The research group’s New Future In Store study also revealed that 73 per cent of shoppers think they will be able to use an interactive touchscreen in dressing rooms to communicate with sales assistants. Half of those questioned think that 3D body scanning and interactive dressing room mirrors will become standard in clothing retail by 2015.
Biometric finger payment was consumers’ most favoured technological innovation in retail, particularly in the UK, where 31 per cent gave it the top vote.
Consumer preferences for technology varied from county to country – Chinese consumers rated the idea of holographic sales assistants higher than other countries (it was voted top innovation by 59 per cent of Chinese respondents, compared with a 23 per cent average vote across the rest of the world), while German shoppers would rather have a body-scanning facility to help them choose clothes to fit.
TNS global head of retail and shopper insights Barry Lemmon said: “There’s no doubt that we’re in a time of transition in retailing and, for consumers, the look and feel of a shopping experience is set to change beyond recognition. In our increasingly hurried culture, shopping experiences that free up time are likely to rank top.”
TNS surveyed 4,600 household shoppers online in eight countries in Europe, Asia and North America, including the UK, Germany, France, China, the US and Canada. Respondents were asked to give their views on 12 technological innovations in retail.
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