Almost two thirds of shoppers say the biggest impact wearable technology will have on the in-store customer experience will be speeding up checkouts, a survey for IT services specialist Vista Retail Support has found.
The poll, exploring consumer attitudes to wearable devices such as smartwatches, wristbands and fobs, also found 52 per cent of shoppers believe it would be a “real advantage” not to have to carry a wallet or remember PINs and passwords.
James Pepper, technical director at Vista Retail Support, says: “Wearable technology is one of the biggest weapons bricks and mortar retailers will have in their armoury.
“Rather than just being a pipe dream, these results show exactly how consumers want to improve the in-store experience.
“We know the battle for shoppers is a tough one and providing a speedier checkout experience is one major way retailers can differentiate themselves from the competition.”
However, 70 per cent of those surveyed believe the new £30 limit on payments using wearable technology is still too low.
“Only 30 per cent are happy with the current limit, 32 per cent want the limit lifted to £50, while 16 per cent are in favour of a £100 limit and the same percentage want no limit at all.
Only six per cent wanted a £40 limit.
“Making wearable technology part of a consumer’s shopping experience is not a given,” Pepper say.
“To make the most of this opportunity, retailers will have to ensure they have the right infrastructure and at some point the payment ceiling will have to be lifted, as many shoppers clearly think the current limit is too low.”
