Bye-Bye Sales Associates, Hello Mobile Devices

Most shoppers with mobile devices prefer to look up information on their phones or tablets while shopping instead of talking to store employees, according to a new survey by the Consumer Electronics Association.

In the survey of mobile shoppers, 58 percent said they’d choose mobile over store associates, and 62 percent view the information they get via a mobile device as more beneficial than what’s available from in-store product displays or sales literature. The preference for mobile is especially strong among men and shoppers between 25 and 44, Chain Store Age reported.

Shoppers most often use their mobile devices for help when shopping for electronics (60 percent), followed by groceries (55 percent), apparel (47 percent), shoes (45 percent) and health and beauty products (39 percent).

Mobile shoppers said they’re concerned about privacy (61 percent) and security (58 percent) when using their devices in-store, according to the report, “Enhancing the In-Store CE Retail Experience Using Mobile Devices,” which was released Tuesday (Dec. 2).

But shoppers also said they see the benefit of a relationship with retailers: 81 percent said they would be willing to share some personal data with merchants if they got benefits in return, including current location (48 percent), user profile data (46 percent) and personal contact information (40 percent).