A Store Without Technology Will Be A Store Without Customers: Retail Immediacy is Critical
August 21 2018 - 7:00PM
Business Wire
Mobile technology is transforming the
Australian retail experience
Australian consumers want a faster in-store retail experience
complemented by customer-service enhancing technologies, according
to a survey conducted by SOTI, the world’s most trusted provider of
mobile and IoT device management solutions. The international
research, which surveyed consumers in Australia, North America, the
UK, and Europe, delivered some surprising results.
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A Store Without Technology Will Be A
Store Without Customers: Retail Immediacy is Critical (Photo:
Business Wire)
Immediacy is critical for retailers
The importance of ‘immediacy’ is critical to physical retail
stores today, with the research finding that 64% of consumers
choose to visit a store to buy a product there and then.
“Above all, consumers want in-store technology that saves them
time,” said Michael Dyson, Managing Director Australia & New
Zealand, SOTI. “Retailers need to understand that consumers are
shopping differently than before, and technology needs to be
integrated to meet their needs and desire for convenience.”
To make the acquisition of goods as efficient as possible,
Australian consumers prefer stores that incorporate technologies
that automate the purchasing process. More than half (52%) of
respondents indicated a preference for retail stores that
incorporated self-service technologies which made retail purchases
faster and easier. A further 36.78% of consumers highlighted a
preference for stores with queue-busting technologies like mobile
payment devices, to avoid checkout congestion.
There is also a clear preference in the types of technologies
shoppers want to use in physical stores, with research finding that
over 65% of local consumers prefer self-checkout. This was followed
by consumers wanting other technologies available including digital
devices to check product pricing (43%), digital kiosks where you
can check product information and location in store (37%) and
digital devices to check inventories in the current and other
stores (25%).
Adoption of in-store technology
According to the survey, over half of Australian consumers (56%)
would be comfortable to shop in a store that only supported online
or card payment (no cash) today, with just 18% indicating they
would not shop in such a retail store. However, while Australians
are embracing cashless shopping, almost half of consumers (45%)
would not be comfortable shopping in stores that offered only
self-service technologies and without support staff.
Interestingly, the UK survey found that 80% of UK consumers
would be comfortable in a retail setting where only self-checkout
was available, and the US survey found that 77% would be
comfortable with this.
“Australian shoppers are increasingly comfortable making
electronic in-store purchases today to expedite the shopping
experience. However, while other global markets appear very open to
fully automated retail experiences, many Australians still show a
preference for human interaction when they visit a store,” said
Michael.
Why Australians go in-store
While online shopping continues to grow in popularity, for the
majority of Australian consumers, physical retail stores still have
their place as part of the shopping experience.
When asked what they value most about visiting a physical retail
store, over 71% of respondents said that being able to see, touch
and feel the product they were shopping for was still an important
factor. And second to that was being able to try on and test the
product (69%).
Technology delivers a better in-store experience
Beyond delivering a more efficient retail experience,
Australians prefer in-store retail environments that utilise
technology to enhance the customer experience.
When it comes to which type of mobile technology consumers
consider to make their shopping experience better, 45% highlighted
handheld mobile devices provided by store associates that can
display stock balance, pricing, stock levels online or at other
stores. Consumer surveys conducted by SOTI in the US and the UK
found even stronger preferences for instore technology, with 76% of
US consumers and 69% of UK consumers indicating they had a better
in-store experience when technology was integrated.
Methodology:
SOTI surveyed 503 consumers across Australia, 565 from the US
and 1,000 from the UK / Europe.
About SOTI Inc.
SOTI is the world's most trusted provider of mobile and IoT
device 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
organisations need to truly mobilise their operations and optimise
their mobility investments. SOTI extends secure mobility management
to provide a total, flexible solution for comprehensive management
and security of all mobile devices and connected peripherals
deployed in an organisation. For more information, visit
www.soti.net.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180821005376/en/
SOTI Inc.Stephanie Lopinski,
519-998-1966Stephanie.Lopinski@soti.net