MOBILE technology has empowered the Filipino shopper and helped them become more informed and more efficient than before, as well as help them make quick decisions.
“There is so much you can do with the smartphone,” Gabriel Roxas, Google Philippines Inc. head of marketing, said in a recent forum it and Ipsos organized in mid-November. “Brands have to be prepared for moments that matter.”
“As a result, we now have a mobile-powered supershopper who has the ability to instantly discover, research and purchase, making them more informed and more efficient than ever before,” Roxas added.
He said the four attributes of a supershopper are the following:
- Supershoppers are superfast: Google and Ipsos noted that 88 percent of Filipino shoppers using smartphones noted online research has a big role in purchasing decisions faster now compared to a few years ago;
- The group keeps their options open and keep on researching before buying an item. About 82 percent of the smartphone shoppers agreed to this report, according to Google Philippines. After they are done with their online research, 72 percent of the mobile shoppers in the Philippines (compared to the 33 percent in the US) bought a item which they didn’t consider if they did conduct a smartphone research.
- The mobile phone is their muse and prime source of information when they shop. Fifty-one percent of the Filipinos surveyed said they use mobile before going to the store to shop.
- Mobile is their door to the store. Although a big number of Filipinos are willing to buy on mobile, 78 percent of the Filipino shoppers use mobile as a door to the store, aside from using the locator function to guide them in going to the store. Furthermore, 80 percent of the shoppers still consult their phones while in stores.
“We all have that friend—the one who somehow knows the latest brands, the season’s must-have products and where to find the best deals at the snap of a finger,” Roxas said. “In the past years, this friend was an enigma, making us wonder how does he or she do it? Today, through the power of smartphones, we can all be that friend.” Roxas added that as Filipinos move to mobile fast, “we’ll see the shift in how consumers engage with brands this Christmas season.”
“Brands need to make sure they are present on mobile and now is the perfect time to get Christmas campaigns in shape for the shopping peak.”