According to new research, consumers are stepping up their use of digital tools for various parts of the retail shopping process.

As reported by eMarketer:

“Digital channels are now the method of choice for both product research and purchasing. According to a March 2014 study by UPS, comScore, and the e-tailing group, 82% of U.S. digital buyers preferred to research products from multichannel retailers on the Internet via desktop/laptop (61%), tablet (11%) or smartphone (10%), compared with 13% who said they would rather research items in a physical store.”

“In addition, digital devices were favored for purchasing products from multichannel retailers, with 55% of respondents preferring to use a desktop/laptop, tablet, or smartphone when buying items, vs. 41% who liked to do so in brick-and-mortars. Though smartphones and tablets trailed PCs by a long shot for the preferred digital buying method, that didn’t mean they weren’t seeing any action: 46% of users had made a purchase on such devices.”

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