How Seamless are You?Accenture went on a journey to understand consumer preferences to shop seamlessly across channels
and the ability of retailers to deliver that seamless experience.
Seamless Retail Global Benchmarking:
60 global retailers evaluated across 80 questions and 6
capabilities.
How We Measured it:Seamless Retail Global Customer Survey:
6,000 people surveyed in 8 countries: United States, U.K., Germany, France, Sweden,
Japan, China and Brazil.Results analyzed by demographic, retail
segment and country.
What We Measured:
Consistent Experience Customers are able to enjoy an easy, brand consistent
shopping experience regardless of channel
Connected Shopping The end-to-end shopping experience
feels connected across channels
Flexible Fulfillment / Returns Retailers offer multiple fulfillment and return
options convenient to the customer
Personalized Interaction Personalized customer promotions and loyalty
rewards across channels
Better, Faster, and MemorableRetailers are testing new technology and engagement
methods to enrich the customer experience
Integrated Merchandising Assortment and pricing integrated across channels
meet customer expectations
Like to Shop Online (Apparel) 52% 53% 70%
Like to Shop via Mobile Device (Apparel) 11% 13% 24%
Like to Shop in Physical Store (Apparel) 86% 83% 80%
Showroomed at Least 1x in the Last 6 Months 73% 77% 85%
Flexibility to Pay Anytime / Anywhere (cash, credit, other)– Important / Very Important
77% 73% 65%
Same Day Delivery – Important / Very Important
24% 42% 38%
Think “Integrating Stores / Online / Mobile” is Where Retailers Need to Improve Shopping Experience Most 49% 48% 38%
The Seamless Consumer is a Global PhenomenonAt the geography level, there are many similarities and some differentiation
in consumer expectations of a retailer’s seamless capabilities.
North America EALA APAC
The 25 and 55-Year Old Seamless Consumers have More in Common Than You Think
Millennials appear to be defining new behaviors that are quickly spreading to other age groups.
MILLENNIALS(1980 - 2000)
GEN X(1964 – 1980)
BOOMERS(1946 - 1964)
Percentage Who Would Use Real-Time Product Availability to Influence How They Shop
Returns – Percentage Who Will Go with “Cheapest Option” Regardless
Percentage Who are Showrooming More Than They Did 1 Year Ago
Percentage of Consumers Who Would Shop Online or Via Mobile if They Want a Product Outside of Business Hours from Their Favorite Retailer
In Common...
Where There’s Divergence...
Millennials are 1.5x more likely to increase their mobile purchases
going forward
Millennials are 3x more likely to be influenced
by social media
1.5x 3x
37+37+34
48% 54%
62%
93% 90% 84%
44% 39%
41% 37% 37% 34%
Price Still Rules in a Seamless WorldAt the end of the day, price is still the greatest determining factor in a consumer’s purchasing decisions.
What Influences You Most
Where / How You Shop?
3%
Price
Location (I only shop stores that are nearby)
Product brand name
Knowledgeable in-store associates
Retailer’s overall brand image
Customer reviews
In-store product demos
Virtual / video product demos
What my friends or family have bought or want to buy
None of the above
32%
18%
11%
10%
9%
7%
6%
3%
2%
When Purchasing Online or via Mobile
Device, What Influences Your
Purchase Decisions?
Best price
Shipping costs
Quick and easy payments
Easy to navigate site or app
Best products
Access to customer reviews
Filtering my search based on features that matter most to me
Simple view, especially on small screens
Web chat customer support
Interactive video product demonstrations
Remote QR code ordering
72%
59%
41%
38%
36%
30%
22%
19%
10%
9%
4%
$(Multiple Responses)
Consumers Increasingly Expect Integration of the Big Three (Product, Promotion, and Price)
Beyond just seeing a consistent brand across channels, consumers expect a fully integrated and connected shopping experience.
Expect it to be the same or less In-Store
Consumers who report having one account for use In-Store, Online, and Mobile Device to
make check out easy and faster.
Consumers who report having an account completely connected between purchases and
loyalty points both Online and In-Store.
In-Store Online Mobile Device
Promotions(discounts, sales)
Price(including tax and delivery)
Product Assortment
51% 81%
49% 45%
63% 83%
Expect it to be the same across channels
Expect it to be the same across channels
Expect it to be sometimes different across channels
Expect it to be the same across channels
Expect it to be the same or more In-Store
45% 43%
Seamless Means Personalization at Every Touchpoint, and That’s OK
Consumers desire personalized experiences through every engagement channel – tailored to their needs and preferences.
Percentage of consumers who report desiring the following personalization
from retailers, across all channels:
Percentage of consumers who report the following currently influence or
may influence in the future:
I can receive unique pricing, automatic discounts, free returns, or pre-sales based on my loyalty / purchase history
I can earn and use my loyalty rewards In-store, Online or on a Mobile Device
My account is completely connected between purchases and loyalty points both Online and In-Store
I may have one account to use In-Store, Online, and on Mobile Devices to make check out easy and fast
In-Store Offer
E-mail Coupons
Text Offers
Mobile Banner Ads
Online Pop-Up
53+4745+55
55+4555%
53%
45%
43+5743%
90+1059+41
90+10
50+5045+55
90%
90%
59%
50%
45%
Retailers Have Focused on the Easier Capabilities – Now It’s Time to Address the Tougher Ones
Our research shows that retailers have underinvested in 4 out of the 6 dimensions that consumers are demanding.
Foundational Leading Edge
Consistent Experience
Department
Grocery/Drug
Hardgoods
Hyper/Mass
Softgoods
Flexible Fulfillment/Returns
✚ Highly Advanced
Personalized Interactions
● Absent ■ Underdeveloped ★ Developed ◆ Advanced
Better, Faster and Memorable
◆ ■ ■ ■ ★ ■
◆ ● ● ■ ★ ●
◆ ■ ■ ■ ★ ■
◆ ■ ■ ■ ★ ●
◆ ■ ■ ■ ★ ■
Most important based on consumer feedback
Connected Shopping
Integrated Merchandising
Where retailers have invested the most
Retail Segment Matters When Investing in Seamless CapabilitiesNot only do retailers’ seamless capabilities differ by segment, but so do consumer expectations.
Relationship Between Consumer Online Channel Preference and Seamless Capabilities
Percentage of Consumers Who Prefer Online Shopping
2.0
1.0
0% 50% 100%
Insights...
Retailers that are ahead of the
curve stand to benefit the most by differentiating from
their competition and positioning
themselves to build the highest customer loyalty.
DEPARTMENT STORES
SPECIALTY– HARDLINES
SPECIALTY– SOFTLINES
DISCOUNT/ MASS
MERCHANT
GROCERY/ CHAIN DRUG
Seam
less
Cap
abili
ty S
core
As consumers migrate their seamless shopping habits across retail formats, the question is who will be ready for them?
Becoming Seamless Isn’t an “Either / Or” to a Sound Value Proposition
Seamless capabilities are critical for a Retailer’s success, but the fundamentals still matter.
Looking ahead, retailers should be excited yet pragmatic about what seamless means for their business.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
#1#1
#1
#1#1 #1
UNDERLYING CUSTOMER VALUE PROPOSITION
BRAND+ +
Seamless Will Lead to Collaboration across Retailers and with Existing and Emerging 3rd Parties
Retailers will need to seek out strategic partnerships to build better, faster, and memorable emerging capabilities.
When the Consumer Says…
“81% of us rate as Important or Very Important the flexibility to pay for product anytime and anywhere, using cash, credit, or
other payment types (e.g., mobile wallet)”
“80% of us rate as Important or Very
Important the ability to pick up or arrange for delivery of our purchase
regardless of how we paid”
…It Means These Non-Core Capabilities Take Added Importance…
Mobile Wallet
Payment Processing
Integration of Banks/Creditors/Loyalty/Apps/Smartphones/POS
Ability to Schedule Assets/Labor Around Variable Demand
Customer Order Management
Delivery Assets/ Delivery Routing
...And This Type of Cooperation Becomes the Future
TRACKYOUR ORDER
The Efficient Innovators Will Win the Seamless GameConsumers are quick to change their priorities and expectations of retailer capabilities.
Which of These Would You Use if Offered on Your Mobile Device While In-Store?
Gather loyalty points or savings as you shop based on current promotions
Offer real-time promotions you might be eligible for (e.g., buy 2 get 1 free, coupons)
Order out-of-stock items in-store for home delivery, or store items into your wish list
Shopping list and find items in the store (item locator and navigation)
Scan products as you put them into your shopping cart
View other customer’s ratings and reviews
Order whatever products you need from a single retailer, even if they are not normally carried by the retailer
Suggest complementary products based on what I already scanned into my basket / shopping cartProvide product
suggestions to manufacturers
Pay with your phone at checkout
Tell me if I scanned something that I should NOT buy based on dietary or religious restrictions, etc.
Post what you like to Facebook or Twitter (pictures of products, special offers, new products, etc.)
88%
88%
82% 79%
77%
74%
71%
63%62%61%
43%
38%