Brief:

• Fifty-five percent of these Progressive Pioneers say they pay for a product found in the store with a mobile phone, compared with 39% of Savvy Seekers, 21% of Convenience Conformers, 14% of Settled Survivors and 18% of Reserved Resisters, according to a study by Forrester Research made available to Mobile Marketer.
• Marketers should note that 65% of Progressive Pioneers say they’re “more confident about my in-store purchases when I use my smartphone to do research on the spot,” signaling a shift in how consumers are shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.
• The attitudes are equally divergent about beacon technology, which lets retailers connect with consumers inside stores as they shop via a smartphone. About two-thirds of Progressive Pioneers said they’re interesting in letting a smartphone interact with a beacon to alert a salesperson they need assistance, compared with less than 30% of the other consumer groups.

Insight:

As mobile use continues to grow, there is a shift taking place in the in-store shopping experience, with Forrester's new research providing some insights into how brick-and-mortar retail is evolving. While mobile payments and beacons have failed to catch on across a wide swatch of the American population, these findings suggest that retailers should still be paying close attention to this technology if they want to enhance the in-store experience as more consumers are likely to adopt these features once they become more comfortable with their devices. 

Mobile device use will surpass 60% of the global population this year, driven by cell phones, tablets and wearables, according to Forrester. Smartphone adoption will surpass 50% of the world population with 3.8 billion subscribers by 2022, Forrester found, which is one of the most significant catalysts of shifting customer empowerment through the ability to access online information quickly.

Like every trend observer hoping to enter the national lexicon with terms like "Generation X" or "millennials," Forrester seeks to give new definitions to demographic groups based on mobile behaviors instead of when they were born. Mobile devices deliver unique value according to consumers' level of empowerment, per Forrester. Its data show that Progressive Pioneers often use mobile phones to feel in control of their experiences, with two-thirds of the group saying that using their device to research products and compare prices in a store helps them feel more confident about their subsequent purchase. Progressive Pioneers also use their mobile phones for more tasks than other groups and expect their devices to work instantly, intuitively and without friction.

These findings support the growing trend of consumers turning to mobile tech in stores for assistance, as well as a widespread shift in shopping habits.