Understanding the Emerging Omniconsumer The mobile revolution is affecting consumers across the board, but its impact is especially evident among younger consumers. They are embracing mobile technology—and in many ways, they are leading that revolution.
According to recent Vantiv/Mercator research, more than three-quarters of consumers 18-34 now have a smartphone, and more than one-third have a tablet. They are weaving these devices into many aspects of daily life, including shopping and banking. And their interest in mobile payments is 10% to 20% higher than that of older age groups, depending on the method in question.
more willing to use mobile payments if they were offered rewards like those attached to today’s credit cards.
As young consumers embrace mobile technology, they are using these channels in addition to existing channels. In that sense, they represent an emerging “omniconsumer” who operates comfortably across all channels—a group that companies will need to better understand in coming years.
Security. Younger consumers are more likely than their older counterparts to worry about mobile security but are less likely to act on that concern.
Crossing and Combining Channels Consumers are beginning to use mobile technology in conjunction with other channels. That is especially true of younger consumers, who are more likely than average to use showrooming techniques—finding a product in a store, looking online using their mobile phones to find the cheapest price, and then buying it either online or in another store (30% vs. 20% average). At the same time, young consumers are still making use of traditional channels. For example, they are more likely to embrace mobile banking, but are also heavy users of ATMs, call centers, and bank branches. In a very real sense, they are setting the pace in the multichannel world. These young omniconsumers will be the mainstream consumers of tomorrow, and the Vantiv/ Mercator research sheds light on what they will expect in several key areas: Incentives. More than 55% of young consumers would switch payment types to get rewards or discounts, versus 40% of consumers in general. Almost half would be
Online privacy. Younger consumers are less worried about a company having too much information about them (64% vs. 72% average) or too many companies sharing their personal information (66% vs. 74% average).
Mobile wallets. Young consumers are twice as interested as older consumers in using a mobile wallet instead of a credit card—and 6 out of 10 would look to their financial institution to get one. Mobile payments. Two-thirds of consumers think mobile payments will be common within five years. But more than three-quarters of younger consumers think so, and 41% expect that to be the case in just two years. The research suggests that companies should take advantage of opportunities to deliver omnichannel experiences that engage omniconsumers across the full shopping lifecycle. It also underscores the importance of getting involved with mobile interactions today to stay in step with young consumers’ interest in mobile payments, shopping, and banking. Above all, companies will need to offer omniconsumers a seamless, consistent experience that extends across all channels. For consumers in general, that kind of experience is important. For young omniconsumers, it has become absolutely critical—and if one company cannot deliver it, they are likely to find another one that can.