The COVID-19 pandemic forced shoppers and diners to rapidly change behaviors and adapt to a new reality. Moving forward, it’s clear that the consumer wants and expects more from brands, as determined by a recent survey of over 2,000 US consumers from Tango, the leader in Store Lifecycle Management (SLM) solutions. These new findings reinforce Tango’s launch of Location is Everything, a new initiative to help retailers and restaurant concepts navigate the future of retail in their pursuit to meet the burgeoning omnichannel consumer’s evolving needs.
Read More: QNET Bags Awards For Mobile App Innovation And Outstanding CSR Initiatives

“The pandemic has drastically disrupted shopping and dining behaviors and eroded customer loyalty,” said Pranav Tyagi, President and CEO of Tango. “But, perhaps surprisingly, the physical store remains critical to a successful real estate strategy. To thrive in this accelerated omnichannel environment, the store serves as the cornerstone for all activities: a place of purchase, inventory and fulfillment. Our goal with the launch of Location is Everything is to offer real-world insights, guidance and best practices to help retailers reinvent and reposition themselves to thrive in the face of changing consumer behaviors.”

When consumers alternate between the digital and physical world, retailers often encounter challenges in delivering a quality experience. To provide the seamless and immersive omnichannel experience consumers demand, retailers must adopt new strategies which position the physical store front and center. Retailers that are able to do this will come out as winners.

The findings in Tango’s consumer survey provide key insights into what Americans think about shopping amidst a pandemic, and how those views might change as we emerge into a post-COVID world.

More work needs to be done:
●    Consumers Miss In-Store Shopping: While online shopping is popular, 85% of Americans feel there still needs to be a real store experience.
●    Keep It Simple: 83% of consumers want a better seamless online to store experience when making purchases.
●    New Store Configurations Necessary: 66% of consumers say stores need to change the format of their store to provide a better experience for pickup; 69% say chain restaurants need to do a better job creating spaces that make order pickup easier.
●    Younger Consumers Are Harder to Please: 87% of consumers are satisfied with the options they have for in-store pickup and delivery from stores and/or chain restaurants, with 41% very satisfied, and less than half (46%) somewhat satisfied. Out of this group, consumers 30 years and older are more likely than those 18-29 to say they are satisfied with the options they have for in-store pickup and delivery.

Read More: Contract Wrangler Experiences Real Growth As It Transforms Contract Management Through Its…

There are clear champions:
●    Bigger Is Definitely Better: Half (50%) of Americans say supermarkets and/or food stores and large retail stores definitely have done a good job meeting the needs of consumers.

Omnichannel environment has shifted quicker than it would have:
●    BOPIS Is the New Method of Choice: 76% of consumers agree that having the ability to buy online and pickup in store (BOPIS) has been one “positive” of COVID-19, 33% strongly agree, while 24% disagree.
●    More Digital Integration, More Satisfaction: 86% of consumers are satisfied with how most stores have integrated their online presence with the in-store experience, with over one-third (37%) very satisfied and almost half (48%) somewhat satisfied. Those with a household income of at least $75,000 are more likely to agree with this statement than those earning less, and those with a child in the household (89%) are more likely than those without.
●    Shoppers Love Ease and Speed: 84% of consumers are satisfied with how stores have made it easier and/or faster for them to pickup online orders, 41% are very satisfied and 43% somewhat satisfied.
●    Hungry for More: 85% of consumers say chain store restaurants have done a decent job meeting the needs of their customers over the past year, with 39% saying they definitely have, and less than half (46%) saying they probably have.

Tango’s consumer survey was conducted between March 10-15, 2021 and drew 2,017 completed responses from US adults ages 18 and older across the country.

Location is Everything, a free resource center on Tango’s website, provides insights and findings for retail and restaurant executives and decision makers via a series of blogs, podcasts, videos and webinars. Tango’s Location is Everything initiative kicked-off with a webinar, followed by the launch of a two-part podcast episode that provides an overview of the initiative and delves into the three key stages of retail recovery. Learn more about Location is Everything.

Read More: QNET Bags Awards For Mobile App Innovation And Outstanding CSR Initiatives

Write in to psen@itechseries.com to learn more about our exclusive editorial packages and programs.