Despite the growing demand for rapid e-Commerce delivery, most shoppers still rely on local retailers for products they need in a hurry: 43% of consumers always turn to a local store when they need an item within two to three days, while 28% are evenly split between buying from a store or a web site, according to the 2018 Local Consumer Survey by Netsertive. In comparison, 29.1% of shoppers turn to Amazon when they want fast delivery.
A strong Internet presence is still important for local retailers, as the vast majority of shoppers research a store before visiting. The most common research platforms include:
- Google (68%);
- The retailer’s web site (47.6%);
- Yelp/other review web sites (16.4%);
- Facebook (13.8%);
- YouTube (5.7%); and
- Bing (4.1%).
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It’s beneficial for local retailers to make their pages mobile-friendly: 33.9% of shoppers are very likely to research nearby stores on their phone, while 21% are likely and 22.7% are somewhat likely. Currently, voice technology only plays a small part in the process, with 12.3% of shoppers using a voice assistant for their research.
Small retailers must ensure their web site details are up-to-date and claim their listings on review web sites to win over shoppers during the research phase, according to Netsertive. Additionally, they should use the Google My Business tool to confirm their business listing is correct and will appear in “near me” searches. This is particularly important for retailers selling big-ticket items, as 79.2% of shoppers always research large purchases, such as refrigerators and washing machines, before visiting the store.
Shoppers are interested in what their peers have to say when looking up retailers: 43.1% are likely or very likely to read reviews of a local store, while 43.4% turn to Facebook before making an in-store purchase. While 16.7% of shoppers don’t use social media for research, others turn to platforms including:
- Instagram (9.9%);
- Twitter (5.6%); and
- Snapchat (2.8%).
“Consumers today are entering businesses’ digital door before entering their physical one,” said Brendan Morrissey, CEO and Co-Founder of Netsertive in a statement. “These survey findings validate that consumers are still relying heavily on local stores, especially for considered purchases.”
The survey found that 60% of shoppers have visited a small or local retailer in the past six months; 10% still use these stores but haven’t shopped one during the previous six months. Deals can help drive in-store traffic: 57.1% of shoppers are somewhat influenced by local promotions, and 20.7% find them very influential.
Despite the growing demand for rapid e-Commerce delivery, most shoppers still rely on local retailers for products they need in a hurry: 43% of consumers always turn to a local store when they need an item within two to three days, while 28% are evenly split between buying from a store or a web site, according to the 2018 Local Consumer Survey by Netsertive. In comparison, 29.1% of shoppers turn to Amazon when they want fast delivery.
A strong Internet presence is still important for local retailers, as the vast majority of shoppers research a store before visiting. The most common research platforms include:
· Google (68%);
· The retailer’s web site (47.6%);
· Yelp/other review web sites (16.4%);
· Facebook (13.8%);
· YouTube (5.7%); and
· Bing (4.1%).
It’s beneficial for local retailers to make their pages mobile-friendly: 33.9% of shoppers are very likely to research nearby stores on their phone, while 21% are likely and 22.7% are somewhat likely. Currently, voice technology only plays a small part in the process, with 12.3% of shoppers using a voice assistant for their research.
Small retailers must ensure their web site details are up-to-date and claim their listings on review web sites to win over shoppers during the research phase, according to Netsertive. Additionally, they should use the Google My Business tool to confirm their business listing is correct and will appear in “near me” searches. This is particularly important for retailers selling big-ticket items, as 79.2% of shoppers always research large purchases, such as refrigerators and washing machines, before visiting the store.
Shoppers are interested in what their peers have to say when looking up retailers: 43.1% are likely or very likely to read reviews of a local store, while 43.4% turn to Facebook before making an in-store purchase. While 16.7% of shoppers don’t use social media for research, others turn to platforms including:
· Instagram (9.9%);
· Twitter (5.6%); and
· Snapchat (2.8%).
“Consumers today are entering businesses’ digital door before entering their physical one,” said Brendan Morrissey, CEO and Co-Founder of Netsertive in a statement. “These survey findings validate that consumers are still relying heavily on local stores, especially for considered purchases.”
The survey found that 60% of shoppers have visited a small or local retailer in the past six months; 10% still use these stores but haven’t shopped one during the previous six months. Deals can help drive in-store traffic: 57.1% of shoppers are somewhat influenced by local promotions, and 20.7% find them very influential.
