Key Highlights
- Brands like 7-Eleven, Hudson, and others have introduced touchless shopping in their store.
- 94 percent of retailers expect touchless payments will rise in the next 18 months, according to the State of Retail Payments survey.
- In the next ten years, approximately 17 million people in the United States will need to change jobs.
Eliminating the human touch
Touchless shopping is all about removing human touchpoints in the shopping process. From product searching to virtual try-ons, payment, shipping, and doorstep delivery. Contactless shopping patterns are the new standard, as is social distancing. Touchless retail is becoming more common in the post-pandemic world, not only as a safety precaution but also as a convenience. Starting from Self-checkout, drop-off, and pickup stations to avoid human interaction, and digital payment solutions are all examples of automated shopping and shipping facilities.
Brands in the trend of touchless shopping
Stores ranging from Aldi to Foot Locker to 7-Eleven are introducing self-checkout stands and tap-and-go mobile payments. As they prepare to reopen their doors to customers, bolstering the contactless systems they put in place when the pandemic started. Hudson, an airport store chain, has opened its second location at Midway International Airport, using Amazon’s “just walk out” technology. It allows customers to walk in with a credit card, buy an object, and leave. According to the State of Retail Payments report, 94 percent of retailers believe touchless payments will grow in the next 18 months. With a 69 percent rise in January 2020 alone.
Touchless shopping changing the occupation
According to a study from the McKinsey Global Institute, about 17 million people in the United States will need to shift occupations in the next ten years. The change is happening because of touchless shopping. Furthermore, about 80% of those workers are in female-dominated fields such as administrative support, customer care, sales, and food service. The pandemic has also had a disproportionate effect on women. With over 2 million women dropping out of the labor force since the outbreak.
Customer is king
Over 50,000 physical retail stores had temporarily closed due to the pandemic. Customers wanted a completely different shopping experience when they reopened. Keep an eye on the needs of your customers. Speak with them directly. But also keep an eye on social media to see if they have any complaints about other retailers. According to McKinsey, almost 60% of front-line staff believe their suggestions for enhancing the customer experience are ignored. It is important to take regular feedback from customer and employee both. Because the employee is the first contact with the customer.
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