Why 66% of consumers compare online, then shop in-store.

in-store market research

Here’s the truth…

Christine didn’t just walk into Best Buy to browse.

School’s a couple of weeks away and her daughter needs a new tablet for distance learning. 

Christine wants the best for her little girl, but this is a big purchase. She already knows the features, brand, and price. Why? She researched online first. Now, she’s in-store and ready to buy. 

Want to see her path to a purchase?

You can.

When it comes to large purchases like computers and appliances, 62% of the time your audience starts their journey online. Mom’s done her homework. Before she ever stepped into the store — she looked online to compare options, features, pricing, and more.  

You might already know that your website was the first place your buyers are going. And, you’d be right. We tracked and surveyed Best Buy shoppers….and found that 66% of brick + mortar buyers researched websites before stepping foot inside a store.

The results are clear.

You need omnichannel visibility into your target market. So, make sure your research understands both in-store and online channels. 

By the way, here’s what they’re searching and buying at Best Buy: 

  • Computers/Tablets.
  • TV & Home Theater.
  • Video Games/Movies/Music.

What do you notice?

Other than that last bullet—which is entertainment—these are big ticket items.

Let’s stay here for a moment.

Most of these buys are upgrades. That’s important, especially for large ticket items. Why? Because Christine will take the time to research…and the truth is, she’s already made up her mind on the brand she wants to buy, before she’s entered the store.  

She’s not alone. Shoppers still want to buy in-store.

They’re just like Christine: 66% of the time. Their research has already been done. It was completed online before they walked inside. And, it’s critical to understand the omnichannel purchase journey.

It’s your turn now.

This is the fun part, let’s talk about how you can get this data—and why it matters. Time to dig into the research. We’ll start with an evaluation. Stop for a moment. Ask yourself a few questions:

  • Have you adapted your ad strategy to the omnichannel shopper?
  • What do you need to do to gain visibility into the omnichannel experience?
  • How well does omnichannel measurement factor into your research strategy?

That’s what your buyers want.

They need you to have an omnichannel view.

Because, once you know what they want: in-store and online, you can deliver an outstanding customer experience. So, when you’re ready, we have three consumer panels with a 95% completion rate:

  1. App + web panel: Access to this $602 billion online marketplace.
  2. Brick + mortar panel: Track 750k visits in 12.5 million locations.
  3. Standard panel: Hear from 10 million daily U.S. consumer journeys.

Reach out, we’re here to help.

METHODOLOGY:

The Surveys on the Go® (SOTG) Mobile App was used to trigger surveys based on observed behaviors in both app + web and brick + mortar Best Buy locations. Targeting adults 18+ for key locations. N=200 app + web. N=200 brick + mortar.

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