Multichannel Marketing is becoming popular according to new research

A new study by BRP shows that consumers favour shopping across channels.  82% said that they research and review products online before making a purchase in-store (“Webrooming”), while 56% said that they visit a store to check out products and then made their purchase online (“Showrooming”). These behaviors help explain why 87% of customers say they want a personalized and consistent experience across all shopping channels.

The research also showed that consumers want a high degree of retailer transparency and synergy across devices. 56% of customers said that they like to shop at a retailer that provides a shared cart across digital channels (for example, mobile device or desktop) as opposed to with a retailer that does not offer this feature.

Additionally, 66%  of those surveyed indicated that they would choose a retailer that provides inventory visibility across digital channels. These consumer preferences highlight areas where retailers need to reassess their current strategies:

• Provide greater emphasis on personalization wherever customers are shopping. Despite 87% of consumers saying that they want a personalized shopping experience across channels, only 53% of retailers reported that personalization of the customer experience was a top priority for them. More retailers should consider taking measures to make their sites feel more personalized. For example, the Walmart subsidiary Jet.com now shows imagery and messages on the home page that correspond to a shopper’s city.
• Another new development which is catching on is the ‘shared cart’ that stays updated across devices. One of the most significant gaps found between customer demand and retailer capability was that, while 56% of customers prefer retailers that offer a shared cart across channels, only 7% of retailers actually offer one. If retailers can find a way to offer this feature, it would enable customers to add an item they see in-store to their cart by a mobile app and purchase it later at home, providing a more seamless shopping experience regardless of channel.