New research from Havas Worldwide revealed that only 16% of US consumers have used a mobile device to shop, compared with 50% in China, 48% in Singapore and 42% in India.
Havas Worldwide and research partner Market Probe International surveyed 10,219 adults in 31 countries, representing a combined population of more than 5 billion.
US consumers are less likely to see the smartphone as a point of sale (POS), the study shows. Despite the majority of top retailers investing R&D dollars in mobile apps, only 26% of US consumers are comfortable purchasing products with their smartphones.
Conversely, in China and India the majority of consumers are comfortable doing so (64% and 54% respectively).
Globally, 43% of those surveyed have used a smartphone to check for a better price or product reviews online while shopping for a product in a store. The practice is standard in China (74%), India (62%) and Singapore (58%). Yet, in the United States, less than one-third of consumers (32%) have used a mobile phone for comparison shopping or research while browsing a brick-and-mortar retailer.
Peer reviews have also less influence over US consumers. More than 60% of respondents worldwide trust peer reviews of products and services more than they trust expert reviews. Here, too, percentages are far higher in China and India (87% and 74%), as well as Brazil (78%), than in the US (58%).
“Our study explores how consumers are moving on from the last decade’s relatively simple and static model of digital commerce to the more complex and dynamic systems of m-shopping, using a mix of fixed and mobile devices,” says Matt Weiss, global chief marketing officer of Havas Worldwide.