The average shopper makes over nine visits to a retailer’s site before completing a purchase, according to new research.

Rakuten Marketing found an increase from an average of two site visits in 2011, with customers spending more time researching and comparing products and flat out avoiding impulse purchases.

The consumer journey has become increasingly complex, with shoppers using a variety of devices for online browsing and purchasing in addition to their in-store spending.

Connecting with the modern shopper

The report showed that consumers are also spreading their shopping over a number of channels, with Tesco calling the last holiday season “our multichannel Christmas”. In this period, the supermarket reported that 40% of its grocery shops were ordered using more than one device and 70% of online fashion orders were click and collect.

Department store John Lewis revealed one in three of its click-and-collect customers purchased an additional item in store last Christmas, while the group’s partner supermarket recorded 70% growth in click and collect orders.

Moreover, catalogue retailer Argos stated that its click and collected service accounted for third of all business last Christmas.

Overall, the report highlights a strong correlation between a brand’s success and utilising multichannel marketing, proving that an understanding of strategies and campaigns across various devices is vital to connecting with the modern shopper in the current e-commerce environment.