Nearly three-quarters of shoppers prefer to make purchases on their mobile phones after visiting a store, according to research from Swedish cloud communications platform Sinch.

In a hybrid world, the report found that shoppers are selecting retailers that blend in-store experiences with digital conveniences built on conversational messaging.

Entering the 2022 holiday season, consumers are increasingly embracing a hybrid shopping experience that couples in-store visits with digital tools that optimise the buying process, according to a global survey of nearly 3000 shoppers.

Shoppers prefer retailers that super-charge the in-person experience by layering on a level of automation and efficiency before they even enter the store. For example, 92 per cent of consumers would message a chatbot to check if a product is in stock before making a trip to the store, while 73 per cent want to visit a store and then make a final purchase on their mobile phones, often from within the store itself.

Consumers are open to messaging or chatting with retailers, but are frustrated by one-sided conversations or delayed responses.

Specifically, shoppers are open to messaging retailers for initiating product returns, exchanges and refunds (90 per cent), getting updates on items left in their online carts (89 per cent) or completing a customer satisfaction survey (77 per cent). But more than half (53 per cent) of consumers are frustrated when they can’t respond to mobile messages from businesses.

More than half (54 per cent) of respondents have messaged a retailer on a social platform, believing it a faster path to answers than going to a store, sending an email or making a phone call. Yet only a quarter of the queries receive an instant response, while 75 per cent of those messages take anywhere from several hours to more than a day, or they go completely unanswered. These delays carry real consequences, particularly as more consumers are making purchases directly through these social media channels after viewing products in store, driving the majority of them (54 per cent) to shop elsewhere.

“Just as it has in our home and work lives, the line between physical and digital experiences when shopping has become increasingly blurred,” said Jonathan Bean, chief marketing officer at Sinch. “The winners this holiday shopping season will be the retailers that do more than just optimise online- and in-store processes. Adding rich messaging, chatbots or other conversational technologies into the mix will meet shoppers how and where they want to engage. Direct messaging – and its inferred immediacy – is woven into every aspect of consumers’ lives, and they clearly expect brands and retailers to keep pace, or they will take their business elsewhere.”

Sinch’s cloud communications platform lets businesses reach everyone on the planet, in seconds or less, through mobile messaging, email, voice and video. More than 150,000 businesses, including many of the world’s largest companies and mobile operators, use Sinch’s technology to engage with their customers. Sinch has been profitable and fast-growing since its foundation in 2008. It is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a local presence in more than 50 countries.