Traditional retailers need to engage customers via mobile or lose them to online sellers

As we approach the holiday season retailers will be looking forward to the annual boost in sales that it brings. But a new survey from Euclid Analytics reveals that if retailers don’t employ digital strategies to engage shoppers they risk losing them to online merchants like Amazon.

Mobile and social media adoption means a different shopping experience for consumers who are looking to make holiday purchases. They could be shopping at a physical store, while at the same time comparing prices and looking for coupons via Facebook on their smartphones.

Among the study's findings are that 83 percent of consumers say their smart devices are central to their shopping experience. While 67 percent shop in store because they like to see, hold and try on products before buying, 41 percent of shoppers spend more than half their in store time using their phones.

Facebook, Google and Amazon are the top three smartphone applications consumers are using while shopping, but what are people doing? According to the survey 42 percent are comparing prices, 40 percent are calling, texting or looking at apps, 32 percent are checking promotions and 27 percent are photographing products to refer to later.

"If traditional retail starred in a movie, it would be Titanic, with Amazon playing the iceberg," says Brent Franson, CEO of Euclid Analytics. "Our findings show that to compete against Amazon and survive, retailers must create compelling and efficient in-store experiences that captivate an increasingly distracted mobile-first consumer. What's more: they must also understand how to engage consumers online and via mobile while they’re in the store".

Things that shoppers want to see retailers do more of via their smartphones are providing details of in-store deals and offers (53 percent), allow access to loyalty program details (36 percent) and provide a map of the store (27 percent).

You can find out more in the full 2016 Holiday Consumer Mobile Usage survey available from the Euclid website and there's a summary of the findings as an infographic below.

Image Credit: Art Allianz / Shutterstock