5th July 2016 – RichRelevance, the global leader in omnichannel personalisation, today releases its second annual ‘Creepy or Cool’ study, revealing consumer attitudes towards digital enhancements to the in-store shopping experience.
The survey asked over 2,000 consumers on both sides of the Atlantic about how technology can impact their in-store shopping experience, highlighting a difference between what shoppers thought was ‘cool’ and ‘creepy’.
The findings show that consumers are happy when technology is used to enhance their decision making processes when purchasing in-store. This includes technologies such as fingerprint scanning to pay for goods and smart mirrors in changing rooms that would allow the user to virtually change outfits.
Despite being open to new things, UK shoppers are less comfortable with more invasive technologies such a facial recognition software that would identify them to a staff member once in-store.
Matthieu Chouard, VP and General Manager at RichRelevance, commented: “Retailers walk a fine line when innovating with in-store technology. Clearly UK consumers are looking for a more seamless personalised experience that helps them with their decision making progress. However, this can be taken too far – more invasive technologies are seen as ‘creepy’ by UK shoppers and this could have an adverse effect on buying behaviour.”
So, what’s creepy and what’s cool? Here are the key findings that show what consumers think ‘Creepy or Cool’:
What shoppers think is ‘cool’
- Almost half (47.5%) thought fingerprint technology that would allow them to pay for goods and get automatic home delivery would be ‘cool’
- 62 per cent of shoppers want to be able to scan a product on their device to see product reviews and recommendations for other items they may like
- 52 per cent of shoppers are open to receiving pop up offers on their mobile device, triggered when they enter a store
- A third of shoppers want would like to see product recommendations included on print or email receipts that relates to their purchase
- 43 per cent would like to receive a digital coupon for a product they looked at but didn’t buy after leaving the store
- 42 per cent would like to see interactive changing room mirrors that model potential outfits on their image
What shoppers think is ‘creepy’
- 75 per cent of shoppers thought that facial recognition software that would allow them to be targeted in-store with relevant offers was a step too far. However, this figure was down slightly from 2015 (77%) which may indicate changing attitudes as this technology becomes more prevalent
- 75 per cent of shoppers thought it ‘creepy’ for a sales assistant to greet them by name in store, if their mobile phone or tablet device had signalled their presence
Matthieu Chouard, continued: “The changing room is one element of the high street shopping experience for fashion retailers that has seen a real dearth of innovation. Smart changing rooms tend to be trialled in far-flung pilot stores, but clearly there is now a real appetite for more ambitious interactive technologies in-store .There’s no reason why the personalised recommendations being given to shoppers via tablet devices on the shop floor can’t be translated to enhance the changing room experience too. By ignoring this changing room, retailers are missing an opportunity to better serve customers and ultimately, sell more product.”
– ENDS –
For more information please contact:
Erin Healey or Raheema Khan, richrelevance@threepipe.co.uk, +44(0) 0207 632 4800
Note to editors
The statistics are taken from a survey of 1,045 UK consumer s aged 18 and over in June 2016. To see last year’s survey results click here: https://richrelevance.com/blog/2015/07/creepy-cool-uk/
The US statistics are taken from a survey of 1,018 US consumers in May 2016.
RichRelevance second annual ‘Creepy or Cool’ study reveals consumer attitudes towards digital enhancements to the in-store shopping experience.
Chain Store Age explore the results from the RichRelevance ‘Creepy / Cool’ survey highlighting smart mirrors as a ‘cool’ in-store technology, but facial recognition software as another story entirely.
Omnichannel personalisation specialist RichRelevance has released its second annual ‘Creepy or Cool’ study, revealing consumer attitudes towards digital enhancements to the in-store shopping experience. In this article, Retail Focus explores the findings.
Last week over 300 in-store innovators from over 150 retailers gathered in Seattle for the 2016 Future Stores Conference. Future Stores brings together retail operations, omnichannel, customer experience and IT executives to focus on in-store innovation and how to bridge the digital and physical retail environments. As part of this we learned that there’s a fine line between creepy and cool, especially when it comes to digital technologies in-store.
If you can recall a time pre-Facebook Newsfeed, or dare I say Facebook in general, then you know how easily perceptions of personal privacy invasion can be shifted. 15 years ago virtually everything about the Internet would have been perceived as outrageously invasive and today we welcome and seek out attention from strangers via likes on social channels. So in interest of keeping a real-time pulse on what customers think is actually cool today vs. what’s really just creepy, we’ve conducted our ‘Creepy or Cool’ Survey for the second year running.
So here’s what’s up:
This is what’s really totally cool (dare we say awesome):
You can scan a product on your mobile device to see product reviews and recommendations for other items you might like.
Overall: 79% cool; Millennials: 84% cool
Soon after you leave the store, you receive a digital coupon for a product you looked at but didn’t purchase.
Overall: 52% cool; Millennials: 60% cool
When you check out, your print or email receipt includes product recommendations selected just for you.
Overall: 50% cool; Millennials: 59% cool
This stuff is ‘Cool’:
Your location in the store triggers personalized product information, relevant content, recommendations and discounts to pop up on your mobile device as you walk the aisles.
Overall: 40% cool; Millennials: 49% cool
Digital screens in each dressing room show products that complement the item that you are trying on.
Overall: 41% cool; Millennials: 49% cool
A salesperson makes more helpful suggestions because they can see what you’ve previously browsed and bought on their site and in the store.
Overall: 32% cool; Millennials: 45% cool
This stuff is totally creepy (aka give it 6 months):
Facial recognition technology identifies you as a high value shopper and relays this information to a salesperson.
Overall: 67% creepy; Millennials: 71% creepy
A salesperson greets you by name on the store floor because your mobile phone or app signals your presence:
Overall: 64% creepy; Millennials: 64% creepy
Want to read more? Keep reading here.
The survey of 1,018 US consumers was conducted by RichRelevance in May 2016.
Getting a coupon on your phone while browsing in a store is one thing. Having a salesperson stroll up and address you by name is quite another, Consumer Affairs reviews a new study by RichRelevance.