The relentless winter in Boston has finally come to an end! Encouraged by the lukewarm temperatures and sight of grass (which we haven’t seen here in months), I set my sights on a new pair of running shoes. Now, where to begin? I can get suggestions from my coworkers, peruse user reviews on my phone on the bus ride home, actually touch and feel the product in person at a sports shop nearby, watch video ads at home on my tablet . . . the list goes on.

The rise in the adoption of mobile devices has made the consumer purchase journey — which already involves multiple channels, devices, and interaction points — even more complex and fragmented. To help professionals understand how and why consumers use mobile devices along the multistep purchase path, we used Forrester’s Technographics® 360 methodology, which combines behavioral tracking data, online survey data, and market research online community responses. We found that:

  • Almost two-thirds of consumers still use traditional methods to first learn about products —offline sources commonly provide the first impression.
  • Smartphones enable customers to source pre-purchase product information right from the palm of their hand, but few actually make the purchase using a mobile device
  • Mobile devices give consumers flexibility if they choose to engage with a brand or retailer post-purchase —from email and text messages to online communities and social networks.

Forrester Technographics clients who want to understand more about the role mobile devices play in today’s path to purchase as well as how customer insights professionals should take a multimodal approach to evaluating their customers for a better understanding of their attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs can read my latest report, Mobile’s Role In The Consumer’s Path To Purchase.

I will continue to research mobile devices’ influence on the path to purchase, specifically around how a consumer’s age and the product she is buying affect the role of mobile devices.

Not a Technographics client and interested in accessing rich behavioral data metrics and insights? Contact us at data@forrester.com.

Nicole Dvorak is a data scientist serving all roles. Follow her on Twitter at @NicoleLDvorak.