Are your customers stuck on the phone?

There is a new kind of shopper in our midst, and retailers need to be on the lookout!

That's what Google says – they've just done a study on the habits of 'smartphone shoppers', or people who use their mobiles to help make purchasing decisions.

This is a recent phenomenon, yet since the advent of internet-ready mobile phones they've become as ubiquitous as videos about cats (though these things may be related).

Google has released a study titled 'Mobile In-Store Research: How in-store shoppers are using mobile devices'.

It found that a whopping 84 per cent of shoppers that use their phones as part of the decision making process do so while in a store.

More importantly for retailers however, Google found that the more shoppers use their mobiles, the more they spend.

"[U]nderstanding and embracing this new retail behaviour can open up new opportunities for brands to connect with customers in key consideration moments," said Google product marketing manager for Mobile Ads Adam Grunewald in a May 9 blog post.

Mr Grunewald noted that marketers may assume that shoppers are using shopping apps or are heading to brand or retail websites while in a store shopping.

However, Google found that 82 per cent of smartphone shoppers turned to mobile search engines to help with their purchase decisions.

"This represents a critical moment where businesses can win or lose customers – whether they're navigating the aisle in your store or your competitor's."

Why not find out how your customers use their smartphones?

Doing so may tell you about how your business can better respond to their needs either in your stores or online through your website or social media presence.

With online survey software you can design customer feedback surveys that are tailored with your business intelligence needs in mind.