How does mobile impact the way millennial parents shop the store?

CHICAGO — The majority of millennial parents are using smartphones to help them shop at brick-and-mortar retail locations, according to the results of a commissioned study from Retale, a location-based mobile platform connecting more than 3.5 million shoppers with major retailers locally.



The study examined the differences in mobile shopping habits between millennial moms and millennial dads. More than 500 millennial adult men and women (18 to 34 years old) across the United States were polled for the study.

 

According to the findings, 85% of all millennial parents are using smartphones to help them shop at brick-and-mortar retail locations. Moms (86%) were slightly more likely to use their mobile devices than dads (84%) to prepare for or help them during shopping trips.

 

While mobile is nearly equally ubiquitous for millennial mom and dad shoppers, how each group uses their devices varied. For example, while a majority of dads (53%) said they use smartphones primarily to check product reviews, checking product reviews was the task moms did least (42%). In addition, moms (66%) cited searching for coupons or deals as the top task they use their mobile device for, but checking deals and coupons ranked only the fifth most popular task among millennial dad shoppers (49%).

 

“Millennial moms and dads use their mobile devices to support brick-and-mortar shopping in different ways,” stated Pat Dermody, president of Retale. “However, despite varying preferences, it is clear that to meet the demands of both groups, retailers and retail service providers must lean heavily on mobile to compel online-to-offline engagement and sales.”

 

The study also found that 83% of millennial mom shoppers surveyed said they wait until the day before, day of or while they are in-store before checking for deals and coupons versus 71% of dads. Meanwhile, millennial dads (28%) were 11% more likely to search for deals or coupons at least a week in advance of visiting a retailer.

 

Millennial Parents Likely to Purchase When Pushed Deals Near or In Stores

 

A majority of both moms (76%) and dads (64%) are likely to make a purchase with a coupon or deal they receive to their smartphone while in or near a retail location. Furthermore, of these groups, 45% of moms and 32% of dads said they are “very likely” to make a purchase. Millennial moms are 12% more likely to make a purchase when pushed deals in or near a store than dads.

 

Of those surveyed, 40% of millennial moms compared with 22% of millennial dads said that they never shop without a deal, while both (53% of dads and 52% of moms) said that they will take advantage of deals on occasion. Alternatively, dads care less about deals with 19% stating that they either rarely or never use deals, compared with only 5% of moms, according to the findings.

 

“Deals remain a huge driving factor in making a transaction happen,” added Dermody. “Shoppers are always connected and always on, and retailers must use every channel to their advantage to get them through the door and through the checkout line.”