has meant changing consumer shopping habits in store. A recent study by Digital, uncovers how consumers use of mobile technology is affecting their in-store purchases.

I’m an avid online and offline shopper, but I sometimes feel like no one is getting the basics right and speaking to me in the same language across all channels. I can just as easily buy a dress online without leaving my home as I can at the local shopping centre. My chosen channel depends on what I am purchasing, how much time I have available, urgency of purchase, weather and lifestyle in that moment.

According to Deloitte, online interactions with brands influence 36 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores. By the end of the year, that number will reach 50%.

Contrary to what you might expect, consumers using digital devices during the “path to purchase” are 40% more likely to actually buy something than those who don’t. Digital interaction also affects store traffic, customer spending and loyalty:

• 84% of in-store shoppers use their computers or mobile devices either before or while visiting the store (often referred to as webrooming or showrooming).
• 22% of respondents said they spend more as a result of digital interactions. On average, 25% more than they planned to when they began shopping.
• 75% of respondents said product information they see on social media affects their shopping behaviours and makes them more loyal to a brand.

I am an advocate of tradigital marketing and urge retailers to stop thinking of online and offline interactions as two different worlds. Instead, think of each time you interact with a customer, whether it’s online or in-store, as a chance to build a relationship with them, tell them more about your brand, encourage purchasing and enhance their loyalty.

Study by Deloitte Digital, The New Digital Divide