More than just enabling online buying, digital solutions must cater to every part of the organization, including operational logistics, staff safety, and physical space use. The pandemic has proved that contactless shopping is the way to go in the future.
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The ‘Contactless’ Trend
Despite the expected increase in contactless payments in 2020 and 2021, some retailers are still hesitant to adopt this new trend. However, businesses might be missing out on a substantial amount of money if they are not adopting the trend of contactless shopping and payments. According to studies, the availability of card payment improves customer spending by up to 37%, and 86% of consumers say they are prepared to pay more for a better experience that is contactless.
Businesses must stop viewing contactless shopping and payments as a burden and instead recognize them as an essential route to a better consumer experience. More than half of today’s customers are now cautious about handling cash and coins due to the pandemic. Sixty percent of consumers want to use online and contactless payments rather than physical money.
Contactless Shopping Trends
- Contactless Payments – During the epidemic, contactless payments progressed, with a 40% growth in touch-free transactions in the first half of 2020. Touch-free retail transactions are increasingly common, with mobile wallets, and app payments among the most popular options. Major financial institutions in countries like the United Kingdom have also implemented contactless payment options. For example, with Barclays’ contactless cash function, any client with an account may withdraw cash by just tapping their card on an ATM’s reader. Smartphones are also supported. In the United States, Walmart is among those leading the way, with shoppers merely scanning a QR code to make their transactions using the Walmart Pay app. Contactless payments carry the contactless shopping trend.
- Contactless Communications – Contactless communications are another part of the contactless shopping trend. As customers frequently avoid stores to make purchases and resolve their queries, call centers and the internet have emerged as main contact avenues. As businesses seek to fulfill customer demand while maintaining brand loyalty, service center traffic and wait times have increased. In response to this problem, merchants transform their bots and online assistants using conversational AI. This technology assists in answering frequent queries and providing complicated product details without mistakes or lag time. More than half of today’s consumers would prefer to message a customer support platform than phone one to make purchases. The moment has come for shops and merchants to invest in AI that can converse, a technology that is always on and always provides what consumers are looking for.
- Location-Based Accessibility – Location enhances the relevance of contactless shopping by allowing businesses to target consumers where they are. Map services such as those provided by Google have added the option for buyers to directly message companies using different map services and Search while researching certain areas. Business Messages, a mobile conversational channel that integrates entry points on search and brand websites, opens up a new channel for companies. This communication strategy is already being used by a rising number of businesses in the United States, by brands such as Woolworths and BestBuy/. Woolworths allows consumers to search for items, check if they are available in their local store, and order them online for a contactless shopping experience.
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Contactless Shopping Platforms
Due to the rise of the contactless shopping trend, there are many different platforms and solutions that businesses can use to go forward with this trend. A few notable contactless shopping platforms are –
- Aceturtle – The Aceturtle Contactless Commerce Platform enriches purchasing by enabling contactless home and in-store purchases. By providing Contactless Discovery, Contactless Payment, and Contactless Delivery, Aceturtle’s Contactless Commerce Platform enables your consumers at home and in-store. All of these capabilities are accessible to clients on their own devices without downloading an app.
- Bleesk – Bleesek is one of the top contactless shopping apps, products scanner, contactless payments, loyalty programs, and many more solutions. In just 14 days, Bleesek creates an app with branding and submits it to app stores. Bleesk provides their client with real-time management, allowing them to keep track of new orders and handle the delivery. In addition, businesses can use the app to view payment information, sales statistics, and customer insights. Furthermore, Bleesek assists its clients in developing a powerful marketing channel by including customized discounts, deals, and offers into their contactless solutions.
Contactless shopping requires innovation by retailers; the trend is not going anywhere and is here to stay. Retailers should think about innovative methods to showcase bigger items online and speed up the in-store checkout process. They should also create and promote contactless ordering and pickup channels, especially since customers already do so.
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