Force study reveals retail sales associates heavily influence consumer electronics purchases

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 25, 2012 – Electronics were at the top of everyone’s shopping list over the holidays. In a new consumer electronics study by Market Force Information, 100% of survey respondents reported purchasing a consumer electronic device for themselves or others during the holiday season. Video games and gear were the most popular items, followed by TVs.

The survey of more than 4,200 consumers by Market Force, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions, was designed to uncover which electronics were most popular among holiday shoppers in 2011, what factors influenced their buying decisions and where they made their purchases.

Brick-and-mortar dominates for CE
Surprisingly, more holiday shoppers got into their cars than logged into their computers to shop for electronics. Of those surveyed, only 35% said they bought an electronic device online, while 100% said they bought at least one device from a retail store.

Why brick-and-mortar and not online? More than half said they bought from a retail location because of the immediacy of the purchase, and 46% were lured by special in-store promotions. Another 39% wanted to avoid shipping costs, while 35% wanted an in-person demonstration of the device.

Best Buy was the most popular retailer for pricey consumer electronics, followed by Walmart and Target. Wireless phone stores, Apple Stores, Staples and GameStop were also called out, although none received more than 5% of the mentions.

Sales associates wield retail power
The survey also discovered that retail sales associates wield enormous clout during the electronics buying process. More than three-quarters of shoppers said they were helped by a sales person, 44% received a specific product recommendation from the associate and, of those, 85% bought the product that was recommended.

“We discovered that the human factor in the retail process is incredibly powerful when consumer electronics are concerned,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “Not only do shoppers value and trust the opinions of electronics sales people, they also tend to follow their advice, which tells us this role carries more weight than in other industries.”

‘Game on’ for holiday electronics sales
In the blazing battle of consumer electronics dominance, the video game industry proved victorious. Thirty-two percent of survey respondents reported buying gaming gear for themselves or others, just edging out the 31% who bought TVs, DVD players and other TV components. There was a tie for third between smart phones and digital cameras, each with 24%, while 23% bought a computer. Despite the hype, tablet computers like iPads and e-readers like Kindle were only purchased by 21% and 20%, respectively.

Market Force conducted the consumer electronics survey in January 2012. The pool of 4,206 survey respondents ranged in age from 18 to more than 65, and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with half reporting household incomes of $25,000 – $50,000 a year. Seventy-two percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. More than two-thirds are married.

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions for the retail industry, visit http://www.marketforce.com/industries/retail.

About Market Force Information
Market Force is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. Market Force was named one of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies in 2011. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com.

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Ventana Research Leadership Award comes on the heels of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies recognition

BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 22, 2011 – Market Force, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions, and its client ConocoPhillips have received the Ventana Research Leadership Award for Customer Excellence. The Ventana Research 2011 Leadership Awards recognizes innovative companies and their customers that have most effectively achieved success through the use of people, processes, information, technology and best practices. This is the second recent honor bestowed upon Market Force, which was also recently named to Forbes’ list of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies.

Ventana Research selected ConocoPhillips for its implementation of Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions. It also instituted mechanisms to gather customer feedback and ensure every station carrying its brand adheres to the high standards that consumers want and deserve. Its customer intelligence program led to increased customer satisfaction and revenue growth.

“The Leadership Awards honor organizations across the world that have distinguished themselves in their approach to using business and information technology,” said Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer of Ventana Research. “Market Force and ConocoPhillips distinguished themselves as pioneers in Customer Excellence for their successful transformation of the customer experience using technologies and processes that derived true business value.”

Through work with more than 350 of the world’s major brands, Market Force has culled a set of best practices that underpin retail performance and crafted a suite of customer intelligence solutions to enable companies to excel. Services include mystery shopping, customer satisfaction surveys, call center services and audits, as well as sophisticated analytics to tie those data to bottom line results, and a robust technology platform to host it all.

“It’s gratifying to see our hard work recognized by prestigious organizations like Ventana Research and Forbes,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “These awards are a testament to the incredible work our team is doing, and they also validate the business results of our customer-driven clients like ConocoPhillips.”

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions, visit http://www.marketforce.com/customer-intelligence

About Market Force Information

Market Force is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. Market Force was named one of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies in 2011. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com.

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Which apparel retailers are consumer favorites and why?

Are consumers planning to shop on Black Friday? And where will they shop for apparel this holiday season? We thought we’d ask.

On October 26th at 1 p.m. Eastern Market Force presents the results of a new panel research study on consumer preferences for apparel retailers that delves into questions like the following:

• How much do consumers plan to spend this holiday season on apparel?
• What are their favorite apparel retailers , and why?
• What clothing retailer have consumers tried for the first time in the past 90 days?
• What matters most to consumers at a retailer? Price? The shopping experience? Selection?
• How influential is social media on consumer’s choices of a fashion retailer?

These are some of the topics we’ll delve into in the upcoming webinar on October 26, 2011. Join Dr. Cheryl Flink as she shares the results of this new research.

CLICK HERE to register.

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