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Consumers merge in-store and online shopping

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — (Marketwire) — 11/21/12 —

* In-store and online shopping behaviors are merging to create a
phenomenon
best described as in-line shopping

* 39 percent of smartphone owners in the US use their phones to make
small
payments, scan product barcodes or download coupons

* Retailers can benefit from understanding that consumers want to shop
whenever the mood takes them and to be able to combine the benefits of
in-store and online shopping

* These and other findings are in the In-Line Shopping consumer insight
report
written jointly by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and
Ericsson
ConsumerLab

In today-s Networked Society, where people constantly shift their attention
between the physical world and the internet – often almost unconsciously –
it
will soon become meaningless to talk about online and offline as two
separate
realities. People are increasingly connected to the internet around the
clock –
nearly 40 percent of smartphone owners worldwide now go online before even
getting out of bed – and the explosive increase in the use of mobile apps
is
also impacting on shopping behavior.

This is the status quo described in the In-Line Shopping consumer insight
report, jointly written by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) ConsumerLab. The report, which draws on data
gathered in
the US during 2012, reveals that smartphones already play an integral role
in
the shopping experience. Four out of 10 US smartphone owners use their
phones to
make small payments, scan product barcodes or download coupons.

The report identifies a phenomenon best described as “in-line shopping”
that has
emerged as a result of shoppers- desire to combine the best aspects of
in-store
and online shopping. In other words, shoppers want to be able to see, touch
and
try products, make price comparisons and access extended product
information
without having to wait in line to make a purchase.

Michael Björn, Head of Research at Ericsson ConsumerLab, says:
“Consumers are
making shopping part of the natural flow of their everyday lives. As a
result,
they want apps that make the shopping experience convenient and
hassle-free.
Just as people want anytime, anywhere internet access, they also want to be
able
to shop as soon as the need arises. Retailers need to understand and meet
this
need if they want to be successful in the coming years.”

Overall, smartphone users are more interested in online shopping than
non-smartphone users. Across eight of 12 product categories analyzed,
consumers
prefer a combination of in-store and online shopping rather than online
shopping
alone.

NOTES TO EDITORS

In-Line Shopping consumer insight report –

All ConsumerLab reports can be found at

Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at

Ericsson is the world-s leading provider of communications technology and
services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time
solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely,
in
sustainable societies around the world.

Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within
Information
and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries.
Today
more than 40 percent of the world-s mobile traffic goes through Ericsson
networks and we support customers- networks servicing more than 2.5 billion
subscribers.

We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in
1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2011 the company-s
net
sales were SEK 226.9 billion (USD 35.0 billion). Ericsson is listed on
NASDAQ
OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.

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Consumers merge in-store and online shopping:

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