The '(S)hoppers' usher in a new phase of shopping

As shoppers become increasingly channel agnostic, hopping from digital platforms to high street stores as they see fit, driven by mobile, a new purchasing behaviour has been brought to light. New research from online aggregated fashion and beauty promotion service SalesGossip has shown this new shopping behaviour emerging among UK consumers, earning them the name (S)hoppers.

According to gathered data by SalesGossip, UK shoppers are continuously moving from mobile, to tablets to laptops and bricks and mortar stores to browse, search and shop. Recently hitting one million users, the mobile app and online service reports that more and more shoppers are seeking a higher level of integration between their online, mobile and in-store experiences, but are not afraid to move from online shopping to physical shopping as they see fit.

66 percent of SalesGossip members actively use the online service to locate in-store promotions and deals, which suggests their focus is not only fixed on online retailers. In addition, 55 percent of the service's members use two or more devices to browse and shop online, with mobile traffic growing 50 percent faster than website traffic.

Elizabetta Camilleri, Co-Founder and CEO of SalesGossip believes that ‘pureplay’ shoppers don't exist anymore, adding: "There is only one category of shopper; you cannot split them into online shoppers and in-store shoppers anymore; everyone is on the new digital to physical spectrum. The rise of smartphones and ecommerce platforms has allowed shopper behaviour to evolve and now, we can clearly see our (s)hoppers moving between digital and physical channels depending on what’s most convenient for them at any point in time."

Mobile shopping is especially popular with (s)hoppers - over the last year, SalesGossip noted an increase of 44 percent in the number of mobile transactions, up from 12 percent in 2013, with mobile representing 20 percent of purchases made through all channels SalesGossip in 2015 so far. Data also shows a 27 percent year on year increase in click-through rates from mobile, double the increase from web. "With consumers increasingly embracing mobile to browse, search and shop, it’s an incredibly exciting time for the industry But it’s important to note that it is just one part of the omni-channel experience; mobile is not a magic bullet," added Camilleri.

"These new (S)hoppers span all the new and traditional channels so covering off every touch point as never been so important to retailers. (S)hoppers expect to easily find location information on any digital device they are using or a trip to that store might simply not happen. They expect to find online what they saw in-store; they expect to find in-store what they saw in a magazine or whilst browsing on their tablets. A joined up communication strategy covering all touch points is essential in targeting this new breed."

"(S)hoppers have far from abandoned the high street but they've likely done their research before reaching the store and so their expectations are simply different, and higher, than the window shoppers who came before them. Retailers are starting to understand this and cater to these expectations will receive their cash and loyalty in return." SalesGossip adds that 25 percent of its traffic is from non-UK members, suggesting that (s ) hoppers may also be a global phenomenon rather than a UK-only.