The Changing Consumer

By Brian Yates, Director of Retail Product Marketing, Fujitsu America, Inc.

Today, our lives are touched by technology in every possible way. In fact, according to the US Department of Commerce, more than 70 percent of U.S. households now regularly buy online! The pervasiveness of technology, the rate of adoption, and the rollout of mobile apps are dramatically changing not just, how we "buy," but also how we "shop." Some 77 percent of online consumers now use reviews and ratings when purchasing, and this usage comes with a high degree of trust: 89 percent of consumers trust "other consumers" somewhat or completely.

It is this growing emersion of consumers in the online experience-and their trust in it-that fuels our vision of a seamless, interactive retailing environment where consumers can research, shop and buy using a common user interface anywhere at any time. Retailers need to serve their customers as one brand, regardless of channel or device. By simplifying and amplifying the consumer experience in this way, retailers can directly connect with the consumer to influence an individual's purchasing decisions and expand their sphere of online influence, which is a key to increasing market share.

To remain a major player over the next decade, retailers must react to this shopping revolution now, not tomorrow. According to Forrester Research, for example the number of Europeans shopping online will grow from 100 million to 174 million over the next five years. Today 43 percent of Americans would use a cell phone to purchase items from a store!