John Lewis has dubbed 2015 to be the year of the ‘master shopper‘ as its annual ‘How we Shop, Live and Look‘ report revealed a strong presence of multi-channel shoppers in its business.
The report, which examines product trends and customer behaviour, found that “a new breed of supremely confident shopper has come to the fore. This new expert shopper has no issue with multi-screening and interchanging their phones, tablets and PCs to suit their needs.”
This news comes amid a digital revolution in retail, as brands big and small race to adapt and improve their online and mobile platforms to accommodate shopper habits. The report said that around 60% of traffic to johnlewis.com was through mobile phones, and m-commerce revenues rose by 68% in the last year.
However, the high street giant also stressed the continued importance of brick and mortar stores. The report found, for example, that when buying menswear a customer will interact with John Lewis four times on average, two of which will be with a brick-and-mortar store. Those buying white goods, furniture or computers might visit seven or even eight times, and nearly 20% of customers buying a computer have more than 10 interactions during their complete buying journey.
Social shopping also retains a strong presence; shoppers will look for ideas and deals through the John Lewis website and its social media platforms, which have grown significantly in the last year. Customers will also enjoy the social experience of shopping that comes with visiting stores themselves and interacting with staff.
