Member Article

Embrace the pace: Anticipating the demands of tomorrow’s consumer

Better stock availability and quicker speed of service across channels top UK consumers’ omnichannel expectations over the next five years, a new report from PCMS, a global provider of unified commerce solutions, reveals.

Original research, in the ‘Embrace The Pace: Where Is Agile Retail Heading In The Next Five Years’ Report, which polled 2,000 UK consumers, revealed the top five expectations of omnichannel shoppers by 2022.

1. Better stock availability across channels (67%) Almost a quarter of UK shoppers (24%) said that product availability was a key consideration in deciding whether to shop with a retailer again. 22% would like to see better visibility of product availability in other channels if an item is out of stock, while 24% would like to see faster replacement of stock if it runs out online. Positively, over half (54%) expect retailers to get better about ensuring product availability over the next five years.
2. Quicker speed of experience, both online and in-store (63%) Currently more UK shoppers feel online platforms presents quicker service compared to physical shopping (33% vs 30%). Fast and efficient customer service (64%) and the speed of check out and payment processes (44%) were the top two reasons why consumers would choose to shop with a retailer again. 44% of consumers agreed that in the next five years, they would be more likely to choose a retailer that offers a quick and convenient service over retailers they had been loyal too in the past, but couldn’t offer the same speed of service.
3. Improved product information (54%) Currently, five times as many customers perceive that retailers’ ecommerce sites offer better product information than in-store (60% vs 12%). Almost three quarters (74%) said they could find the answers they needed quickly and easily when shopping online. In-store, 15% of shoppers would like to see electronic shelf labels with QR codes to help them access more product information at the shelf edge.
4. Enhanced help functions (40%) 57% of shoppers currently feel they get a good quality of service from store staff, however 27% would like to see staff empowered with digital technology to provide enhanced customer service and assistance in the store, while a further 27% would like to see more digital kiosks to enable them to benefit from endless aisle capabilities.
5. More personalised shopping encounters (31%) Today, 65% of consumers feel they get more personal service during bricks-and-mortar encounters, however, 55% expect retailers to become more consistent with the brand experience they offer online and in-store over the next five years. When it comes to personalising the online experience, 15% wanted more ‘personable’ customer service, such as chat options, available.

Steve Powell, Director of Sales at PCMS, commented: “Omnichannel retailing has moved beyond connecting retail channels. ‘Agile retail’ is now focused on putting the customer at the heart of all interactions, to respond more intuitively to shopper demands – and this is a challenge in itself, made harder by the fact that consumer behaviour is diversifying at such a pace. To adequately meet changing shopper expectations, retailers need to get ahead of the customer to anticipate and mirror what they will want in the future.”

For further information on enhancing your agile retail capabilities to address the demands of connected consumers, download the full report: http://www.pcmsgroup.com/2017/06/pcms-special-research-report/.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chelsea Reay .