The "Digitally Influenced Shopper Report" and the Breakdown of Online vs. In-store With Mike Black From Profitero+ - Episode 406

Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Operations.

Today, we’re excited to welcome Mike Black, Chief Growth Officer at Profitero+.

We’ll be diving into their latest report, “The Digitally Influenced Shopper”, which reveals how shoppers are navigating today’s fractured path to purchase, how they evaluate value, and its implications for brands and retailers.

Tune in to find out more!

 

📚 RESOURCES

The 2025 Digitally Influenced Shopper Report

 

Quote:

“Discovery, as much as we are very search-centric in the way we think about the digital shelf, is way more fragmented than that. Search is becoming very crowded. Everybody's trying to win it. We should be just as aware that there's a lot more real estate for us to capitalize on.”

Mike Black

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Mike discuss:

• Purpose of the Digitally Influenced Shopper Report: Mike explains the motivation behind the report: to shift executive thinking beyond just tracking online transactions, and to provide e-commerce and retail media leaders with ammunition to drive internal change.

• Defining the Digitally Influenced Shopper: The team discusses how Profitero+ measures digital influence, including which behaviors and digital touchpoints (such as search, reviews, and social media) classify someone as digitally influenced.

• Generational and Geographic Trends: The report highlights how the US leads in digital adoption and how digital influence accelerates significantly among younger generations (with over 75% of Gen Z being digitally influenced, compared to fewer than half of Boomers).

• The Evolving Shopper Path: Shoppers are increasingly using digital resources for product discovery, decision-making, and even in-store purchases—with stats like 57% discovering new brands online and nearly half checking reviews or content while in-store.

• Implications for Brands: The group talks about the need for brands to rethink organizational processes, align internal teams, and focus on key digital shelf fundamentals like product availability, price, and reviews.

• Category Variances & Benchmarking: Advice on how brands can analyze their specific category to understand digital influence, customize their strategies, and use this research as a tool to strengthen retailer partnerships.

• Future Research Directions: Upcoming Profitero+ research on the ROI of digital shelf investments and the growing impact of AI-powered search, hinting at fact-based validation of AI optimization strategies.