TimeTrade recently published The State of Retail, a report designed to ascertain the current perceptions and behaviors that drive retail shopping. 

TimeTrade surveyed 1,029 consumers.

The study's findings gave retailers some interesting facts about where the industry stands and what trends are moving retail.

The report found data that revealed how technology is influencing the customer experience, but perhaps not at as fast a rate as popularly assumed.

Some study highlights included:

• 85 percent of consumers shopped brick & mortar over online stores.

• More than 70 percent of consumers would prefer to shop a brick and mortar Amazon store versus Amazon.com.

• 90 percent of consumers were more likely to buy when helped by a knowledgeable associate.

• 92 percent of responding millennials planned to shop in-store in 2015, as often or more than they did in 2014.

• Only 13 percent of respondents have previously made a purchase using a mobile device.

We sat down with TimeTrade CEO, Gary Ambrosino, to discuss in greater detail the implications of his company's report and how the results can benefit retailers:

Your study says 85 percent of consumers prefer to shop at physical stores, versus shopping online, yet it seems advertising is predominantly pointed to the Internet and mobile. 

Why do you think there is this gap in perception?

Consumers do their exploring online and on their mobile device, then do the final buying in-store. 

Leading retailers are aware of this dynamic and are properly driving,  

managing and analyzing the customer journey. 

You can use advertising to lead consumers to the Internet and mobile device, but the key for retailers is to convert these digital first touches into an actual sale. 

With nearly 90 percent of consumers more likely to buy when helped by a knowledgeable associate, retailers should be shifting their focus to the in-store experience.

Does it surprise you that your study found consumers to prefer brick & mortar over online shopping?

Not at all; as previously mentioned, we have found that consumers use the Internet for their shopping or "discovery," and then use the physical store as the point of their final purchase decision.

For example, they'll use the Internet or their mobile device to look at price points and specs on a high-end camera, then go into the store to touch and feel the item, then ask an associate for an expert opinion. 

Consumers are using the in-store experience for the final validation of the purchase decision. We have seen this from feedback from our customers and through our research.

A key finding of your study was that 70 percent of consumers would prefer to shop a brick & mortar Amazon store versus Amazon.com. 

Is there anything in your study that points to why this is so, and why this is 15 percent lower than the top figure (85 percent)?

85 percent of our survey respondents report they like to shop in the store because they like to "touch and feel" products before they decide what they want to buy. 

And, consumers expect store associates to recommend which product has the best value, the highest quality and which is most reliable. 

All these data points support why respondents would rather go into the physical Amazon store. 

The gap in the 15 percent may be due to the fact that Amazon is a well-established e-tailer and is just rolling out brick & mortar.

With 90 percent of consumers more likely to buy when helped by knowledgeable associate, how can technology assist this high percentage, or does the study support the idea that technology hinders sales, or gets in the way?

Retailers should use technology to aid them in any pain points they are having in providing a knowledgeable associate. 

The biggest pain point is making sure that resources are readily available when the customer shows up to the store, whether it be a walk-in or a scheduled appointment. 

Store associates and managers must use technology to help with collaboration to provide superior service.

Your study found in-store purchasing preferences spanned generations; with 92 percent of responding millennials planning to shop in-store in 2015, more than they did in 2014. 

Is there in anything in your study, or knowledge base, that profiles the millennial shopper and how they differ, or are similar, to other generations of retail shoppers?

As indicated in our report, millennials like individual attention and increasingly want specific, exclusive "just-for-me" products. 

For example, the TimeTrade survey reveals that 25-34 year olds are most likely to book online appointments to have a highly personalized in-store experience.

Mobile purchasing is slow to grow, your study found, with only 13 percent of respondents previously making a purchase using a mobile device. 

How many of the 13 percent were millennials?  

Nearly half of the 13 percent were millennials. 

And, of the millennials who responded to the question, only 7 percent said they had made purchases on their device.

Because of the hype that is surrounding mobile, what other telling information does your study give us about the mobile retail customer experience?

According to our survey, more than 42 percent of consumers have never purchased something on their mobile devices. 

And, of those who have, nearly 70 percent have only done it 1-5 times.

Consumers reveal they are using mobile devices to compare prices (61 percent), research products (50 percent) and look for the nearest store location (40 percent). 

So mobile purchasing is truly slow to grow.

What are some of the most basic, and interesting, data your study found out about the modern shopper that would be useful to a retailer?

We found that shoppers want to go the store because they truly want help. 

They have narrowed their final buying decision down to two or three items, and they genuinely want help from a store associate. 

Those who receive the right help will leave the store much more satisfied, and this causes store and brand loyalty. 

Retailers today must run their store keeping this in mind; the store is now a buying point in the path to purchase and in-store customer service is more critical than ever. 

Click Here for the Entire Report