Consumers Look to Share Ideas with Retailers by 2015

05/09/2008

U.S. consumers look forward to the reality of sharing information online with retailers by 2015, according to a recent survey by TNS Retail Forward, a retail industry research and consulting firm. Using everyday mobile devices like cell phones, they expect to be able to shop, provide feedback and make shopping a more interactive experience overall.

While Americans are merely enthused about this prospect, the Chinese are wholly embracing and looking forward to it. Proof? In a recent survey, 95% of Chinese consumers fully expect to see the rise of online communities whereby customers can increase their buying power by 2015. In contrast, only 75% of Americans expected this to become a reality.

And, if they did exist, only 30% of Americans welcome the idea, while a full 62% of Chinese consumers embraced the idea.

What US consumers are excited about is telling manufacturers how to improve products. Almost 40 percent (38%) warmed to the idea of communicating with manufactures this way via online surveys, for example. Eighty percent expect that they would be able to take advantage of this kind of communication within seven years.

Getting Information via Social Networks
When queried about getting information from social networks like trends and en vogue stores, an overwhelming 80% of US consumers felt that this would be available by 2015. However, only 14 percent of consumers were excited about this idea and even less than that (5%) would take advantage of such technology.

Using a Mobile Phone as Part of the Shopping Experience
Almost three-quarters (74%) of consumers expect that they’ll be able to do things like arrange delivery and place orders via a mobile phone. Almost a quarter (22%) like this idea, but only 3% said they expect to use this type of service.

What seems to remain a constant with American consumers is that they don’t like to be sold to. Opting into lists to receive things like ongoing or upcoming sales and product information was an idea only 13% of consumers liked. Although, over three-quarters (77%) believe in the inevitability of this type of advertising becoming a reality by 2015.

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