• Shopping behaviour research reveals 86% value in-store advice
  • 23% have less trust in brands that only have an online presence
  • Need for personalised products coined as 'smart comparison' shopping behaviour

London, 1 April 2015: A new study has revealed that physical stores are still of high value to UK shoppers aged 25-44, with almost a quarter of those who took part in the research arguing they would trust an online-only brand less than one with a presence on their local high street. The Carphone Warehouse research, which examined more than 3,500 UK shoppers, also found that 91% of UK shoppers aged 25 - 44, are shunning rock bottom prices and bargain deals in favour of products or deals that are personalised to their needs.

5 top statistics
  1. 83% think product / service reviews on retailer websites are the most important source of information
  2. 23% have less trust in brands that only have an online presence
  3. 89% prepared to spend extra for quality
  4. Only 44% think lowest price is most important when deciding what to buy
  5. 60% will buy products from familiar brands and are reluctant to try others

The news comes as Carphone Warehouse announces it is continuing to strengthen its store portfolio and will reach 222 Carphone Warehouse stores within Currys PC World outlets by 2nd May.

Personalisation has risen through the ranks to become a top motivator, with two thirds (68%) of those surveyed saying they are more likely to buy a product tailored to their needs over one that is not. When looking to make a technology purchase, almost 9 in 10 (86%) welcome advice from shop staff, 63% say that they would want to see a product in store and 70% will go online for advice from reviews. 43% have used their smartphone for research while shopping in store - more than half of those are checking to see whether they can get a product cheaper online (52%) or at another store (44%).

Researching to get the best value is also extremely important. For small technology items, 75% do research, of which the vast majority (82%) will spend up to one month researching small technology items, which is the same amount of time spent researching a holiday. 91% said that they will shop around to compare features and prices before buying a product and 59% will track deals over time to get the best value.

Commenting on the study, Graham Stapleton, UK & Ireland CEO at Carphone Warehouse, said: "Lower customer trust in online only brands shows why a physical store presence continues to be relevant which is very positive news for the UK high street. Customers more than ever want choice and personalisation, which we have named 'smarter comparison', this is having a huge effect on how and where customers are shopping. Retailers need to evolve and put customer needs at the centre of their business, often this means a merging of the face-to-face retail experience with the convenience technology provides."

The continued importance of a high street presence, particularly in the mobile technology sector, is further confirmed by the findings of a recent Enders Analysis UK mobile user survey1. The study highlights that, during 2014, the number of customers signing up for mobile phone contracts in stores increased by 6% when compared with the previous year. Meanwhile, telephone and online orders declined by 4% and 2% respectively.

Clare Rayner, retail expert and consumer champion, comments: "The future for retail is not online or offline, but a combination of the two, something that lets customers enjoy the best of both worlds. While there was a net decline in chain stores during the first part of 2014, UK vacancy rates are at a 4-year low. Increasingly sophisticated and flexible technology allows customers more and more freedom to choose and cater to their own tastes and the savvy retailer is going to have to adapt to that."

Graham concludes: "We have adapted our business to deliver personalised solutions. Navigating the thousands of tariff and handset combinations available on the mobile market can be a very daunting experience, particularly when you factor in the added complication of data allowances and varied network coverage. We invested millions in having training our 5,000 store colleagues, we now have the UK's largest connected workforce. We introduced Pin Point to make the process easier and have seen a 10% increase in customer satisfaction levels since its introduction a year ago. We're constantly updating and improving to ensure that we are giving customers what they want. Customer choice is at our heart and we are the only retailer to offer the opportunity to compare all of the major mobile networks and largest choice of tariffs and manufacturers under one roof."

Katherine King from Norfolk (32) says: "I always shop around to make sure I am getting the best deal. I usually start out online, to get an idea of what I'm looking for, before popping into a shop to speak to someone in person. It can be a bit of a minefield - with so much out there to choose from sometimes I need all the help I can get."

Pin Point is an in-store customer experience that uses comprehensive tools to assess shopper needs and offer the best mobile deal for them. It includes functions like the innovative network coverage checker, which combines independently-sourced information to compare the major networks across the UK for call quality, signal strength and data speeds at each customer's home and work addresses. This is particularly important given that overall network reliability was cited by 47% of customers as the most important factor when choosing a mobile operator in the Enders survey2; this was closely followed by network coverage specifically, which 36% voted the most important factor.

Carphone Warehouse is expanding its presence on the UK high street and will continue to launch revamped stores within Currys PC World locations over the coming months. The recent acquisition of the Fort Dunlop sales training academy also means store colleagues will now receive more extensive training than ever before to ensure each customer receives a recommendation tailored to their individual needs.

The Comparison Effect, Smart Shopping research was carried out in two phases by YouGov on behalf of Carphone Warehouse and looks at UK shopping behaviours over a range of different sectors, products and services.

1Enders UK Mobile User Survey 2014
2Enders UK Mobile User Survey 2014

- ENDS -

For more information please contact:
The Carphone Warehouse Press Office
April Hogan
april.hogan@edelman.com
020 3047 2347

Notes to Editors

About Dixons Carphone:

Dixons Carphone plc is Europe's leading specialist electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company, employing over 40,000 people in 12 countries.

Focused on helping customers navigate the connected world, Dixons Carphone offers a comprehensive range of electrical and mobile products, connectivity and expert after-sales services from the Geek Squad and Knowhow.

Dixons Carphone's primary brands include Carphone Warehouse, Currys and PC World in the UK and Ireland, Elkjøp, El Giganten, Gigantti and Lefdal in the Nordic countries, Kotsovolos in Greece, Dixons Travel in a number of European airports and Phone House in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Our key service brands include Knowhow in the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, Geek Squad in the UK, Ireland and various other European markets.

Business-to-business services are provided through Connected World Services, PC World Business and Carphone Warehouse Business. Connected World Services aims to leverage the Group's existing expertise, operating processes and technology to provide a range of services to businesses.

For more information about Dixons Carphone plc, please visit www.dixonscarphonegroup.com

Follow us on Twitter: @DixonsCarphone

About the research
Comparison Effect - Smart Shopping study carried out 11th - 13th August 2014 and 31st December 2014 - 5th January 2015. YouGov conducted a total of 3655 interviews among a sample of 25-44 year olds , among whom 3189 have sole / joint responsibility for choosing goods bought by their household and have been involved in the decision making process for at least 1 of 8 set product / service categories. Results were weighted to be representative of the UK population aged 25-44 before screening out for shopping responsibility

Clare Rayner
Clare Rayner, known as the Retail Champion, is a renowned and well-respected retail expert in the UK. Clare works with clients as a business consultant, professional speaker, coach and mentor. In 2012, she created Support for Independent Retail, a campaign that offers support, advice, ideas and inspiration to help retailers, and consumer-facing businesses, to get, and stay, open for business.

Her first book, 'The Retail Champion: 10-Steps to Retail Success', was published by Kogan Page in July 2012. Her second book, 'How to sell to retailers: The secrets of getting your products to market', was also published by Kogan Page in February 2013.

distributed by