COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - August 26, 2008) -
Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc.
(
NYSE:
T) subsidiary, today released the results of a recent survey that
shows how consumers in Europe want to interact with retailers across
channels. The findings, when compared to U.S. data, show that European
consumers are more net-savvy and likely to cross channels -- Web, store,
call center -- than U.S. shoppers, demonstrating to retailers that
achieving
cross-channel execution on a global basis will be critical in
increasing consumer loyalty and share of wallet.
The European survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI, polled 1,000 consumers in the
UK, France and Germany in March 2008. This survey was compared to a
U.S. survey,
conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, which polled 1,005 adults in
January 2008.
"The U.S. retailers who are doing better in today's economic situation are
those who have strengthened their international business," said Jim
Bengier, global retail industry executive for Sterling Commerce. "However,
these surveys confirm that the lack of
cross-channel integration mean that retailers may be
missing the opportunity to offer more to customers in the states and
abroad."
As found in the US survey, shoppers are hopping channels to gain more value
out of their interactions with a retailer. In turn, the retailer has the
opportunity to gain customer loyalty and share of wallet. According to the
research, 82 percent of European consumers want to channel-hop to complete
their purchases, including shopping in-store, online and by catalogue, with
no difference in service between channels:
-- 86 percent want the option of having merchandise delivered to their
home or picking it up in-store after purchasing online (compared to only 56
percent in the US study)
-- 90 percent want to be able to return merchandise to a store even if it
was purchased online or over the phone (81 percent of US consumers)
-- 44 percent say it's important that call center staff have access to a
record of what shoppers have viewed online (32 percent of US consumers)
European consumers have higher expectations than US consumers around
away-from-home access to the web to enhance their shopping experience. The
survey found that European shoppers are more net-savvy than their US peers
and want their in-store and online experiences to be seamless:
-- 66 percent research products online before buying in-store (compared
to 57 percent in US); this number rises to 73 percent for "high value"
consumer groups - higher-income consumers, college graduates and younger
consumers
-- 48 percent want a web kiosk in-store to conduct product research (37
percent of US consumers)
-- 47 percent want access to their web account while shopping in-store
(35 percent of US consumers)
Survey Methodologies
The European survey was conducted using the online omnibus service,
i:omnibus, from Ipsos MORI, the second largest survey research organisation
in the UK. It surveyed 1,000 adults aged 16 to 64 in Great Britain, France
and Germany about their buying habits and preferences across store,
catalogue and Internet retail outlets. The US survey was conducted through
the Caravan® omnibus survey service from Opinion Research Corporation.
The final sample included 1,005 adults comprising 503 men and 502 women 18
years of age and older, living in private households in the continental
United States.
About Sterling Commerce
Sterling Commerce, a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (
NYSE:
T), helps customers
thrive in a global economy by connecting their business communities,
processes, people and technology. More than 30,000 customers worldwide --
including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 -- use Sterling Commerce solutions
for
business
process integration,
multi-channel
selling, and
supply chain
fulfillment to improve profitability inside and outside their company
walls. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sterling Commerce has offices in
19 countries and most major cities around the world. More information on
the company can be found at
www.sterlingcommerce.com.
Contact Information: For more information, contact:
Julie Redard
Sterling Commerce
(978) 513-6386
Jeannie Hornung
Fleishman-Hillard
(212) 453-2412