As 77% of Brits use tech to extend their in-person shopping, new insights from the Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index shows shops undergoing a digital makeover.
Looking to buck the depressed high street trend and boost customer experience, 42% of retailers use new technology to improve operations, with a third (30%) aiming to boost sales and customer connections. This wave of technology investment drives retailer optimism for 2025, as 82% express confidence in their business outlook.
One in three Brits (34%) has spent more time in stores or returned due to enjoyable or useful technology, rising to 57% of 25-to-34 year olds.
Top tech features enticing shoppers to visit in person include self-service checkouts (29%), high-speed WiFi (22%), good mobile connectivity (21%), click-and-collect pick up (21%) and scan-and-go checkout-free shopping (20%). A shame that none of these are new, we’d expect more digital marketing technology like mixed reality and interactive adverts to be showing up by now.
Shop while you connect
While 44% of Brits feel UK retail stores have the right level of technology, frustrations emerge when that tech falls short of expectations. Over a third (37%) of shoppers, and 54% of those aged 18-to-24, have left or avoided returning to stores due to complicated or frustrating tech. Some of the biggest tech frustrations include self-checkout machines (33%), AI-powered shopping assistance (19%), barcode scanners (18%) and mobile apps (e.g. scan and go, at 16%).
“Retail has faced more disruption in the past five years than the previous twenty-five, with challenges like inflation and rising interest rates. Yet, retailers are charging into the year with confidence, embracing innovative tech to transform the customer experience. From virtual reality changing rooms to high-speed WiFi, Virgin Media O2 Business is at the forefront, helping retailers create smarter, more engaging in-store experiences for customers.” Said Jessica O’Conner, product director at Virgin Media O2 Business.
While some customers may be wholly oblivious to these features, and others happy to ignore them, it shows there’s room for more tech. We would expect growing use of marketing technology in stores by now to move more stores into the second quarter of the 21st century.