Australian consumers were able to feel safe throughout the Covid lockdown as retailers put in place a range of health and safety measures.
Now that the industry is beginning to see opportunities for recovery, new research predicts 67% of consumers expect many of the measures to remain in place.
The study was published in SOTI's From Bricks to Clicks: The State of Retail Mobility in 2021.
In addition, it found that 62% of consumers expect the new payment features introduced as part of the Covid-19 security protocols to remain in place for in-store purchases.
Additionally, over 46% said contactless payments are becoming the new normal for all future in-store purchases.
"Until now, technology integration into retail has been focused on convenience and efficiency," said Michael Dyson, vice president of sales, APAC at SOTI.
"However, the effects of the pandemic have led retailers to use technology to improve safety standards in stores."
The future of in-store shopping
Elements of the Covid-19 regulations that are expected to persist throughout the recovery include:
- Social distancing (37%)
- Face masks (19%)
- Protective grille at the cash register (37%)
- ID Contact Tracking (22%)
"Consumers are now getting used to the changes retailers have made to their stores over the course of the pandemic, to the point where consumers expect them to continue into the future," says Dyson.
In fact, 44% said they believe the shopping and delivery functionality introduced during Covid-19 will remain a long-term feature of their shopping experiences. Moving into a more optimistic but still unstable future for retail, it was encouraging to see both retailers and consumers optimistic about this new era of retail. "
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