B2B software search website Capterra has revealed the results of a study on the text-to-shop phenomenon and how Australians feel about this emerging trend in retail technology.
Text-to-shop is the latest in mobile commerce, where companies sell products via text messaging services without the need for any checkout processes. Text-to-shop can make shopping more convenient as customers do not need to log in to an account, refill their information, or use any external links.
“Over half of the 998 survey respondents (56%) said they would be interested in trying text-to-shop (19% are ‘very interested’ and 37% are ‘somewhat interested’), showing the potential for this e-commerce market,” the survey found. “Generational factors may influence who is ready to jump on the text-to-shop bandwagon, though, as Capterra found that age played a role in survey responses; 67% of respondents aged 18 to 25 years showed an interest compared to just 32% for those aged 56 to 65.”
When asked about the benefits of using text-to-shop, commonly-chosen responses included ‘ease of ordering’ (58%) and ‘fast delivery of purchases’ (57%). “Nevertheless, an increase in convenience may come at a cost to security and privacy; it’s unsurprising that survey respondents listed being ‘scammed’ (40%), ‘overcharged’ (40%), and having their ‘data hacked’ (34%) as primary concerns for potentially adopting this new trend,” according to the survey.
Text-to-shop enables retailers to collect consumers’ purchase history data, which can help tailor the customer journey and build member loyalty. “A combined total of 55% of survey respondents said they are comfortable being recommended new products or brands based on their personal data and purchase history (12% are ‘very comfortable’ whilst 43% are ‘somewhat comfortable’), meaning a large slice of respondents still harboured doubts over this highly personalised approach to shopping.”
“Text-to-shop as a conversationalist commerce is a simple yet convenient way for consumers to make their purchases, especially as it doesn’t require any new technology,” says Capterra Content Analyst Laura Burgess. “Over half of consumers surveyed by Capterra showed an interest in using the text messaging service, meaning it’s clearly an SMS marketing opportunity for businesses that really shouldn’t be missed.”