Content about Forrester Research

By Mike Romano, mromano@soundbite.com

Indianapolis -- One-in-five consumers is now "showrooming," according to new research by Aprimo, a Teradata in collaboration with Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru. Of those consumers already showrooming, 33% say they ultimately used the information to buy elsewhere. The trend is only expected to continue growing, too, as 96% say they plan to use their smart phone to research prices the same way or more in the future.

Retailers should expect online purchases to become a bigger piece of retail sales, particularly in the key fourth-quarter period, where they could soon represent as much as 20% of holiday sales, according to Sucharita Mulpuru, VP and principal analyst, Forrester Research, and a leading expert on e-commerce and trends in the online shopping space.

“The pie for bricks-and-mortar retail is shrinking,” Mulpuru said during a presentation at the National Retail Federation’s 101st Annual Convention & EXPO in New York City.

Along with social media, all eyes will be on the mobile channel this upcoming holiday season. More and more retailers are joining the rush to launch “apps” that can be accessed by smartphone or tablet users. Others are putting QR codes on their products that can be scanned for information. At the same time, increasing numbers of consumers are using their personal mobile devices to do everything from research store information and compare prices to receive coupons and purchase products. 


Washington, D.C. -- More and more retailers are experimenting with mobile and social initiatives. According to “The State Of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social, and Mobile” report conducted by Forrester Research. for Shop.org, 91%  percent of retailers currently have a mobile strategy in place or in development (up from 74% a year ago), and 72% say they will increase their spending on social networks this year over last.

By Steve Castro-Miller, president and CEO of Bold Software, steve@boldsoftware.com