Ecommerce Sales to Spike As Consumers Turn to Online Retail for Holiday Shopping

“It is clear that consumers are demanding a more individual relationship with retailers and in the emerging ‘forever prospect’ model of retailing, that means service and product experience can be more critical than price,” said Shah. “Consumer marketing needs to address the current disconnect between offline and online shopping and enhance the physical store front with tailored digital experiences.”

Social media established at the heart of retailing

The survey confirms the importance of social media, with 92 percent of respondents more inclined to purchase from a company that makes use of social media channels. For 67 percent of the respondents, Facebook is their preferred social media channel. The survey also showed that 80 percent of consumers are more likely to buy from a company that uses online and email communications and 70 percent are more inclined to buy from companies using mobile applications.

Additionally, respondents selected Internet advertising as the channel “most likely” to steer them toward buying (47 percent), followed by radio advertising (45 percent), print (31 percent), mobile (19 percent) and television (15 percent).

For an in-depth look at how key supply chain technology and service providers must go to market to address the demanding retail space, stay tuned for the December issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive, which will go live on December 12^th.

For more details regarding the Accenture report, visit http://bit.ly/UanRsy.