DigitasLBi’s Global Survey reveals Asia markets lead in emerging mobile and social shopping

A global consumer study by digital and technology agency DigitasLBi has found that Asia consumers are leading global changes in shopping behaviour with over 75% of Chinese consumers making purchases on their mobiles in the past 3 months vs 35% of their Western counterparts. Furthermore, approximately 80% of both Chinese and Singaporean consumers said that purchase preferences are “heavily influenced‟ by Social Media.

The first-of-its kind, proprietary research entitled “Connected Commerce: A Snapshot of the Modern Shopper‟, looks at the multiple screens and data streams that affect the purchase behaviour of consumers across 12 countries: Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United-Kingdom and USA.

KEY FINDINGS ACROSS THREE CATEGORIES:

Smartphones and M-commerce Take Centre Stage

Half of survey respondents worldwide* agree that the use of smartphones has changed the way they shop. 34% of smartphone users have made a purchase on their smartphone, and 72% of smartphone users report using their smartphone while inside a store. China leads the way in terms of m-commerce with 76% of smartphone users making a mobile purchase in the last three months, compared to 35% in the US, UK, Germany and Singapore. The percentage of m-shoppers is less in France (20%), Netherlands (18%) and Belgium (15%).

Consumers increasingly rely on digital and mobile channels while shopping in store People are now using the internet more and more to enhance their shopping experience: 88% of global consumers* Research Online, Purchase Offline (ROPO). This behaviour is seen in nine out of ten people in 11 of 12 countries. However, the store remains the fundamental point of contact, and it is the third source of information preferred by worldwide consumers (14%), who expect to take advantage of online services while in the shop.

19% of global consumers report leaving a store after consulting their smartphone and learning that a product they want is cheaper elsewhere, while a further 29% of consumers say they would consider doing so. (A behaviour known as Showrooming). The price component is essential: nearly two in three consumers surveyed reported that a price difference of at least 5% would make them leave the store; if the price difference increased to 10%, 88% consumers would leave. In Singapore, 78% use their smartphone while in store, and 89% of users think that having the option to compare and get more information via their mobile phone can affect their buying decisions. With this, 73% of Singapore consumers would leave a store if after consulting their smartphone they found the product 5% cheaper somewhere else.

“More than anywhere else in the world, consumers in Asia are changing the way they shop. To get ahead of the curve and grow sales, brands must place greater attention on the value they deliver through both mobile and social channels and how those channels connect to and augment the offline experience.‟ says Justin Peyton, Chief Strategy Officer for DigitasLBi APAC.

Social Media’s influence and social sharing varies widely, with China and Singapore leading the way

82% of Chinese social networks users say that social media has influenced their behaviour; in Singapore the figure is 74%; Spain, Italy and the US show an average of 55%, while the average for the seven remaining countries is 42%. Four in five Chinese social networks users also say they buy more products of brands they follow on social media. 96% of Singapore consumers use at least one social network and 45% declare that they buy more products of brands they follow on social media.

Sharing news of purchased items through social channels is most common in China, where 78% of social media users have shared a purchase via a social network. In contrast, in the UK and Germany, an average of 35% have done so. In Singapore, Italy, Spain and the US, between 40% and 50% have shared a purchase via a social network. 49% of global social networks users who have ever shared a purchase on social networks, did it “just to let their friends know”.

“We’ve been running the Connected Commerce research in Europe for the last couple of years and it‟s fantastic that we‟ve rolled this out globally and specifically to APAC in 2014‟ said Roy Capon, CEO for DigitasLBi APAC.

“You can see from the research that consumers here are adopting very fluid and advanced digital behaviours while shopping and buying compared to their western counterparts.

Our approach of gaining unique consumer insights coupled with the way we are building the network here in Asia underpins our proposition of helping our clients decide What’s Next…and then taking them there.‟