Dec 20, 2011, 8:00am

The latest installment of the Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) annual Holiday Shopping Survey highlights that three in four (75 percent) surveyed retail associates and managers feel they provide a better in-store customer experience when equipped with the latest mobile technologies. In fact, shoppers echoed a similar sentiment as more than two-thirds (67 percent) of surveyed shoppers reported heightened satisfaction with retailers where in-store associates utilized the latest technologies to assist in the shopping experience.

The rising availability of shopping-assisted options across all shopping channels has raised customer service expectations for shoppers and retail associates. According to the survey, more than eight in ten (83.3 percent) surveyed retail associates and managers believe that shoppers can easily find a better deal so customer service is more important than ever. From a shopper perspective, 33 percent of shopping trips ended with shoppers leaving before satisfying their intent to purchase, costing an average of $125 per trip. Of those lost opportunities, more than 73 percent did not complete their purchases with the original retailer.

While shopper activity and spend remains higher in-store than online, retailers need to continue to address the needs of the omni-channel shopper. Online purchases swelled by more than 18 percent compared to 2010 and 63 percent of surveyed shoppers with smartphones downloaded some type of shopping application.

Increasing online spend has created variances in satisfaction between offline and online experiences – almost 41 percent of shoppers were not satisfied with the ability to receive in-stock status in-store compared to 20 percent online. Approximately 27 percent of shoppers were not satisfied with the ease of finding correct prices in-store versus approximately 14 percent online; and 42 percent of shoppers were not satisfied with the check-out process in-store compared to 15 percent online. Online shoppers cited a much higher dissatisfaction rate (41 percent compared to 25 percent) for the return/exchange process, providing a significant advantage for in-store retailers.

KEY FACTS

Drive Trips – Retail associates and availability of desired products drive shoppers’ choice of retailers.

• 67 percent of shoppers cited a better experience in-store with associates and managers using the latest mobile technologies.
• 61 percent of shoppers believe that they were better connected to consumer information, including coupons, competitive pricing and product availability than store associates.
• Three in four (75 percent) retail associates and managers report providing a better in-store shopper experience when equipped with the latest mobile technologies.

Orchestrate Behavior – Consumer usage and interest in self-service and mobile technologies are rising in stores and via offline channels.

• The vast majority of shoppers reported that self-help technologies improved their shopping experience: 83 percent cited using a price checker while self-checkout payment lanes (65 percent) and information kiosks (59 percent) also were mentioned frequently.
• Almost four in ten (38 percent) shoppers would be likely to use a retailer’s wireless internet access to search for product information and post to the web while shopping.
• More than four in ten (43 percent) shoppers would likely use a store application on their smartphones that creates a map from a shopping list to guide them through the store on the most efficient route to complete their shopping.

Closing Sales – Retailers are still losing significant revenue due to inefficient payment approaches, out-of-stock occurrences and lack of selection.

• One-third (33 percent) of store visits ended with an average of $125 unspent due to missed opportunities to purchase driven by inefficient payment approaches, deal-habituated behavior, out-of-stocks and limited store associate assistance.
• Approximately 41 percent of shoppers were not satisfied with the ability to receive in-stock status in-store compared to almost 20 percent of online shoppers.
• 68 percent of lost sales could have been recaptured if a retail associate was able to order the item and have it delivered to the shopper’s home. Almost 55 percent of shoppers would have made their purchases if an associate could find another location that had the item in stock and told them how to get there.
• 43 percent of surveyed shoppers reported that the mobile point of sale (mPOS) improved their shopping experience.

SUPPORTING QUOTE

Michelle Crissey, Customer Solutions Lead, Motorola Solutions

“Retailers continue to deploy technology to improve the shopping experience but need to pay closer attention to the growing expectations of the omni-channel shopper. Rather than just give them technology and call it a positive experience, customers prefer that retailers use the technology in a meaningful way to actually give them a better experience, both in-store and for fulfillment of online and mobile orders.”

SURVEY BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY:

• Two complimentary surveys were fielded from Nov. 26 through Dec. 13, one targeted to shoppers and one targeted to in-store associates, staff and in-store managers.
• The surveys were designed to reveal the experiences and attitudes that each group has toward the use of certain shopping technologies and the impact on customer satisfaction.
• Respondents to the Shopper survey were selected from the Research Now Consumer panel to represent a general distribution of the consumer population over 18 years of age. 1,231 respondents completed the shopper survey without knowledge of Motorola Solutions sponsorship.
• 393 respondents completed the Associates survey without knowledge of Motorola Solutions sponsorship. The Research Now Business panel represents a wide range of experienced in-store associates who work in full-time or permanent part-time positions.
• The e-Rewards® Opinion Panel, operated by Research Now, is the largest "by-invitation-only" online research panel serving more than 900 research firms with over 3 million respondent members.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES
Motorola NRF Website: Motorola Solutions NRF 2012
Website: Motorola Solutions Retail Solutions

About Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter. Motorola Solutions trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “MSI.” To learn more, visit www.motorolasolutions.com. For ongoing news, please visit our media center or subscribe to our news feed.

MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.