According to a new study, brick-​and-​mortar retailers should encourage their shoppers to browse retail websites while shopping in their stores. Consumers who visit retail websites on their phones while shopping in stores spend up to 150% more in those stores than those who don’t according to a report from InMoment.

Consumers spend twice as much in-​store when they receive assistance from a retail sales associate and 2.2 times more when they visit the brand’s website in-​store, according to new data from cloud-​based customer experience optimization, InMoment.

In its 2016 Retail Industry Report, InMoment surveyed more than 25,000 North American consumers on their experiences throughout their shopping journey, from their decision to visit the store to the in-​store experience and their feelings post-​purchase. The report found that a consumer’s average single-​trip spend increases nearly four times when engaged by both in-​store staff and the brand’s website. This indicates that the more help a consumer receives, whether digital or human, the more he or she is willing to spend.

To this end, the AudienceSCAN survey found 56.3% of Showroomers make a point of shopping where salespeople are helpful and friendly.

Other key findings include:

• Consumers that visited another brand’s website while in store spent, on average, 1.2 times more than those who did not.
• Of those who visit the brand’s website while in a store location, 72 percent were younger than 44 years old, with the highest proportion of visitors (26.1 percent) coming from the 35–44-year-old demographic.
• Consumers ages 18–24 are almost twice as likely to visit the brand’s website before a store visit when compared to all other age groups.

“Despite fears that brick-​and-​mortar buying might lose its relevance, in-​person shopping has transformed into an omnichannel opportunity to sell more, and deepen customer relationships,” said Dr. Paul Warner, vice president, consumer and employee insights at InMoment. “For brands, it’s not about choosing one channel over the other, but rather leveraging each for their unique strengths. Online storefronts can showcase selection, while your people can provide personalized care. It’s this combination of the human and the digital that increases conversions as well as overall brand loyalty.”

This is important for retailers to consider when ruling out "showroomers." AudienceSCAN data revealed 17.3% of U.S. adults used their smartphones or tablets to compare pricing at a competitor while shopping in the past 6 months. This is 17% of the population retailers can't afford to lose!

The study also includes insights on consumers’ shopping habits across industries. According to the report, the technology and entertainment sectors saw the largest increase in spend (3.9 times greater) when consumers reported having an interaction with staff versus those who did not. Fashion retailers in particular saw a significant increase in spend (more than 2.5 times) when consumers engaged with a competitor's website and interacted with staff.

Fashion retailers take note: 34.8% of Showroomers intend to buy activewear in the next 12 months, according to AudienceSCAN research.

"If you’re a store retailer and notice a shopper checking out one of your competitors’ websites on their mobile phone while they are in your store, don’t panic because that could actually be a good for you, too," Matt Lindner wrote for Internet Retailer. "According to the InMoment study, those shoppers on average will spend 20% more in your store than those who aren’t browsing your rivals online. For apparel store retailers, the beneficial impact of their store shoppers browse a competitor’s site while in their stores is even greater. They typically spent 150% more in store than shoppers who don’t browse online while shopping in the store."

AudienceSCAN data is available as part of a subscription to AdMall for Agencies, or with the SalesFuel API. Media companies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.