Survey · 2022
How consumers find, trust and choose local retailers
What 837 consumers and 288 retail executives told us about finding and choosing local stores, plus a media analysis of 559 locations across 5 retail brands, 17,000 retail banks and 1,000 restaurants.
of shoppers have found wrong information about a store online.
of retail profiles are missing from the 50 channels people use most.
more visits to a business profile than to the same business website.
want to see available inventory before they choose which store to visit.
will not consider a retailer rated under 3 stars.
Section one
More than half of shoppers are in a local store at least once a week, and four in five expect to spend the same or more there over the next year.
Local retail did not lose its place in people's lives. When we asked how often people shop at local retail stores, the largest group said once or twice a week, and only 2% said they no longer shop locally at all. Asked about the year ahead, 62% expect to spend the same and 21% expect to spend more. The habit is intact. What changed is the research that happens before the trip.
Figure 1.0
How often do you shop at local retail stores?
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Figure 1.1
How will the amount you spend shopping at retail stores change in the next 12 months?
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Section two
The profile is now the storefront, and half of the profiles we checked were not there at all.
Consumers visit a business profile five times more often than they visit the same business website, so the profile is where the first impression is formed.
Synup, 2022. Analysis of 165,000 US businesses.
Figure 2.1
Have you ever had an experience discovering inaccurate business information when searching for a retail store?
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Figure 2.2
of retail profiles are missing across the 50 channels people use most, measured over 559 locations.
error rate on the listings that do exist on Google, across the same locations.
Media analysis of 559 retail locations across 5 brands and 50 channels.
Synup, 2022. Media analysis, 50 channels.
Figure 2.3
How accurate, on average, is the information you find when searching for store information online?
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Synup, 2022. Media analysis, 50 channels.
Figure 2.4
Please rate the importance of the following media for discovering and learning about retail stores.
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Figure 2.5
Please rate the importance of the following devices for discovering and learning about new retail stores.
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Section three
Shoppers decide on inventory, hours and prices, and a growing share of what they see was posted by other shoppers.
Figure 3.0
Please rate the importance of the following information when choosing a retail store.
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Figure 3.1
Shopper content
Brand content
One retail client, 3,000 locations, 90 days, Google Business Profile.
Synup, 2022.
Figure 3.2
Please identify your level of trust in the following information about retail stores.
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
Section four
A rating under 3 stars takes the store out of the running before anyone walks in.
Figure 4.0
What is the minimum star rating a retail store needs to have for you to consider choosing it?
Synup, 2022. n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executives.
of shoppers would travel farther to a business rated 4 stars than to a closer one rated lower.
of retail executives say reviews contribute significantly to in-store visits.
of shoppers only leave a review after a clearly good or clearly bad experience.
Presence comes first. Half of the profiles we checked were missing from the channels shoppers use, and the listings that exist carry a 52% error rate on Google. Every location needs a live, correct record on every channel that matters, not just the one head office watches.
Then content has to answer the buying question. 94% of shoppers want to see what is in stock before they pick a store, 92% want hours and 89% want a price range. Shoppers also post 3.5 times as many photos as the brand does. Inventory, prices and photos belong on the profile, kept current at store level.
Reviews are managed per location or not at all. 82% will not consider a retailer rated under 3 stars, and 69% will travel farther for a 4-star business. One weak store pulls trade away from the brand in that city, so ratings need a floor every location is held to.
71% of shoppers have found wrong information about a store online.
n = 837 US consumersAbout half of retail profiles are missing from the 50 channels people use most.
Media analysis of 559 locations across 5 brandsConsumers visit a business profile 5 times more often than its website.
Analysis of 165,000 US businesses94% of shoppers want to see available inventory before they choose a store.
n = 837 US consumers82% of shoppers will not consider a retailer rated under 3 stars.
n = 837 US consumers69% of retail bank listings on Google are inaccurate, and 73% are missing from the top 50 channels.
Media analysis of 17,000 retail banks60% of restaurant listings on Google are inaccurate, and 50% are missing from the top 50 channels.
Media analysis of 1,000 restaurantsShoppers posted 3.5 times as many photos to store profiles as the brand did, and those photos drew 3.5 times the views.
One retail client, 3,000 locations, 90 days66% of shoppers trust word of mouth, while 89% of retail executives believe shoppers do.
n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executivesOnly 35% of shoppers trust content on a retailer's own website. 54% of retail executives think they do.
n = 837 consumers, 288 retail executivesConsumer survey
837 US consumers who shop at retail stores, fielded May 31 to June 4, 2022. Questions covered shopping frequency, information accuracy, sources, devices, content and ratings.
Executive survey
288 US retail executives at director level and above, fielded June 26 to July 7, 2022.
Media analysis
Synup data scientists checked accuracy and presence across 50 media channels for 559 locations across 5 retail brands, plus 17,000 retail banks and 1,000 restaurants. Results are rounded to the nearest whole percent.
Synup, “The State of Retail 2022”, 2022, synup.com/research/state-of-retail