1. on shopping in evolution
Brace yourselves: men discover mobile shopping
Stop faking it: get real with your shoppers
It’s all about me now (not you):
shoppers dictate the rules of engagement

2. Welcome to another edition of ‘Windows’ - a series of online reports from shopper
research specialists Shoppercentric. In each issue we research a hot topic of
relevance to retailers and manufacturers and analyse the issues involved.
For our latest Windows report we turn our attention to
the changes taking place in the retail sector, with
social media and mobile commerce driving whole new
opportunities for the businesses involved in retail. We
look at how these communication trends are impacting
on shopper behaviour, and offer a perspective on how
businesses should grasp the opportunities.
B ased on 1,000 interviews with UK adults who have access to the internet for
personal use and use social media nowadays, together with focus groups
and expert interviews, we aim to provide a new perspective on the commercial
impact of the changes taking place.
This ezine is designed to give you some of the overall themes and insights
from our study. If you would like further information, or to have access to
the full report, please email: evolution@shoppercentric.com
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3. CONTENTS
The Gender Divide 4
Brands Finding a Voice 7
It’s About More Than a Sale 10
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4. The Gender
Divide
S hould we be surprised that boys will be
boys and girls will be girls? Probably
not, but this isn’t just about knowing there is
If we focus on the boys first, we
see that they are not only playing
a gender divide, it is about businesses with their mobile devices, the
understanding the nature of it and building earlier adopters are already using
the learnings into targeted marketing plans. these tools to make shopping a
more positive experience. Given
In the context of our research the gender
divide can be defined as follows: we know that 31 percent of men
Boys are playing with the toys – 38 find shopping a chore, who would
percent having a smartphone (compared to have thought that we would
29 percent of women) associate men with positive
The girls are getting sociable – 60
percent using Facebook (compared to 52 shopping experiences!
percent of men)
The beauty of smartphones is that they allow
The use of social networking and mobile boys to do what they do best – investigate /
commerce in the business context is still in its explore – in the context of physical stores.
early stages of development. Yet, as these Those using smartphones are getting out of
figures are suggesting, even now businesses the house and hitting the shops. Once there
should take account of the gender divide within they are using the connectivity of their mobile
the approaches they take to these new media. devices to give them all the advantages of
the internet, but in bricks & mortar stores.
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5. Young men in particular are excited about For women sociability is the key.
the potential of mobile commerce. They see We’ve always known that this is a
it as putting knowledge at their finger tips,
and giving them immediate feedback that fundamental part of shopping for
empowers their purchase process. They now women, with 22 percent of women
have the ability to compare prices on the saying they like to make shopping
move, which short circuits their previous a social event with their friends:
shopping habits. Instead of being tied to a
computer at home they can get out into the “going shopping with my friends
shop whilst their mobile device gives them is part of the fun – you know, ‘do I
the sense of security that they will still get the look good in this’”.
best price: “I can pull their website up on my
phone (when in-store) and I’ll guarantee you I
will get a cheaper price online” 25-34 yr old. Platforms used nowadays
% By gender
The ability to haggle on the spot is a critical
shift in the power relationship between Retailer websites 72
78
shoppers and retailers. “Shoppers want to
62
seek out the best price, and this is where Price comparison websites
63
mobile technology will become more Facebook 52
60
important.” Bernd Larsen Linde, Director of
59
global trade marketing, Lego You Tube
51
(Source: Marketing Week, 28/01/2011) Interest group websites 37
43
Consumer review websites 27
19
Other phone apps 20
14
Phone apps that support shopping 14 Male
8 Female
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6. Now this sociability is spilling over into their So of the two trends which we believe will have
use of the internet – being more likely than considerable impact on the retail landscape a
men to use Facebook and interest group very clear gender divide is emerging:
websites. Surely then social media offers an
opportunity for retailers and brands to engage Mobile commerce looks to be able to
more deeply with female customers online. offer a strong opportunity for businesses
to facilitate the shopping process for men
Yet, here is another interesting facet of the by playing up on the ‘boys and their toys’
gender divide: whilst the mobile commerce mindset to get men into the shops. Done
trend seems to have made a real connection well, marketing strategies based on
with men who talk about how the novelty and mobile commerce can directly influence
enjoyment provides genuine value; most transactional behaviour
women have yet to engage with businesses
through social networking. In fact only 21 Social media should suit the inherent
percent of women have communicated with sociability of women and their interest in
retailers via Facebook compared to 27 shopping, but what’s being done
percent of men. commercially on social media networks
has yet to make that connection
21st Century Communication
with each group, but they tend to be the tool
With all the tools now available to that feels most comfortable for that group,
communicate with each other it is no and we can become uncomfortable when
surprise to see that a loose set of rules people step outside these ‘rules’:
seems to be developing among young users
in terms of which tools are appropriate for
which set of people they want to ‘talk to’: Facebook as a friend
Facebook as a friend
emerging ‘rules’ in mind when developing
their communications plans, particularly with
reference to the tone of voice that would be
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7. Brands finding
a voice
F or brands the social media platform
offers an opportunity to talk directly to
shoppers. In fact, social media hangs the
Interestingly there is more permission for
retailers to be on Facebook than brands (27
percent have interacted with retailers via
carrot of direct access in front of brands Facebook versus only 17 percent with
which would explain why so many brands brands). It is most likely that the physical
are creating a Facebook presence. And yet presence of retailers on the high street means
there are so many ‘buts’ to the idea of we are used to dealing directly with them.
brands on social networks – not least the
obvious shopper response: That said social media could be a
hugely powerful tool as it has the
potential to allow brands to find
their voice in a way that doesn’t
require using a commercial
The reason why brands want to be on
medium or relying on a retailer to
social networks is the very same reason act as the messenger.
why shoppers struggle to understand why
they are there: the direct connection with It all sounds so easy, and yet the challenges
the target audience. are evident:
Shoppers just aren’t used to talking directly
to brands, and so it’s almost as if they don’t
know what brands could possibly have to say websites – we just don’t have the same
to them that would be of interest or that they impetus to talk directly to brands as we do to
don’t already know. talk directly with retailers
of brands using social media, compared to
18 percent saying the same of retailers
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8. There seems to be a fundamental barrier in our The challenge for businesses
minds as to why we should communicate used to keeping a tight rein on
directly with a brand, or why a brand would
want to communicate directly with us. That brand marketing is to inject fun
doesn’t mean we won’t communicate with into their Facebook activity – and
brands, it simply means that brands need to to keep that fun fresh.
work hard to set up a meaningful connection.
Brands need to think about what they want So for brands to create meaningful
to share with the shopper, not just what connections in the social media space:
they want to get out of the conversation.
And they need to work on the basis that they
have to seek out these connections rather than that they are making relevant connections
assuming shoppers will come to them. and relationships with their target universe
that stand a chance of making an impact
Those shoppers who have decided to follow on people’s behaviours over time
brands on social media (9 percent of our
sample) were looking for tangible benefits such
as: new news; exclusive prices / products / market rather than assume the market
discounts; competitions. But they are also will find them
looking for fun, which shouldn’t be a surprise
given this media is about having fun.
space which generates curiosity in the
brand, and gives a reason for shoppers to
keep coming back
their brand space within the social context
of this new media
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9. All about me (the shopper)
One of the key themes emerging in our research And that means a business needs to understand
was that these new tools are not about what what the target market wants or needs from them.
shoppers can do for business, but about what
business can do for shoppers – brand to me not Whilst there is a lot of pressure to ‘just do it’, to just
me to brand. Yet much of the chatter in the get involved because everyone else is, that would
commercial world has been about commercial be a mistake. Businesses should think about:
opportunities: social media as a CRM tool;
explaining an ethical positioning; selling
products; or monitoring what people say about platforms
a company.
As previously discussed social networking has the broader marketing / communications plan
developed as a personal tool, a way of keeping
in touch on a social level. The numbers now
involved make the commercial opportunity these platforms should take
obvious, but that opportunity will be achieved
only through a real understanding of what
shoppers want from businesses in this space. Attitudes towards Businesses using Social Media
% Total sample (1000)
Equally, mobile commerce is based on a To sell products 54
26
personal tool – a phone. So the most engaging
34
commercial applications are those which give To see what customers are saying
23
something to the shopper e.g. phone apps or To find out more about their customers 29
internet access on the move. Yet when the 24
25
commercial world forces itself on the user, it can To stand out from their competitors
18
be rejected “I was at the match (Wales v To connect with people like me 25
23
Australia) and my phone just kept pinging with
23
messages from sponsors. I wanted to watch the To bring the brand to life
20
b****y match, not answer advertising!” To tell me something new 22
32
7
To make the connection that engages shoppers To help me have some fun
12
a business needs to focus on giving the shopper Why shoppers THINK companies do it What shoppers WANT from companies on it
something that will keep bringing them back.
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10. It’s about
more than a sale ?
O ne of the reasons we decided to look
at the impact of social media on
shopping was because we were hearing
Reasons for making contact with companies
% Total sample (1000)
concerns from retailers that the huge spend
63
they were allocating to social media wasn’t To make a purchase
6
delivering sales. They were starting to Researching what to buy 59
question their investment in social media. 10
To get news about new products 51
13
Perhaps the question isn’t about To find the best prices
8
45
whether to invest in social media To get loyalty rewards 44
or not, but about the targets that 7
43
To access reviews
are being set by businesses. 12
43
To get vouchers / offers / discounts
10
If we look at why shoppers contact 42
To make a complaint
businesses on social media, vs looking at 6
their websites we can see why retailers are To get news about the company
11
38
so frustrated – only six percent use social 26
To find out what others have bought
media to make a purchase. 15
14
To share thoughts / join a forum 29
12
To feel part of a group 32
Company Websites Social Media
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11. But at the same time, the retailers’ frustration
seems rather short sighted. Rather than
assume social media will deliver an actual
sale, they should consider all other
benefits which could lead a shopper to
make a sale in-store or via the website,
such as news about new products or
variants, loyalty rewards, vouchers/offers,
and finding out what others have bought.
And so we reach the conclusions of our
research:
1. That businesses should see social
media and mobile commerce as platforms
for communication.
2. That these communication platforms
should be part of the overall marketing
and communication plan.
3. And that as with all marketing
mechanics and communication media
they should be seen as opportunities to
target shoppers at different stages in the
purchase journey in order that the result
of these combined efforts is the sale,
rather than expecting one tool to achieve
that job in isolation.
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12. Our series of Windows reports are a small part
of the research service we provide to clients.
If you would like to know more about how we can
help your business better understand shoppers’ attitudes,
needs and behaviours please contact us.
CONTACT
Alice Synge:
alice.synge@shoppercentric.com
mobile: + 44 (0) 7977 579 076
evolution@shoppercentric.com
or visit our web site at:
www.shoppercentric.com
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