The consumers return to physical stores and they are increasingly betting on it self service. This is what emerges from the results of the fifteenth annual study of Zebra Technologies Corporation, Global Shopper Study.
Thus, although consumers continue to return to stores, almost 75% affirm that you have delayed your purchases because of inflation and 76% prefer to expedite their stay in the trade as much as possible. Self-service is thus their great ally and close to half of the buyers state that they have used these solutions, with almost four in ten opting for digital payment methods.
And it is that 43% of the surveyed buyers prefer to pay with a mobile device or smartphone (23 points more than in 2019) and half prefer self-payment (19 points more than in 2019). The majority of retailers (77%) believe traditional manned checkouts are becoming less necessary and nearly half are retrofitting their stores by installing contactless and self-service kiosks.
Consumers also continue to turn to their smartphones during purchases to look for promotions, offers and coupons, which highlights the current interest in prices. In fact, 68% of those surveyed are concerned about having to reduce spending to make ends meet.
A seamless shopping experience
Consumers expect a seamless experience however they ultimately decide to purchase. Seven out of ten prefer to do it both in the physical store and online and they opt for online shops that also have physical establishments.
Comfort is the most important thing: 75% of consumers prefer to receive the items at home and 64% opt for businesses that offer the possibility of picking up the products in the store or at a collection point. For this reason, almost half of the shops are setting up space for the collection of orders. The same goes for the “reverse logistics”: eight out of ten shoppers prefer stores that offer facilities when it comes to returning products.
Mobile sales also continue to rise, with more than eight in 10 shoppers and nine in 10 millennials using mobile. 70% of both groups would like this possibility to be offered in small businesses.
«Consumers do not see channels, but shopping experiencessays Matthew Guiste, Retail Industry Lead at Zebra Technologies. «Siloed omnichannel shopping is out of date for today’s consumers. A unified approach can help stores better serve shoppers wherever they shop—online, in-person, on social, on mobile—and improve their overall experience.«.
Although almost eight out of ten shoppers are concerned about the increase in the prices of basic products, it is not a determining factor for their purchase. Small traders do say that their biggest concern is lack of stock.
76% of consumers leave the establishment without the items they wanted to buy and 49% blame the lack of stock. The stores are very aware of this, since 80% recognize that being aware of the stock of products in real time is a challenge. To improve, they need inventory management tools that help them be more accurate and available.
take advantage of labor
Seven out of ten consumers They are satisfied with the help provided by the store employeescompared to just 37% who said the same in 2007. And they all agree that a better shopping experience will be offered when the latest technologies are available.
But that’s not the only benefit, especially in the face of labor shortages: Most employees surveyed (78%) and decision makers (84%) think stores that take advantage of technology and mobile devices better attract and retain talent.
To further improve the shopping experience, eight out of ten stores hope to better train their employees to help customers and pick up / place orders online in the upcoming holiday season of 2022.
«After 15 years of studying consumers, employees and stores, one constant is clear: retail is always changing.“adds Guiste. «Expectations, experiences, and behaviors continue to evolve at an ever-increasing rate. Only when technology and people come together, both in vision and execution, can stores deliver the experiences they want. Retail is at a point where technology is not just a want or a good alternative, but a necessity«.
