Modern shopping trips can last up to four hours

UK consumers can spend up to four hours, or 247 minutes browsing, researching, and purchasing during a single shopping trip. According to the newest report from Hammerson, retail property specialist, and Conlumino, retail consultant, nearly 40 percent of the four hour shopping trip is actually spent in store.

Entitled ’Shopper Tribes,’ the report found that whilst digital innovations and research tools have empowered consumers, making it easier than ever to compared products and prices than before, they have also made the shopping trip more complex. During a survey of over 2,000 UK consumers, 18-34 year old age group came out as the keenest shoppers, who shop the most regularly. These shoppers were found to spend the longest time browsing, and surf a wide variety of retailers through different channels to find the right price, an aspect of primary importance to them.

The 35-54 age range were found to be the most promotional driven and most frugal, focusing heavily on price. As a group, these consumers were found to spend the most in terms of broad contribution to retail spend. Lastly, shoppers aged 55 plus were forecast to be the biggest contributors to growth within the non-food retail sector, but regarding shopping as a chore. The most focused and efficient shoppers, these consumers were also found to be the most loyal to a select range of trusted retail brands.

“Technology and changing consumer habits are making retailing far more complex for both consumers and retailers,” Maureen Hinton, Group Research Director at Conlumino. “Despite the range of channels and devices on offer to shoppers, stores remain a major element of the shopping trip. However they must deliver more than convenience and offer inspiration to their customers so they are not just collection points but also destinations.”

Although UK shoppers spent on average four hour per shopping trip they are unwilling to wait when it comes to receiving online orders , with only 4 percent of shoppers questioned willing to wait more than three days for an online order to arrive. Half of the shoppers claim that delivery times and charges are also off-putting when it comes to online order, with click and collect being increasingly seen as the preferred delivery option. 86 percent of the consumers surveyed use two or more channels to make their purchases, with 24 percent of the younger age group using four or more channels and over half using either mobile or tablet device whilst shopping.

“In many ways, the proliferation of research tools and digital innovations has democratised shopping, empowering consumers but also giving retailers numerous touch points to reach their customers and engage with them along the journey,” commented David Atkins, CEO at Hammerson. “With nearly two fifths of this shopping time spent in store, there is a real opportunity for retailers to showcase a proposition that is unmatched in the online world, and for landlords to provide experiences beyond pure retail that capture and extend customer dwell-time.”