If you’re a retailer unsure about whether to invest in new technology, here’s some food for thought. New research shows that shoppers trust retailers more if they can see modern technology being used in-store.
Payments processor Worldpay questioned 2,000 UK consumers and found that three quarters (75%) said alarm bells start to ring when a store seems behind the times from a technology point of view, for example with handwritten receipts, cash-only payments or no website.
Among Londoners and the under-35s, 80% of respondents said they are more likely to trust retailers that use up-to-date technology than those that do not.
Respondents perceive retailers that invest in new technology as more professional, and committed to improving the overall experience for their customers.
Only 7% of those surveyed said they had concerns that technology could get in the way of delivering the type of experience they were looking for in-store.
Digital anthropologist Nik Pollinger, who interpreted the survey findings for Worldpay, said: “Technology has become such a pervasive influence on our daily lives that our judgement on whether a business is professional, reputable and reliable is increasingly driven by their use of modern technology.
“It’s now relatively simple and inexpensive for any shop to deploy technologies that make life easier for digitally driven shoppers. So if a shop seems unwilling to make that investment, it can trigger a lack of confidence. Where else are they cutting corners? Why aren’t they giving customers what they want?”
Dave Hobday, UK managing director of Worldpay, added: “Consumers still have a strong connection to the high street, but technology has transformed their expectations. Today’s digitally driven shoppers want to be able to research their purchases online, seek advice from staff in-store, pay in any way that they choose, and return items at the click of a button. Businesses that fail to offer that level of service are increasingly viewed with suspicion.”
The study was conducted to support the launch of Worldpay’s My Business Hub, an all-in-one, tablet-based till system.
If you would like to learn more about connected consumer trends, please read our latest international research report “The European connected consumer: a life lived online“. Through research that questioned 7,000 consumers, comprising 1,000 from each of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, our report identifies consumer trends and the associated business and legal challenges.
