NEW YORK, Jan. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It’s no secret that for the last decade, the retail industry has experienced significant technological disruption, more so than any other sector. In order to accommodate this changing consumer behavior, retailers deployed strategies and built new business models to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping experiences. In fact, a new industry report on the state of consumer shopping finds that retailers who offer a better technology experience are more likely to gain repeat shoppers.
The new State of Mobility in Retail Report, “From ‘Bricks to Clicks’: Navigating the Retail Revolution,” commissioned by SOTI Inc., in partnership with Arlington Research, looked at global consumer shopping habits in the U.S., UK, Germany and Sweden. The research revealed that American shoppers are more excited and open to technology that improves the overall shopping and retail experience.
Stores that Offer a Better Tech Experience Get Repeat Shoppers and Longer Shopping Visits
| I am more likely to shop again in the store | 30.6% | |
| I am likely to stay in the store longer | 22.4% | |
| I am likely to spend more money | 19.3% | |
| I trust the brand more | 9.9% |
Creating a Personalized Shopping Experience
U.S. shoppers crave a personalized shopping experience, more so than any other country in the study. However, when it comes to keeping personal data secure, the results found that this is important for consumers across the board.
| Q: When considering the in-store experience, what is most important? | U.S. | UK | Germany | Sweden | ||||
| A personalized shopping experience that knows me and my preferences | 20.7% | 13.6% | 16.2% | 19.6% | ||||
| Keeping my personal data secure (birthdate, name, location, purchase history) | 32.2% | 37.1% | 33.1% | 27.8% | ||||
“As we enter 2020, retailers need to strike a delicate balance between innovation and privacy,” says Ryan Webber, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Mobility, SOTI. “Through this research, American consumers are more bullish than their European peers when it comes to personalization, but at the same time, all crave security. As retailers begin to stretch the limits of what’s possible, and test facial recognition technology and other IoT shopping solutions, privacy must remain in the forefront.”
When it comes to creating a more personalized shopping experience and using technology to tailor the experience, nearly half of Americans (48.1%) are excited about innovations such as facial recognition and beacon technology.
| Q: Are you excited about retail stores tailoring your shopping experience using innovations like facial recognition and beacon technology? | U.S. | UK | Germany | Sweden | ||||
| Yes | 48.1% | 31.7% | 32.1% | 37.5% | ||||
| No | 27.8% | 42.6% | 48.2% | 36.3% | ||||
Voice-activated shopping is another area where U.S. consumers are notably more comfortable than their international counterparts. Half of U.S. shoppers are “very comfortable” shopping via voice-activated assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
| U.S. | UK | Germany | Sweden | |||||
| Very comfortable | 50.6% | 35.7% | 36.1% | 31.2% | ||||
| Not comfortable | 22.6% | 39.8% | 42.1% | 34% | ||||
| I have not heard of | 26.8% | 25.5% | 21.8% | 34.8% | ||||
Bye-Bye Cash Register
Seventy-eight percent of U.S. consumers believe that retailers that implement mobile technology for both consumers (self-service) and sales associates to use, enable a faster shopping experience – from the ability to discover new products to self-checkout.
Checkout is a pain point that consumers believe technology has improved. Nearly half (45%) of U.S. consumers indicated that they prefer sales associates to use mobile devices that allow for checkout on the sales floor over the traditional cash register. When looking at this from a global perspective, Sweden shares a similar sentiment.
When it comes to purchasing products, while mobile payments have been around for years, U.S. consumers still prefer traditional payment methods like credit and debit cards (52.7%), cash (22.6 %) to mobile/alternative payment apps such as Apple Pay (10.6%) and wearable payment methods like smartwatches (4.7%), which are still emerging technologies.
Delivery Forms Part of Shopping Experience: U.S. is More Receptive to New Forms
With online retail sales projected to surpass US$740B in 2023, technological innovations when it comes to delivery is of equal importance to the in-store experience. Overall, the U.S. is more comfortable using alternative delivery options for goods. However, compared to SOTI’s findings in 2019, U.S. consumers have yet to change their sentiment year-over-year.
| U.S. | UK | Germany | Sweden | |||||
| Delivery drones to deliver small packages to my home or other convenient location | 37.5% | 26.7% | 32.1% | 29.1% | ||||
| Autonomous vehicles to deliver larger packages to my home or other convenient location | 29.7% | 25.5% | 24.6% | 27.8% | ||||
| In-home delivery (e.g. delivery driver gains entry to my home via a smart lock and leaves the products I purchased inside) | 19.4% | 18.6% | 14.8% | 20.2% | ||||
| In-store delivery/collection (“click and collect”) | 43.6% | 51.1% | 40.5% | 48.7% | ||||
| Delivery to the trunk/boot of my car wherever I’ve parked it | 27.9% | 14.9% | 15% | 12.2% | ||||
“Innovation in delivery is business-critical for retailers who want to effectively compete in the retail landscape that merges online and offline buying,” says Webber. “Whether it’s the ability to transparently track packages, reduce delivery times or improve last-mile delivery, we continue to remain excited about how mobility can support transportation and logistics to ultimately convert into increased customer loyalty and sales.”
To download the “From ‘Bricks to Clicks’: Navigating the Retail Revolution,” report, click here.
About SOTI Inc.
SOTI is the world’s most trusted provider of mobile and IoT management solutions, with more than 17,000 enterprise customers and millions of devices managed worldwide. SOTI’s innovative portfolio of solutions and services provide the tools organizations need to truly mobilize their operations and optimize their mobility investments. SOTI extends secure mobility management to provide an integrated solution to manage and secure all mobile devices and connected peripherals in an organization.
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