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Connect Half Page - DCV.indd 1 2/18/2020 11:43: 45 AM
Survey: Millennials ready and willing to embrace “smart stores”
Retailers need to step up their efforts to make their stores
“smarter” or risk falling behind their higher-tech rivals, a
new Capgemini study shows.
As the technology continues to advance, in-store automation is increasingly becoming a point of competitive advantage, the consulting firm said, adding that customers—
particularly the younger demographics—are responding
positively to the convenience it can deliver. As an example,
it noted that more than two-thirds of millennials say they
are willing to shift purchases from a non-automated store
to a store with automated technologies if they have a positive experience.
Capgemini released the findings of its report, Smart Stores
– Rebooting the retail store through in-store automation,
during a presentation at the National Retail Federation
(NRF) trade show in New York. The survey, which was conducted among 5,000 consumers and 500 retail executives
across North America, Europe, and Asia, asked respondents
about their experiences with in-store automated technologies, including robots, sensors, cameras, and mobile apps
that let consumers access product information and make
payments.
Overall, the survey found that automation holds wide
appeal for consumers. “The majority of consumers (66%)
believe that automation can improve their shopping experience by solving the challenges they face when they shop
in retail stores,” the researchers wrote, citing long checkout
lines and difficulty in locating products as examples.
In its presentation, Capgemini also noted that its survey
revealed something of a disconnect between retailers and
their customers. While its study found that 59% of consumers who have previously visited stores with automation
would shift purchases to these “smart” stores if they had a
positive experience, only 40% of retailers consider automation a strategic imperative, the consulting firm said.
To close that gap, the report’s authors wrote, retailers
must prioritize automation that creates positive consumer
experiences, rather than using the technology simply as a
cost-saving vehicle. Beyond that, they said, “retailers need
to view automation through consumers’ eyes, harvest and
learn from data, build an automation operating model, and
secure employees’ buy-in through training and reskilling.”
Without these steps, they warned, “automation will be a
marginal play, rather than the game-changer it can be.” ;
