Aussie consumers were able to feel rest assured throughout Covid lockdowns, with retailers implementing a range of health and safety measures.
Now that the industry is beginning to see opportunities of recovery, new research says that 67% of consumers expect that many of the measures will remain in place.
The research is published in From Bricks to Clicks: State of Mobility in Retail 2021 Report, by SOTI.
Additionally, it discovered that 62% of consumers anticipate that the new payment features introduced as part of Covid-19 safety protocols will continue to exist for in-store shopping.
Furthermore, over 46% stated that contactless payments will become the new normal for all future in-store purchases.
“Previously, the integration of technology in retail has been focused on convenience and efficiency,” VP of Sales, APAC at SOTI, Michael Dyson.
“However, the impact of pandemic has pushed retailers into deploying technology to improve safety standards in-store.”
The future of in-store shopping
Elements of Covid-19 regulations that are expected to linger throughout recovery include:
- Social distancing (37%)
- Face masks (19%)
- Protection screens at checkouts (37%)
- ID contact tracing (22%)
“Consumers are now getting used to the changes that retailers have made to their in-store operations over the course of the pandemic, to the point where consumers expect them to stay well into the future,” Mr Dyson says.
“In fact, 44% said that they believed the shopping and delivery feature adopted during Covid-19 will remain a long-term feature of their shopping experiences. As we move into what is a more optimistic, but still unstable future for the retail sector, it has been encouraging to see both retailer and consumer optimism for this new era of retail.”
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