Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

More than one out of every three (35 percent) shoppers today use mobile devices as part of their purchasing process, a 10 percent hike from 2012, according to new results from a shopper behavior study. Much of the change comes from sharp increases from three demographic groups: Hispanics, Asian-Americans and the rather wide age range of 15-49.

To be fair, the new stats from the 2-year study by the Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research explore any role a mobile device would play, including research (price comparisons, searching for products) both instore and offline.

That’s certainly legitimate when exploring the total impact of mobile devices on shoppers, but using an Android at home to verify the exact address of the nearest Home Depot is a far cry from using Apple Pay to make a purchase.The study does make it clear, though, that mobile use of almost every kind is increasing. Not surprising, but worthy of note....

Back in May, Google announced a partnership agreement with online customer service ratings firm StellaService. The licensing deal is designed to bolster the search giant as the go-to destination for product search. The actual integration has yet to launch, and Google is remaining quiet on any roll-out details.

A Forbes report earlier this week claims Google is planing to launch the Trusted Stores initiative with StellaService this fall.

A launch in time for the holiday shopping season would be ideal. Google has declined to comment on timing, however. The article also says StellaService data will appear alongside Google Trusted Stores’ check marks in search results, but again, Google hasn’t announced what the integration will look like or where ratings will appear....