Consumers are looking to automate their life where it is possible, and it is important that stores offer consumers options to help save valuable time on the shopping journey. Tech-savvy consumers are impatient and are looking for immediacy and services that expedite the experience.

The digital revolution has given rise to an on-demand economy, calling for brands and retailers to urgently take measures to cater to the “right now”, impatient consumer. Ebeltoft Group has unraveled 14 international markets in The Global Consumer Report 2019 where we have had a closer look at global consumers’ attitudes and behaviors towards new trends. The research shows, that it is especially important for the younger generations that stores offer time-saving shopping experiences with 72% of Millennials indicating this. Across all age groups, the average is 63%, and we only expect this number to rise as new consumers, who will be even more digitally oriented, enter the market.

72% of Millennial consumers indicate that it is important that stores offer them options to help save time while shopping

Smart Shopping promises consumers an easy, fast and an as convenient as possible experience, whether they are shopping online, in a store, or across a mix of different channels, devices and platforms. But often, Smart Shopping means not having to go to a store at all. According to Statista, the number of digital buyers worldwide has risen from 1.32 billion in 2014 to 1.79 billion in 2018, and it is estimated that 2.14 billion people will buy goods and services online in 2021¹.

New innovations are making it increasingly more convenient and timesaving to buy digitally, for example voice controlled or IoT (Internet of Things) devices and automatization services allow customers to shop without hassle, and maybe without even noticing that they are shopping at all. 31% of consumers are interested in purchasing products through a voice-controlled device like Amazon’s Alexa (43% of Millennials), and 41% of consumers surveyed express interest in purchasing groceries directly through a smart refrigerator that tells them

Consumer attitudes towards digital shopping experiences

To what extent are you interested in purchasing groceries directly through a smart refrigerator that tells you when items inside have run out?

Answer: Interested + very interested

To what extent are you interested in purchasing products through a voice-controlled device (e.g. ordering products by talking to a device like Amazon Alexa or Google Home)?

Answer: Interested + very interested

In general, male consumers are more interested than females in both voice-controlled shopping and smart refrigerators. This might be due to men being more digital-ready and/or interested in digital devices and gadgets as well as a general smaller interest in shopping and hence a bigger interest in hassle-free solutions.

Smart devices promise extreme convenience and function as one solution to eliminate hassles and cater to the “right now”, impatient consumer.

Hungry for more?

Find out more about Smart Shopping and gain insight into global consumer behavior in 14 select markets in The Global Consumer Report 2019 or discover best practice cases in Global Retail Trends & Innovations 2019

1: Statista, 2018