Shoppers Want More Product Info, Mobile Access to Research: Poll
Three out of four consumers (78 percent) want more information about a product after reading a description on its package in the store, says a study conducted by Harris Poll and commissioned by Digimarc Corporation this month.
Other highlights of the study:
• 85 percent of U.S. adults say reading a product package helps them make in-store purchase decisions
• 75 percent say if they can’t find the product information they need in-store, they are more likely to research and purchase the product online. The need for additional product information is even higher (87 percent) among millennials, compared to people aged 35 or older.
• 65 percent of shoppers spend less than one minute researching products on their smartphone in the grocery store before making purchase decisions.
“Shoppers who can’t quickly find the information they need to make a purchase decision are likely to put a product right back on the shelf. Retailers and brands can increase the chances of completing a sale by delivering instant information to a shopper’s smartphone,” said Larry Logan, chief marketing officer at Digimarc, which makes a barcode platform designed to enable packages to give shoppers more complete product information.
After reading a product’s package, the survey found, shoppers typically look for price comparisons (45 percent), reviews or ratings (43 percent), special offers or coupons (40 percent), and ingredients or nutritional information (34 percent) such as caffeine content. Consumers also expressed interest in details about which country a product was made in, technical specifications and similar information.
Inadequate product information on the package can mean lost sales for brick-and-mortar retailers, and the survey reveals that store employees aren’t an adequate substitute. Sixty percent of smartphone owners say if they can’t find information on their smartphone, live help can be difficult to find in-store, which often calls for a do-it-yourself approach for tech-savvy shoppers.
“Smartphones are ubiquitous among consumers because they’ve become an indispensable tool for everyday tasks, including shopping,” said Logan. “The latest generation of shoppers, having grown up in a mobile world, expect more information and want it to be at their fingertips at all times. But expecting shoppers to type in web addresses or do keyword searches while in the store is inefficient and can actually lead them to the competition.”
The company’s Digimarc Barcode – imperceptible to the eye, but scannable by a mobile device – is designed to take shoppers instantly to a brand’s mobile web content.