Aside from excitement related to the Olympic Games (see previous blog post), the British nation is feeling a bit sorry for itself. At the end of April 2012, it was declared to be in a double-dip recession and the unemployment rate over Q4FY11 was at its highest since 1995. Pretty grim, and this is for a nation which doesn’t always see the glass half full at the best of times.

All this has had a substantial impact on UK retail; a -2.3% slump was reported at the end of Q1FY12. The Technical Consumer Goods (TCG) market in particular was extremely disappointing (according to the latest TEMAX report (1) ). Market volume fell by -7.2% year-on-year which was the lowest Q1 turnover in the past four years. The only growth was in the IT industry, which is largely attributable to innovation.

By Ryan Garner (GfK) and Alex Kozlof (IAB UK)

The irrepressible tide of smart, connected, mobile devices is changing the way we shop at every stage of the purchase process. This poses new opportunities and challenges for product marketers and retailers in both the online and offline world.

The ‘always on’ nature of smartphones – not just in your pocket but also connected to the internet – makes them the perfect companion for shoppers throughout the entire purchase journey, both online and offline.  Recent research by the IAB and GfK shows that while PCs (laptops and/or desktop computers) are still the most used devices throughout the online purchase process, smartphones are an increasingly important complement to existing methods of shopping. The number of shoppers using smartphones will inevitably increase, but this usage will in many cases be in conjunction with the PC or an aid to the consumer while in store. Indeed, the research showed that the most common behaviour was for the smartphone and PC to be used together in the purchase process rather than independently.

The pressure on offline retail is growing with online retail’s move onto mobile platforms creating instant price transparency. The GfK finding that customer journey patterns are mixing online and offline in the purchase process means that retailers now need to invest in a truly omnichannel approach where both online and offline retail complement each other. By taking this creative route, bricks and mortar will continue to have a successful role in the market for tech products.

There is little doubt that online now forms an integral part of the retail experience for many consumers, particularly in Western markets.  In 2011, UK online trade accounted for 12% of all retail, the highest in Europe[i], and this trend only looks to increase with the inexorable rise of mobile commerce that recently achieved the milestone of over 5% during Q4 of last year[ii].

Using the internet for retail has become so commonplace that for many, the added benefits of convenience, easy research ability, and price comparison tools outweigh the effort required to physically visit the traditional bricks-and-mortar store.

But is online delivering everything consumers need from a shopping experience?  As we move further into the digital age, consumers expect a personalised, tailored and social shopping experience regardless of the medium through which it is conducted.