How shoppers search online while in-store

Retailers have long dreaded showrooming — when people pull out their phones in a store and, presumably, start looking for a cheaper, better product from the competition. It’s true that people are on their phones more than ever in stores. Mobile search queries that take place in a store have grown 15% in recent years. But that’s not necessarily bad news.
To get to the bottom of what people are doing on their phones in stores — and help retailers craft a marketing strategy that will help those customers — we conducted new research. What we found is that people no longer follow a predictable and straight path to purchase. Now, they continue widening and narrowing their options as they shop. This applies to in-store shoppers too. Read more…