HispanicBusiness

WILTON, CT -- (Marketwire) -- 09/06/12 -- Branded shopping apps are the strongest driver behind unplanned purchases, branded content on social networks drives people to try new products, and texts and social media are most likely to influence where people shop, according to a new study released today by Ryan Partnership, an integrated marketing agency that is part of the Hyper Marketing, Inc. network.

The 2012 Ryan Partnership Digital Retail Study comes out just 18 months after the company's last retail study. Shoppers' usage of digital retail tools -- ranging from store websites and mobile coupons to daily deal sites and QR codes, has doubled or even tripled, depending on the tool, in the 18-month period.

"Usage of digital tools during the planning phase of shopping is no longer a behavior for particularly cost-conscious shoppers or for digital early adopters," said Kim Finnerty, VP, Consumer and Shopper Insights at Ryan. "Today, such behavior is virtually ubiquitous."

The Ryan study surveyed 8,000 primary household shoppers about their usage of various digital retail tools. Of the 2012 survey respondents 96% said they have used at least one digital shopping tool, with the majority using multiple tools.

When asked which digital tools they have used while shopping or planning to shop in the last year, the five most heavily used tools were: store websites (64% of respondents), downloadable coupons (61%), search engines (51%), retailer emails (53%) and brand websites (49%). Additional tools mentioned include daily deal sites, brand social media, mobile coupons and shopping apps.

The study found that shoppers use different tools for different purposes -- and that which tools impact which behaviors can be quite surprising.

•Social Media from retailers is the a strongest driver of new brand and product trial•Brands launching new products should work hand-in-hand with retailers to find ways to feature their new offerings not only in their own social media efforts, but in their retailers' as well. •Shopping Apps and retailer tools are strongest drivers of unplanned purchasing.•For brands that are not on the shopper's list, it is at least as important to be a part of the retailer's digital tools as their traditional tools. •Texts Messages from Retailers and Brands are most likely to influence choice of where to shop.•Retailers should work with their brand partners to drive shoppers from the product information that engages them to the store to buy to impact their own and each other's objectives. Working together digitally provides the kind of win-win outcome that is at the heart of shopper marketing.