- Survey of around 1,000 consumers on shopping behavior
- Unified Commerce is already a reality
- Click-and-Collect is now an expected service
- 64 percent of young respondents regularly use self-service orders in stores
- Digital receipts are increasingly demanded and utilized
The future of retail lies in the seamless integration not only of the point of sale but of all elements along the shopping experience, as per the latest results of a current payment survey conducted by Kantar Sifo for Germany on behalf of the European payment service provider Nexi. Click-and-Collect, easy ordering options on-site, digital receipts sent directly to smartphones: These new consumer expectations can only be met when retailers take a holistic view of the customer journey.
Ordering and paying online, then picking up the collected items at the store, hardware store, or furniture store after work: Approximately 30 percent of the 1,000 respondents already regularly use Click-and-Collect services today. Among those under 29 years old, it's even more than half. According to the surveyed study participants, the reasons for using Click-and-Collect are primarily convenience, the elimination of queues, and speed. 'A good customer experience requires that all aspects seamlessly come together in the backend: inventory management, ordering and payment processing, scheduling—true omnichannel commerce,' says Carola Wahl, CEO of Nexi DACH, adding, 'Only then is the shopping experience frictionless for consumers and creates a successful experience
Unified Commerce: Interconnection of all integrated processes is essential
Other offerings within Unified Commerce are also commonplace for consumers today, such as Self-Service Orders (SSO): The customer tries on a jacket in-store, finds it too small, and can quickly and easily order it in the correct size to their home using self-order terminals. Here too, it is crucial that all interconnected processes work seamlessly in the background—down to returns and loyalty offerings. 64 percent of respondents under 29 years old already regularly use SSO. Across all age groups, the proportion is nearly one-third.
However, the blurring of boundaries between online and offline is not only evident during the shopping process itself. Increasingly, customers prefer digital receipts after payment via app, website, email, or SMS—even in the older target group. While last year only twelve percent of respondents over 65 years old opted for digital receipts, in 2023, it's already nineteen percent in this age group. Across all age groups, around 30 percent prefer digital receipts over paper—although the percentage would be higher if offered everywhere. Twenty percent cited the reason for preferring paper receipts as the absence of digital receipt options where they shop. The reasons favoring digital receipts are diverse: they are environmentally friendly, help to better track expenses, or individuals simply prefer having everything online and cannot lose the receipt, according to the study participants. Those who pay digitally with a card or smartphone do not want to deal with a cluttered wallet filled with paper receipts afterward.
''True omnichannel commerce, where all channels merge into a seamless shopping experience, has long become the new standard, as confirmed by consumers," says Wahl. "To continue making profits in retail and at checkout counters in the future, one must meet these new standards to remain competitive. As a payment service provider, we play a central role in supporting merchants and service providers with smart and comprehensive omnichannel payment solutions.''
