Canadians have truly embraced their smartphones and wireless mobile technology – many companies, such as Alcatel OneTouch, not only have a Toronto office, but also are spearheading their brand in Canada. We take our smartphones with us everywhere and they are being relied upon as our own personal assistant on the go. Just like we used to check out products and pricing from our PCs or laptops before we went shopping, we now have the ability to compare and price while we are shopping. With a smartphone, a couple of apps and a Wi-Fi connection we can check barcodes, compare models, get pricing, view what is in-stock at different stores and even place an online order… oh yeah, we can also call them as well.
BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study is now available for us to look over and we found out some interesting shopping facts when it comes to wireless mobile technology. More than 65,000 Canadians participated in the study, which is a large enough sampling to give us some real insights into Canadian shopping habits. Robert Levy, President of BrandSpark International and Founder of the BNPAs said: “BrandSpark’s research not only delivers insights about Canadian shopping habits, but our historical data allows us to forecast consumer trends. This is why Canadian companies value BrandSpark’s expertise as a leader in uncovering consumer trends and helping them use this information to deliver increased sales. We KNOW what Canadians look for in their everyday products.”
The study shows that 60-percent of Canadians own a smartphone and more than half “often use” their device while shopping within the store. 58-percent regularly take pictures of products they are considering purchasing – I do that and text it to an interested party or save it to look at later. About 48-percent compare prices across retailers and 45-percent use their smartphone to pull up digital sales flyers so they can compare promotions – after all, it doesn’t cost any time, gas, or wear or tear on your car to wirelessly check prices online. 20-percent of the shoppers have even changed their purchases based on their smartphone findings. What I found truly amazing is that with all of this technology at our fingertips, the pen is still mightier than the smartphone – when Canadians go shopping 84-percent still write out a paper list and Americans write out a list 89-percent of the time!
Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know if you use your smartphone when you shop and what do you normally check – models, prices, bargains, etc. – as always… we would love to hear from you.