Get Small with Big Convenience

Small trumps all, it might seem. Smaller store footprints, more concentrated packaged goods formulations, tinier electronics on shelves.
     Were the signals there decades ago with Steve Martin’s 1978 Grammy-award-winning album “Let’s Get Small”? Mr. Martin did allude to the portability advantages of miniaturization when he riffed on getting arrested for being too small while driving: “And they can't put you in a regular cell either, because you walk right out.”
     Then last July, The New Yorker used “Let’s Get Small” to title their article analyzing the tiny-house movement—the growing, even if still, umm, miniscule, popularity of homes containing kitchens, bathrooms, and sleeping areas all in a building of no more than 130 square feet. Tiny house advocates find advantages in lower purchase costs, lower property taxes, and a sense of environmental responsibility. These consumers favor small.
     Yet a recent survey by online advertising consultant Limelight Networks proves that small comes with tradeoffs. Respondents to the survey were 520 consumers who said they had purchased a product on a shopping site using an internet-connected mobile device.
     Limelight reports that these 520 constitute almost 50% of the more general population of consumers who initially agreed to participate in the survey. This 50% statistic suggests the popularity of mobile devices for retail purchases, although other surveys indicate the true penetration rate is currently lower than 50%. Also relevant is that one-third of the 520 said they use the device to make a purchase only every three to six months.
     What’s the appeal of the mobile device? It’s small, which means portability and quick access. About 90% of survey respondents rated as important the time it takes for a retailer’s site to appear on the screen What do users dislike? Small means it can be difficult to clearly see images and read text and it can require side-to-side scrolling. About 80% of survey respondents rated as important how a site fits appropriately on the screen. A substantial percentage of the respondents reported that they abandon the site on their mobile device and might go back later on their computer.
     The tiny-house architect designs for small to keep it acceptably convenient. One driver of smaller footprint retail store design is the appeal of convenience for senior citizen shoppers, who have less physical stamina than youngsters. And the wise retailer expects small with big convenience when signing off on marketing campaigns for mobile devices.

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Downsize for Elderly Shoppers