Retailers must offer a seamless bridge between online and offline experiences, according to a study of consumer attitudes toward digital shopping by a global management consulting firm.
“All sales channels must be equally desirable to the consumer so that the path to purchase is not chosen based on satisfaction in one channel over another but simply on what is most convenient at that time," said Dave Richards, global managing director for Accenture’s retail practices.
“It is critical for retailers to build capabilities such as digital marketing and analytics that will enable them to tap into the core strengths of the physical store and seamlessly integrate with the rest of their digital offerings. The winners will be those most successful at transitioning their online visitors into in-store purchasers and vice versa.”
Accenture, based in Dublin, Ireland, conducted the U.S. portion of the survey online among 750 consumers and 32 retail companies.
Asked what aspect of the shopping experience is most in need of an upgrade, 39% of respondents ranked the physical store first, while 32% cited the need for retailers to improve the shopper’s ability to use physical, online and mobile channels in an integrated way.

Eighty-two percent of respondents said they expect retail prices to be the same in-store and online — up from 69% in Accenture’s survey a year ago.  However, the study found only 34% of retailers have identical pricing across channels for more than 80% of the items assessed.
The survey also found that retailers who don’t have the right online presence and pricing are at risk of losing sales once a physical store closes. “If access to a physical site is not possible, 15% of consumers indicated they would shop around online for the best price, rather than buy from the original retailer online or wait to go back to the store — up from 9% in last year’s survey,” Accenture noted.
In other findings:
• Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they would take advantage of the opportunity to earn loyalty points and save money on purchases through in-store mobile phone offers; 45% said they would like to receive real-time promotions sent to their phones or tablets. However, only 28% of retailers indicated they have the capability to deliver that service.
• Fifty-seven percent of consumers said they would be willing to wait four to seven days for free delivery, while 29% said they would wait eight days or more, compared with 23% a year ago.
• Twenty-six per ent of respondents said they would be willing to pay $10 or more for same-day delivery for an item they need urgently, while 13% indicated they would pay extra for next-day delivery and 22% said they would consider paying $20 or more for delivery within a two-hour window.
• Fifty-five percent of respondents said scheduling a delivery is important, while 11% indicated they would rather pick up an order at a collection point.