Consumers in the US surveyed by Opinion Research Corporation for Sterling Commerce want to get more value from retailers through multiple shopping channels.
Over one-half of respondents (56%) wanted the option of having merchandise delivered to their home or available for in-store pick-up after purchasing online. More than eight out of 10 wanted to be able to return merchandise to a store even if
it was purchased online or over the phone.
Sterling also surveyed adult internet users in Europe, who expressed an even higher demand for multichannel shopping features.
"The US retailers who are doing better in today's economic situation are those who have strengthened their international business," said Jim Bengier, global retail industry executive at Sterling, in a statement. "However, these surveys confirm that the lack of cross-channel integration means that retailers may be missing the opportunity to offer more to customers in the States and abroad."
Yet the basic desired functions multichannel shoppers want may be out of sync with many retailers, judging by a study conducted in May and June 2008 by Retail Systems Research and sponsored by Gomez/Microsoft.
Responding retail executives said the top way to increase multichannel sales was through merchandising. They also thought that upsales and demographic targeting could increase online sales just as well as cross-channel processes—the type of processes that could provide the top desired features of respondents in the Sterling survey.
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