Consumer survey: social distancing is changing shopping habits
Touchless or self-checkout options preferred for instore shopping during COVID-19 pandemic
Nearly two-thirds of consumers are changing their grocery shopping habits in response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent consumer survey from Shekel, pioneers in advanced weighing technologies. And 87 percent of shoppers say they would prefer to shop in stores with touchless or robust self-checkout options. The survey, executed in the U.S., found that more than two-thirds of consumers are now using self-checkout, touchless self-checkout or frictionless micro-markets to pay for groceries, while less than one-third of respondents are ordering groceries online.
Survey key findings include:
- More than 70 percent of shoppers are using touchless, robust self-checkout options or shopping at frictionless micro-markets, compared to nearly 29 percent that are shopping online.
- Exactly half of consumers are aware of touchless self-checkout options, where items are automatically scanned and recognized without needing to touch a pad or screen to enter their names.
- Self-checkout options remain popular with nearly 75 percent of shoppers using self-checkout to pay for groceries frequently.
- 90 percent of respondents were between the ages of 18-60.
“Getting back to normal routines will take time and require different habits and retail solutions,” said Udi Wiesner, General Manager of Retail Innovation Division which provides Autonomous Micro Market solutions for Shekel Brainweigh. “Consumers will look for touchless shopping experiences whenever possible while keeping social distancing rules, especially if another wave of pandemic occurs. We expect significant growth of unattended Autonomous Micro Markets in convenience store format in urban areas and public facilities.”
