Profitero Welcomes New Research On 'Xtreme Shoppers' Use Of Technology For Shopping

A new breed of 'Xtreme shoppers' has been identified with Europeans outpacing their American counterparts when it comes to use of technology for shopping, according to a recent study by market research company GfK. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) January 25, 2012 - Competitor price monitoring firm Profitero has welcomed the news that a new breed of 'Xtreme shoppers' has been identified in the area of of technology for shopping. The news comes from recent study by market research company GfK.

GfK's study into the Future of Shopper Marketing was carried out across France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Spain, the UK and the USA. The research found that 95 per cent of Xtreme shoppers like to research products online, compared to 66 per cent of American 'Xtreme shoppers'.

With tightened budgets and smarter technology, Xtreme shoppers are showing increased levels of value-oriented shopping behaviour. The study found that European consumers are using the Internet more than Americans to research and buying products; 75 per cent said they used the Internet more than before to research products, compared to 68 per cent of US Xtreme shoppers. In Poland and the UK, three quarters or more Xtremes are increasing their use of the Internet to purchase products, while US and Spanish activity was recorded at 62 per cent; Germany's web activity in this area was noted at 52 per cent.

"Xtreme shoppers are a new segment of consumers defined by their specific shopping attitudes and behavours across all demographic groups," said Alison Chaltas of GfK.

"They are present across all seven of the countries in this study, accounting for over two out of five of the European consumers, and just under that in the US. More importantly, they appear to be a rapidly expanding segment that is largely made up of 25-44 year olds in full time employment - a prime target group for many retailers."

"There is clear indication that the trends we are seeing are set to rise, with the Xtreme shopper segment increasingly adopting their mobile phones and tablets to help them shop. This is especially strong in Russia and Spain, where a third of shoppers are using their mobiles more than ever to shop," she explained.

The downside to such Internet shopping activity is that competition is extreme, added Chaltas. Competitive intelligence shows that much competitor analysis is being carried out by retailers - be it manually or with the aid of competitive intelligence software. "Over three quarters of European Xtreme shoppers and two thirds of US ones say they are less loyal to any one retailer because they need to shop around for value."

Retailers need to find a way to reward loyal customers that will resonate with their current needs - a statement that nearly nine out of ten of all shoppers surveyed agreed with, she concluded.

With competition so cut-throat, pricing intelligence firm Profitero predicts more retailers will enlist the services of an online competitor price monitoring company in 2012.

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