Consumers pleased with retail shopping experiences

Consumers are more satisfied with retail shopping experiences than they were last year, but there is room for improvement.

That’s according to an annual consumer survey by in-store lifecycle management company Tango, which confirmed that the physical store remains an important fixture for American consumers. The results also affirmed that today’s shoppers want it all: Eighty-nine percent of consumers want to continue having options to shop in-store and online with either in-store pick-up or delivery.

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Two years into the pandemic, a seamless online-to-store experience continues to grow in importance for most Americans (88%). In good news for retailers, Americans are more likely to be satisfied with their options for an online-to-store experience than they were one year ago:

• Ninety-four percent of shoppers are satisfied with the options they have for in-store shopping, pick-up, and delivery from stores and/or chain restaurants compared to 87% a year ago.
• Ninety-four percent of shoppers enjoy having the ability to buy online and have options for picking up purchases or having them delivered compared to 86% a year ago.
• Ninety-one percent of shoppers like the ways stores have integrated their online presence with the in-store experience (e.g., providing designated parking spaces for curbside pick-up) compared to 86% last year.
• Ninety-two percent of shoppers report stores have made it easier or faster to pick-up or receive online orders instead of waiting days for delivery from larger fulfillment centers, as opposed to only 84% a year ago.
• Over nine in 10 U.S. adults say big-box retailers and supermarkets/food stores have adapted well to the changes of the past two years (94%, 93%), as opposed to specialty retailers and restaurants (88%)

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Inflation
The survey also found that consumers are considering inflation and the environment when shopping. Two-thirds of Americans (68%) say where they shop has changed during the past few months due to inflation and/or higher gas prices.

Those with a household income of $75,000 or more are more likely than those with lower household incomes to say where they shop has changed over the past few months due to inflation and/or higher gas prices (73% vs. 63-66%).

Environment
Three in five (62%) consumers say environmental concerns now influence whether they shop in-store or online. Men are more likely than women to say environmental concerns impact whether they shop in-store or online (65% vs. 59%), and those with a household income of $75,000 or more are more likely than those with lower incomes to say environmental concerns influence this choice (71% vs. 51-57%).

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“For retailers to thrive in today’s environment, they need to have a firm grasp of consumers’ shifting needs, wants and desires which have resulted in the acceleration of omnichannel requirements,” said Pranav Tyagi, Tango president and CEO. “The positive response from our consumer survey should encourage retailers and restaurants to continue to innovate their customer operations and store locations to deliver a seamless experience and address the current needs of shoppers in-person and online.”

Tango’s second annual retail benchmark survey was conducted between April 28 and May 2, 2022, and drew 2,018 completed responses from U.S. adults ages 18 and older across the country. 

This story originally appeared on Chain Store Age.