Shops predict fiasco

In a study, Capgemini analysts concluded that modern shoppers are not attached to any particular sales channel. They interviewed 16 thousand respondents in 16 countries that can be described as mature and developing e-commerce markets (Australia, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, Canada, China, Mexico, Russian Federation, Turkey, Finland , France, Sweden, USA).

According to the forecasts of the company's specialists, the demand for the equal presence of retailers in all channels at the same time will increase. And consumers believe that the transition between the channels should be simple and inconspicuous. That is, people believe that the convergence of an online store, an ordinary store, a mobile site and even a page on a social network should occur.

“While retailers have previously benefited and survived through excellent merchandising or premium locations, companies now understand that investments should be directed to other areas at this point,” says Forrester, a consulting company. resources in favor of information technology ”.

60% of respondents expect that this should finally become the norm already in 2014. The research company calls such goals difficult to achieve, because more than half of the respondents do not consider the efforts of the merchants that they are currently making to be present everywhere.

The Internet remains a priority channel for respondents. The importance of having a website is recognized by all online shoppers, regardless of region. 80% of respondents agreed with the statement that the Internet is very important for them. 63% of respondents in developed markets agree with this. Similar estimates were received and interaction with clients by e-mail. However, channels such as social media, mobile apps, and kiosks inside stores are also gaining in popularity.

“It is already clear that e-commerce will hold its ground and become a key part of the developed economy,” experts from Interactive Media In Retail Group say. “But its role in emerging markets has not yet been fully understood. From our research, we can say that there is significant room for growth in cross-border e-commerce in Asia and South America. In these regions, the evolution of online retail is very different from its evolution in Europe or North America. These countries are immediately transitioning to mobile commerce. ”

Significant differences exist between developed and emerging markets. For example, according to some indicators, the latter are ahead of those markets where online retail has been developing for a longer time. Thus, 72% of respondents from India and 69% from China said that they buy more products and goods per transaction in online stores, rather than in traditional ones. At the same time, only 31% of respondents in the United States agreed with the same statement.

Customers have rather high expectations from the development of retail. More than half of respondents in developed or emerging markets expect that by 2020 ordinary stores will simply be showrooms where customers can select and order products.

According to the research results, "advanced" users will spend more money. Thus, 56% of respondents said that they can spend more money if they have the opportunity to search for information about a product on the Internet. True, 73% of respondents expect that the cost of goods online will be lower than in conventional stores.

“The retail industry now needs to separate the hype from reality and adopt a cross-channel model in order to remain profitable. It is very important for retailers to understand who is using which channel in order to direct their resources in the right direction and monetize them, ”experts say. Write about this "Economic news".