The Connected Retailer: Survey Finds Consumers Prefer Self-Service Technology Over Traditional Interactions with Retail Sales Associates

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2018 -- After one of the most successful retail holiday seasons in more than a decade, consumers have shown that there is still a desire to shop. However, with more products for consumers to sort through than ever before, it is those retailers that provide time-saving technology that have consumers coming back again-and-again, according to a new survey conducted by SOTI, the world's most trusted provider of mobile and IoT device management solutions.

Technology continues to change the retail landscape at breakneck speeds, modernizing the consumer shopping experience.

The In-Store Consumer Experience: Consumers View Technology as a Time-Saver
According to the survey, which looked at U.S. consumers shopping habits both online and in-store, 76 percent of consumers indicated they have a better in-store experience when retail sales associates are armed with technology. Additionally, 67 percent of the respondents said retailers that utilize more mobile technology enable them to save time.

“SOTI found that consumers have a better retail experience when technology is integrated, whether through the availability of self-service kiosks or sales associates armed with mobile technology on the sales floor. However, consumers don’t want technology because it provides a ‘cool’ or ‘wow’ factor, they favor mobile technologies that help them save time. These factors make it more important than ever for retailers to deploy mobility mobility management to ensure that the technology is integrated in-store works properly and meets consumers’ needs. There is nothing more disappointing to a shopper than a kiosk that doesn’t work or a barcode that doesn’t scan,” said Carl Rodrigues, CEO and President, SOTI. “The in-store technology experience is no longer in its infancy and if retailers aren’t utilizing these innovations, they are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage.”

Consumers Prefer Technologies that Enable Self-Service
The SOTI consumer survey also found that 66 percent of shoppers prefer self-service technology over interacting with the retail sales associate. When it comes to different types of self-service technology, self-checkout is by far the most preferred solution with 53 percent favoring the technology, followed by digital kiosks / scanners to enable price checks, coming in at a distant second (23 percent). In fact, self-checkout is so popular that 77 percent of consumers would be very or somewhat comfortable in a retail setting where only self-checkout technology was offered.

Rodrigues continued, “Self-checkout has become more prevalent at big box retailers. In 2018, we expect smaller retailers to adopt more of these technologies to meet shopper demands as innovation in mobility management provides the opportunity for retailers of all sizes to transform the way they operate.”

New Forms of Technology to Deliver Goods
Technology is not only transforming the way people shop and purchase goods, it is also transforming the way goods are delivered, which has become a critical piece of the overall retail experience. According to the SOTI survey results, consumers are starting to warm up to in-home delivery services with 60 percent stating they would be very or somewhat comfortable with new shipping methods offered by retailers, including drones (29 percent), autonomous vehicles (28 percent) and in-home delivery methods (33 percent).

Rodrigues added, “While companies are trying to innovate the way packages are delivered, there is still a whopping 40 percent of consumers that have yet to embrace these innovations within the supply chain. This indicates that it is incumbent upon innovative retailers to develop consumer trust and familiarize their customer base with the benefits of these new delivery methods.”

Additional Media Resources:

• Infographic: The Connected Retailer
• E-Book: Technology Spurs Shopper-Centric Retail

Methodology:
SOTI surveyed 565 consumers in the U.S. ranging from 18-60 years old. The survey was conducted during December 2017 via Survey Monkey.

About SOTI Inc.
SOTI is the world's most trusted provider of mobile and IoT device management solutions, with more than 17,000 enterprise customers and millions of devices managed worldwide. SOTI's innovative portfolio of solutions and services provide the tools organizations need to truly mobilize their operations and optimize their mobility investments. SOTI extends secure mobility management to provide a total, flexible solution for comprehensive management and security of all mobile devices and connected peripherals deployed in an organization. For more information, visit www.soti.net.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Stephanie Lopinski
SOTI Inc.
519-998-1966
[email protected]

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