Shoppers want similar digital and online experience, availability key for building loyalty, 84.51° finds

Consumers still fighting inflation, digital is all about convenience

Consumers are still feeling the impact of high inflation and are changing how and where they shop in response, according to 84.51° -- findings that mirror similar reports on the digital shopping experience​. Among a survey of Kroger shoppers, 65% of all customers said they were highly concerned about inflation.

Overall, 70% of consumers are looking for sales, deals, and coupons more often, 57% are cutting back on non-essentials, 51% switching to a lower-cost brand more often, and 41% are purchasing fewer items on grocery trips. Digital coupon pages also are increasingly popular, with Krogertracking a 92% year-over-year increase.

Consumers largely turn to digital channels due to convenience, with 76% of consumers saying they shop online and pick up in-store because of convenience, 73% saying the same for online shopping and ship to home, according to data from 84.51° Real Time Insights from February 2023.

While digital channels have a convenience advantage, consumers see them in the same light when it comes to saving money. Per the same data, 30% of consumers used store pick-up to save money, while 28% of those who opt for ship to home and 27% in-store said the same.

While consumers might want different things between online and in-person shopping experiences, they also expect many of the things to be the same. On price and coupons, 67% of consumers want the same coupons, and 66% want the same pricing, regardless of channel. Additionally, 61% of consumers want the same quality of the brands, and 56% want the same brands offered between the two, according to 84.51° Real Time Insight from February 2023.

Consumers navigate the digital shelf for deals, availability and accuracy are crucial

When it comes to building their online shopping basket, 62% of omnichannel shoppers browse promotions and digital coupons for items, 84.51° found. Additionally, 66% use the search functionality, and Kroger has seen a 31% year-over-year increase in search volume, as consumers try to price compare and find deals.

To meet the demand of ecommerce shoppers and build loyalty, brands and retailers need to ensure they have adequate supplies, provide accuracy online, offer relevant coupons, and give quality product substitutions, 84.51° said.

Though 75% of omnichannel shoppers will wait until the next online or in-store trip to pick up an out-of-stock item, 25% place a high value on availability and accuracy that they'll try to get that produce somewhere else, per 84.51° data. Additionally, 19% of that 25% will buy an out-of-stick item online elsewhere, and 6% will empty their digital cart and switch to a retailer that has the product in-stock.