The Kellogg Shopper Index is a national survey supported by the Kellogg Center for Global Marketing Practice. Each year the survey collects data from an online panel of more than 1,400 participants. Its purpose is to develop a 360-degree perspective of consumer spending habits that explores what and how people plan to purchase items or services, as well as the underlying psychological and financial drivers of their spending behavior. Based on key findings, the index offers fresh insights and practical applications for businesses and marketing practitioners. The Kellogg Shopper Index is compliant with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) standards.

The surprise finding of the KSI 2011 survey was just how quickly mobile shopping is taking off. While shopping a store, more than half of surveyed consumers use their smart phone to check current prices at competing retailers. This sharp shift in behavior arguably made the 2011 holiday shopping kickoff America’s first “Cyber Friday” ever.

The 2011 survey also discovered that mobile shoppers are relatively mature and well off, self-focused when shopping, lovers of browsing in stores, heavy purchasers, and adept at combining different forms of shopping (stores, internet, mobile, social media).

Thanks to  the work of our colleagues at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, in 2011 the survey was conducted  for the first time outside the U.S.