Ahead of the weekend, ChargeItSpot — a leading provider of cell phone charging stations for major retailers, events, and other indoor public venues — announced the results of its “2017 Holiday Shopping Report.”
The study asked consumers their holiday shopping habits, if they would be using their mobile devices during their trip, and how they felt about their overall shopping experience. ChargeItSpot collected responses from more than 1,000 shoppers at malls across the country using its phone charging stations.
As for the key takeaways from the study, here’s what we can tell you:
Shoppers want better customer service while they shop
When shoppers were asked what could have improved their holiday shopping experience, 32% said better customer service. Other responses included cheaper items (22%), more parking (12%), better product selection (10%), and fewer crowds (6%).
“The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for retailers,” said Douglas Baldasare, CEO and founder of ChargeItSpot. “Holiday shopping can be hectic for both the shopper and the retailer. It is essential that retailers make sure their staff is equipped to help shoppers and make their trip more enjoyable.”
Despite the call for better customer service, 83% of shoppers felt they had a positive holiday shopping experience, while 11% had nothing positive or negative to say about their shopping trip.
Only 4% of shoppers had a negative experience.
The majority of shoppers (34%) plan on making only one holiday shopping trip this season, while 30% plan on making three or more trips, 21% didn’t plan on making any holiday shopping trips, and 14% plan on making two trips.
Finally, shoppers were asked how likely they were to do the remainder of their holiday shopping in-store rather than online. 75% of shoppers said it was likely, 18% were undecided, and 8% said it was unlikely.
Mobile devices continue to play a big role in the holiday shopping trip
Shoppers will use their phones for a variety of functions this holiday shopping season. Most will use them to enhance their in-store shopping experience – to find store locations (27%), find deals (18%), get or share live updates through social media (14%), compare prices (13%), access coupons (12%), make or refer to shopping lists (8%), and research products online (6%). Very few shoppers (3%) plan to use their mobile devices to make purchases directly on their devices while they are out shopping.
“Year over year we are seeing mobile devices play a larger role in the shopper journey,” added Baldasare. “Consumers use their mobile devices before, during, and after their shopping trips to keep themselves organized and make smarter purchases. As retailers invest more and more in mobile it is important for them to empower the shopper to make the best buying decisions.”
