Millennials rely on brick-and-mortar stores and technology, including mobile devices and social networks, equally to access information or to gain insights about a product they plan to purchase, according to a study from Today Info Retail, an Atlanta-based strategy and design agency focused on the control and simplification of buying experiences.

The study found that the 18-to-35 year-olds were twice as likely to use technology to learn about products as their older counterparts. (For mobile devices specifically, the difference was 35 percent of younger shoppers used smartphones compared to just 12 percent of over-35 consumers.) The study also said that 64 percent of younger adult shoppers are using the web and 65 percent are using stores for sources of information.

This information confirms for retailers that information both online and in the store must be consistent and that retailers must show continuity between the store and the web to keep the interest of young shoppers, said Florian Vollmer, senior vice president and principle of Info Retail.

"There's a big canyon between how the under-35 and the over-35-year old shop," she said. "The Retail Integration Survey allows us to focus on touch points that brands use to inform their customers. These results help us discover which of those touch points customers truly find meaningful in making buying decisions. The information we gathered from this survey highlights the future of multitouchpoint customer experiences for brands, retailers and manufacturers."

"Younger shoppers have higher expectations for touchpoint integration," Vollmer said. "There's a big gap between the expectations of younger and older adult shoppers. These have to be managed to create a successful experience."

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