It’s a wacky world when some retail stores will open Thanksgiving Day and others will close the day after. Sports retailer REI recently announced that it would close for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving — the day that most retailers hope will become their biggest sales day of the year. It will likely create more loyal customers that will find their way to the Web to search and buy.
Survey reveals Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of stores being open on Thanksgiving Day
San Francisco, CA — November 5, 2015 — Shoppers will complete almost half of their holiday shopping – browsing and buying – online this year (NRF, Oct. 2015), and retailers are prioritizing a seamless “omnichannel” experience for shoppers who hop between store, web and mobile. The centerpiece: the store, which remains the key advantage for traditional retailers.
RichRelevance®, the global leader in omnichannel personalization, today announced the results of a new study that illuminates consumer preferences and sentiment around the physical store this holiday 2015 season.
The study surveyed more than 1,000 consumers across the U.S to pick out the trends and themes that will define the in-store shopping experience this holiday. Key findings include:
Americans Says No to Shopping on Thanksgiving Day
- Roughly 2 out 3 Americans (64.51%) hate or dislike the trend of retailers opening stores on Thanksgiving Day.
- Only 1 in 10 (12.53%) respondents said they like it or love it.
- The practice may cannibalize Black Friday store sales: 6 of 10 people (60.74%) said they would not shop on Black Friday if they shopped in the store on Thanksgiving Day.
As the store evolves to incorporate digital capabilities and more seamlessly blend with online channels, the RichRelevance survey illuminates the role of the store, as well as the frustrations and opportunities with in-store shopping. The survey found that retailers can implement simple digital innovations to yield big rewards.
The Store: Fulfillment, Merchandising Advantages
- The number one reason that Americans head to the store is to get an item immediately (58.36%).
- The second most popular reason is to gain ideas and inspiration for holiday gifts (41.74%).
- Avoid shipping costs ranks last on the list of reasons (28.37%), which is not surprising as most retailers offer free holiday shipping.
Long Lines Demand Attention & Omnichannel Innovation
- Long lines at checkout ranked as the #1 frustration among shoppers (cited by 72.85% of respondents).
- Mobile check-out in the store was the #1 most valuable feature that retailers could offer this holiday (57.04%).
- Convenient in-store pick up for items purchased was also cited as a valuable improvement by over half (51.37%) of those surveyed.
Blending the Digital and Store Experience
- Over half of Americans (52.68%) cited out-of-stock or unavailable items as a main frustration with the store.
- 1 in 5 are frustrated by ‘sales associates who can’t help them find what they need’ (20.36%), as well as ‘prices and items that don’t match what they researched online’ (21.07%).
- The good news: consumers welcome a digital fix to these shopping woes. Roughly 4 in 10 shoppers (37.08%) feel that self-service kiosks to check pricing, availability and product recommendations are one of the most valuable store features this holiday.
“As the influence of online retail continues to grow, the store remains a holiday tradition – and important for the practical and inspirational advantages it offers to consumers,” said Diane Kegley, CMO of RichRelevance. “Even better for traditional retailers, new digital technologies and advances in in-store personalization can fix nearly all of the main frustrations shoppers experience in the store. This is great news for traditional retailers as they strive to gain the largest operational, marketing and merchandising edge from the store in their battle with Amazon this holiday and beyond.”
PRESS CONTACTS
Renee Newby
BPR for RichRelevance
757.651.6554
Shopping for Halloween candy a few weeks ago, I walked smack into a store display of tinsel and garland and bright blinking lights. It was 88 degrees that day. The humidity was stuck at insufferable and a tropical storm churned over the warm waters of the Atlantic.
I scratched my head: What holiday were we celebrating again?
Shopping for Halloween candy a few weeks ago, I walked smack into a store display of tinsel and garland and bright blinking lights. It was 88 degrees that day. The humidity was stuck at insufferable and a tropical storm churned over the warm waters of the Atlantic.
I scratched my head: What holiday were we celebrating again?
Shopping is becoming even more high tech, and those who can personalize the experience through the click of a mouse will leave those who can’t in the dust.
The merging of technology and data can boost retailers’ profits, draw customers, increase brand awareness, and instill loyalty. That was the recurring message at the Shop.org Digital Summit hosted by the National Retail Federation here this week.
Global leader in omnichannel personalization and software consulting pioneer realize first project together for Hepsiburada.com.
Istanbul, October 21, 2015 – Hepsiburada.com has chosen RichRelevance as its personalization partner to enable a more enhanced online customer experience. Already a pioneer in adopting the advanced design and software technologies, Hepsiburada.com has nor progressed its user-friendly experience through personalization. In partnership with OBASE, RichRelevance is facilitating and speeding the shopping journey on, Hepsiburada.com by providing real-time, dynamic personalized recommendations.
At the recent Webrazzi Summit ’15, Özgür Doğan, Hepsiburada.com Chief Marketing Officer, and David Ogidi, RichRelevance Europe Sales Director, shared best practice strategies retailers need to put in place in order to optimize the omnichannel shopping environment and improve customer experience.
Comments from Webrazzi Summit ’15
“Our latest move raised the bar in the ecommerce sector. Implementing RichRelevance enabled us to streamline and personalize our online shopping experience. The benefits of the new design were quickly apparent; the performance of Hepsiburada.com increased significantly. We redesigned our site based on customer feedback. State-of-the-art technologies were utilized in this project, which was implemented using Agile methodology. Within the omnichannel shopping environment, customers are able to purchase products they have previously added to the basket from mobile devices using their tablets or desktop computers. As a pioneer in ecommerce, we always aim to exceed current needs so we also implemented our new Marketplace platform, which will accelerate our ability to meet evolving customer needs as the retail sector continues to transform.” — Özgür Doğan, Hepsiburada.com Chief Marketing Officer
“Personalization is the most important strategic weapon for global companies. According to a customer experience report published by Gartner last year, by 2017, 89% of the marketing leaders will compete on the basis of customer experience. In this project, we considered the digital texture of Hepsiburada.com’s customers to provide recommendations suitable to the online shopping environment in order to enhance the customer experience. Our future projects will aim to provide Turkish retail and ecommerce companies with a customer experience that is in line with consumer-oriented demands.” – David Ogidi, RichRelevance Europe Sales Director
* Gartner, Inc., “Gartner Survey Finds Importance of Customer Experience on the Rise — Marketing Is on the Hook”, by Jake Sorofman, Laura McLellan. Sept. 29, 2014.
About OBASE
Founded in 1995, OBASE is a pioneer software and consulting company in Turkey, specialized in the areas of “Scientific Retail Solutions” and “Analytic Solutions”. With its specialized team of Turkish experts, OBASE converts its customers’ data into business value through scientific retail business solutions, data warehouses, business intelligence, data integration, data mining solutions and B2B/B2C electronic business platforms, thereby assisting them in improving their efficiency. Breakthroughs implemented by OBASE for the retail industry in the area of analytic solutions are sought after in industries like telecommunication, transportation, finance, manufacturing, insurance, logistics, medical, textile, etc. Complementing its business partnerships with globally leading companies in the best manner with its R&D capabilities, OBASE provides solution and consulting services in 11 countries, to a customer portfolio comprising of more than 200 institutions of various scales. Proudly demonstrating its realized projects both in Turkey and throughout the world, OBASE’s goal is to reinforce the information-based management approach in institutions.
For more information on OBASE and OBASE R&D Center, please visit www.obase.com.