Nearly half of consumers prefer to shop in-person — here’s why

A positive in-store experience is  critical to repeat business.

That’s one of the findings of a study from Raydiant, in which 48% of respondents said they prefer to shop in-person at a physical store when given the choice. And 47% of the respondents estimated that they've spent more than 51% of their shopping budget in physical locations so far in 2021. 

Raydiant’s “State of the In-store Experience Report” found that, of those who prefer in-person shopping, the number one reason was simply that they enjoy the experience of shopping in person. An overwhelming percentage of consumers (just shy of 35%) prefer in-store shopping because they “enjoy the experience.”

The other reasons why consumers prefer to shop in person are they want to interact with products before spending money (24%) and they do not want to pay shipping fees (13.2%).

Eighty-four percent of the respondents in the study said a positive in-location experience makes them more likely to return, and 64% said it makes them more likely to spend more at their visit. The three defining factors of a customer’s in-store experience are the quality of customer service (31.5% of respondents said this was the most important consideration), the variety, quality, and availability of products (29.8%), and store layout and physical arrangement of products (19.8%)

 Other findings from the survey are below.

• Forty-two percent said in-store customer service has improved during the past six months. However, more than 47% of respondents said that customer service has been unchanged (some might say stagnated) in 2021. More than 10% have seen a regression in the quality of customer service.

• For those who prefer online shopping, the number one reason was the convenience of being able to buy anytime, anywhere.  Shoppers said they found online shopping attractive online stores are open around the clock (the leading benefit for 19.6% of respondents), it’s easy to use promotional codes when checking out online (16.8%) and online shopping does not require the consumer to leave the house  (14%).

"The findings confirm our belief that brick-and-mortar retail is not dying, it's simply evolving, and that the retailers who are focused on creating true in-store experiences are positioned to thrive as the retail landscape continues to evolve,” said Bobby Marhamat, CEO of Raydiant.

The report surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers in July, with a goal of better understanding the impact the in-store experience has on modern consumers. To download a full copy of the report, please click here.