Roisin O’Sullivan, Bord Bia, Madrid Office
Consumers are increasingly more Omni-channel. They search, research and buy products in different channels through their mobile devices, so it is key to be able to reach out to them at all times and provide them with the complete shopping experience.
Mobile commerce continues its climb as, according to a study presented by the Online Business School (OBS), mobile shopping invoiced €1,290 million in 2014 in Spain. The percentage of purchases made online or via smartphone or tablet now accounts for 14% of the total, an increase of nearly 300% over the 2012 figure.
Spain has the highest percentage in Europe of penetration of smartphone usage among its population, as 57% of Spanish households own a device. There are approximately 3.2 million online shoppers via mobiles, and 25% of Spaniards that make online shopping only from their mobiles, compared to 11% who do so via a tablet.
New formats of shopping are ever more present in the market, such as 'webrooming', where you find a product online and then buy it offline, which already accounts for 70% of purchases in the market. Most companies strongly highlight the importance of the mobile phone when designing a good digital marketing corporate strategy.
Retailers are investing in new digital systems to keep up with this growing trend. Leading Spanish retail chain Mercadona has developed the latest 'Contactless' (proximity payment) technology in its network of stores. Following an investment of €5 million euros, Mercadona has the 'contactless' system in 1,000 supermarkets to help make payments faster, more comfortable and easy. Thanks to this new system, customers can pay for their purchases with various integrated circuit devices (credit cards, cell phones, bracelets, etc.).
This year Christmas shopping in Spain will be more digital than ever with 40% purchasing their gifts online before December. This follows the 'Barometer 2015 holiday shopping' study by vente-privee.com, which states that the internet is positioned as a channel on the rise for holiday season shopping thanks to the possibility to optimize budget and time. In fact, 50% of those who buy on the net believe that the network is the ideal medium because it allows them to compare prices and find the best deal (www.revistainforetail.com).
For more information contact roisin.osullivan@bordbia.ie.
