Are voice self-checkouts a new trend in retail?

Picture of Salwa Al-Tahan

Salwa Al-Tahan

7th March 2022

Asolutely! Want to know why?

The voice shopping market was predicted to reach $40 billion by 2022. That says a lot about both the need and the future of Voice AI.

In retail the necessity to grab shoppers attention with digital marketing, fancy shop windows and competitive pricing isn’t anything new. Marketing strategies have always had to change and adapt quickly in retail. However now more than ever, it’s crucial for stores to be able to draw customers in through their doors with exciting and engaging new experiences. As the world is putting the pandemic behind us and getting back to normalcy, retailers have to assess not just what products to stock, but the behavioural patterns and current trends of shoppers otherwise they will risk falling behind.  

So what do shoppers want?

“60% of consumers would choose self-checkout over being rung up by a cashier”* 

That’s a clear majority who want to be able to have at least the option of self-checkout! A very interesting read with valuable research is London’s Westfield’s ‘How We Shop What’s Changed 2021’ which states:

  • 89% of Londoners are interested in at least one type of in-store shopping technology and innovations.
  • 44% of millennials are more interested than other shoppers in contactless stores.
  • 37% are interested in smart tech including smart interactive mirrors.
  • 26% are interested in digital innovations.

The figures are very compelling but you also have to question- are customers actually getting what they want from their return to stores?

I delved a little deeper and looked at further research by elasticpath.com on “here’s what customers are either already using or likely to use, compared to what brands offer or are likely to offer” and surprisingly found that:

  • 67% of customers wanted checkout less payments whereas only 18% of brands are offering these.
  • 57% of customers wanted to use voice commerce and only 23% of brands are using voice solutions.
  • 58% of customers wanted to use smart devices with only 25% of brands having these.
  • 55% of customers wanted to use facial recognition technology but only 20% of brands use this.

 

Brands are evidently falling short which could be costly in the long run.

These customer preferences could be for many reasons- whether it’s a continuous expectation to be engrossed in technology, enjoyment, wanting convenience and reduced queue times or even caution following the pandemic. 

Whatever it may be- these new behavioural trends and expectations of shoppers need to be addressed by brands in order to improve in-store brand loyalty and increasing sales. Keeping up to date with the latest retail trends is key to providing a heightened sense of customer satisfaction and voice assistants will undoubtedly satisfy all of these requirements and more. Taking the benefits of online shopping within spaces of a physical environment will ultimately increasing business growth. 

Take a look at the video below to see our demo of Voice AI working smoothly in a retail self checkout.

*According to an extensive survey of a 1000 American shoppers in the report “2021 State of Self-Checkout Experiences”  

Make sure to read my next blog giving you more on Voice AI in the retail market.

Sodaclick Ltd. London, UK

Sodaclick is a digital solutions platform specialising in dynamic content and voice-controlled AI experiences at every touchpoint

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