48 per cent of consumers engage in showrooming behaviour, using their mobile in a store to find out more about its products, or compare prices – thats according to a report from mobile marketing and technology company Vibes.

33 per cent compare prices on a competitor’s website while in-store; and 25 per cent have left a store to make a purchase from a competitor. Thats six per cent of all shoppers.

“We are seeing a big shift happening today in retail,” said Vibes co-founder and CEO Jack Philbin. “A decade ago, brands realised they needed to create an online presence, and so everyone created an eCommerce website. Today, consumers are turning to their mobile phones to make purchasing decisions, which means that access to mobile-optimised content needs to be an effortless experience for the mobile consumer. Retailers who understand this and listen to their customers to engage them on their terms and provide them with relevant and timely information they can use will be successful in building a loyal customer base. The retailers who don’t deploy a mobile marketing strategy will continue to be challenged with decreasing in-store sales and risk being Amazoned.”