Livonia-based Valassis, an intelligent media delivery provider, today announced findings from its research entitled Capturing the Dynamic Retail Shopper: Parent Snap, which analyzed the planning and purchase behavior of apparel shoppers.
The survey indicates that 43 percent of all respondents research and plan for all of their apparel purchases, with 53 percent of parents and 49 percent of Generation X members doing the same.
“The prevalence and convenience of online shopping have made research and planning integral to the consumer buying journey,” says Curtis Tingle, chief marketing officer for Valassis. “By understanding how consumers shop as well as where and when they search for and consider products, apparel marketers and retailers can capture, engage, and retain their audience much more effectively.”
The survey also found that 56 percent of respondents research every apparel purchase in advance of buying, as opposed to 27 percent who prefer to shop in-store. Additional shopper findings include:
While 20 percent of respondents do pre-purchase shopping in-store, for both more and less expensive items, 73 and 76 percent of respondents respectively research and plan their apparel purchases at home.
Millennials are also significantly more likely that other generations to research apparel items while at work, with 29 percent doing so for less expensive items and 33 percent for more expensive purchases.
Millennials are also more likely than other generations to shop online for apparel for themselves (31 percent) compared to 24 percent for all other respondents. Similarly, 59 percent of senior respondents shop for themselves in-store versus online, as opposed to 48 percent of other generations.
Regardless of price, shoppers reported researching purchases throughout the week, with no one day preferred. This provides an opportunity for marketers to diversify their audience reach during the entire week.
The specific data included in the report is from research fielded from May-July this year from more than 1,400 respondents nationwide, and is balanced by age and gender to U.S. Census demographic profile. An e-book with the report can be downloaded here.
