Millennials are shopping. In stores!
Posted On July 8, 2015
They should be the online shopping generation. With millennials’ digital upbringing, one would think they’d never need to step foot inside something as outdated as an actual store. Or worse, a mall.
One might be surprised, then, to learn that 82 percent of the Millennials surveyed in global market research by Accenture actually prefer shopping in stores, like the Baby Boomers and Generation X before them.
Internet shopping outlets, after all, still have not devised a way to try on clothes online.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 38 percent of the customers at King of Prussia – the Philadelphia area’s largest mall – are between the millennial ages of 18 and 34. Millennials are now the largest consumer group in the United States, numbering 84.4 million, and many retailers are tailoring their brick-and-mortar marketing decisions to millennial habits and desires.
Some interesting findings about the shopping habits of millennials, as reported in the Accenture study and by the Enquirer:
- Specialty stores are a hit, as 88 percent of the millennials that visit King of Prussia say they visit them.
- Two or more millennials frequently shop together, or with a parent.
- Many research products online before coming to the store, checking reviews and product ratings.
- Many also practice “showrooming,” using their smartphones in-store to comparison shop for the best price.
- Mobile coupon scanning capabilities are important to millennials, and a lack of them can be a deal-breaker.
- Millennials, contrary to some popular opinion, can and will be loyal customers if they feel they’ve been treated well with a customer-centric shopping experience.
- A Facebook “like” is not necessarily an indication of brand loyalty – more often than not, it’s how millennials look for deals.