Shoppers across the UK are turning away from time-consuming checkout queues and towards rapid payment methods, new research has found.
An independent survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by supermarket app Ubamarket revealed that 73% of shoppers across the nation have changed their mind and decided not to buy something after seeing the size of a shop’s queue.
The study also revealed that ease of payment has become a make-or-break factor for retailers seeking to gain and maintain shoppers.
Ubamarket’s research found that retailers risk frustrating would-be customers by maintaining archaic payment methods – 20% of shoppers will consciously avoid shops, restaurants, newsagents, cafés or bars that only accept cash. Moreover, 32% of Brits actually select online or high-street retailers based on how easy it is to pay for items.
The nation’s frustration towards outdated in-store payments also extends to self-scan machines, with 48% of UK shoppers frustrated by the current iteration of self-payment infrastructure in Britain’s retail outlets.
In app payment is suggested as a solution; 41% of respondents expect that all payments will be processed via mobile devices in the future. According to the research, in app payment is already the preferred method for one fifth of all shoppers, rising to over a third of millennials.
Ubamarket chief executive Will Broome commented: “Over the past decade, major retailers have taken some strides to improve in-store shopping by embracing new technologies. However, today’s research reveals that long queues and frustratingly out-dated payment systems remain a significant challenge that are ruining millions of shopping trips and therefore must be addressed. Despite the rise of online shopping, it is clear that retailers need to invest in the in-store shopping experience to maintain shoppers’ loyalty in today’s competitive market.”
