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SHOPPERS READY FOR A REVOLUTIONARY NEW SHOPPING EXPERIENCE,
NEW TNS STUDY REPORTS

COLUMBUS, May 7, 2008—Holographic sales assistance, interactive dressing rooms, biometric fingerprint payments and intelligent shopping carts could depart the realms of science fiction for the real world if shoppers’ opinions on how the shopping experience will change in the next decade hold true.

In New Future In Store, a study just released by TNS, shoppers in Asia, Canada, Europe and the United States share their views on shopping and rate the appeal of 12 innovations that have the potential to revolutionize the shopping experience. 

Sixty percent of shoppers across the globe believe that they will be able to pay for purchases using just their fingerprint by 2015—with this innovation rated top by 25% of shoppers.  However, the innovation is not as popular with U.S. shoppers—just 19% voted for it as their favorite.  U.S. shoppers instead give the top nod to interactive, intelligent shopping carts that locate products in the store, check prices and promotions, upload recipes and complete the checkout process.  

A confident 73% of shoppers globally say they expect to be using interactive touch screens in dressing rooms to communicate with sales assistants by 2015, while half or more expect that 3D body scanning and interactive dressing room mirrors will eliminate the stresses of trying on that new outfit.  According to shoppers, the innovations most likely to be in widespread use in the future—shopping via social networking Web sites and collaborative product development—are already in use by some shoppers today.

The appeal of the 12 innovations differs dramatically among shoppers in different countries.  Chinese shoppers rate the concept of an in-store holographic sales assistant much higher than shoppers in other countries, while German shoppers are far more interested in having a body scan to help their clothes to fit.

Mary Brett Whitfield, TNS Senior Vice President and Director of the Retail Forward Intelligence System™, states: “There’s no doubt that we’re in a time of transition in retailing—and for consumers, the look and feel of a shopping experience has the potential to change dramatically.  In our increasingly hurried culture, shopping innovations which free up time are likely to rank highly—as shown in this first study of shoppers’ perceptions of evolving retail technologies.  But despite the desire to save money and time, most shoppers aren’t going to be prepared to swap good traditional service for technology as evidenced by the small share of shoppers ranking holographic sales assistants as their favorite innovation.”

TNS’s New Future In Store report surveyed more than 4,600 primary household shoppers online in eight countries—Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Other results include:

• 41% of consumers rate biometric fingerprint payment as having high appeal—rising to 60% in China but falling to 24% in Germany
• While 73% expect interactive dressing room assistance to be in place by 2015, just 23% think they would be very likely to use this
• U.S. consumers are most keen on “smart” shopping carts—28% rank it top vs. 19% of all shoppers and just 9% of shoppers in France and Germany
• 3D body scanning is most popular amongst Germans—21% rate it as their top innovation compared with 12% of shoppers globally
• Spaniards are keener than other Europeans on the concept of a refrigerator networked into other devices to order and have groceries delivered (45% compared with 25% of U.K. shoppers)
• 59% of Chinese consumers rank a holographic sales assistants as very appealing, but the Japanese and British are least likely to find this appealing, at 15%.

Siemon Scammell-Katz, Managing Director of shopping consultancy TNS Magasin, adds: “Technology will be pervasive in 2015 and this will drive more change in the way consumers shop in the next 10 years than it has in the last 20 years.  We know that shoppers are frequently overwhelmed by too much choice and need to shop in minimal time, and these innovations will provide welcome reassurance and help.  What is interesting to see is the differences in priorities between countries—in the global marketplace, it looks like there will still remain a need to tailor stores and experiences to give local people what they want to aid their shopping trips.”

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1. Interactive Dressing Room Mirror
It looks like any other mirror but is actually a high-resolution digital screen with a camera that can relay live video and project holographic images of clothing items so customers can see how they will look in an outfit without trying it on.

2. Interactive Dressing Room Help
Using a digital touch screen, a shopper in the dressing room can communicate with sales personnel—without having to return to the sales floor to search for help. 

3. Smart Carts
A smart cart incorporates interactive technology via a video screen on the front of the shopping cart, enabling customers to locate products, access shopping lists, check prices, receive promotions and coupons, and scan purchases.  The technology also can provide retailers and suppliers with rich data on the shopping trip. 

4. Biometric Payment Fingerprint
A shopper can pay for purchases by placing his/her finger on a sensor that reads its fingerprint, linking it to the shopper’s bank account or credit card to record the purchase.

5. Shopping Social Network Site
Shoppers share information about the hottest stores, designers, trends and must-have products—all online.  Retailers and suppliers will be able to monitor social networking sites to find out what consumers want and take early action to develop and stock those products.

6. Group Buying by Consumers
Shoppers join online collaborative shopping communities to aggregate their buying power with other consumers. 

7. 3D Body Scanning
A 3D scan of a shopper’s body will be used to make recommendations about the brands and specific clothes most likely to fit well, or to help fit custom-made clothes.

8. Sales and Product Information via Mobile Phone (Based on Location)
Shoppers will opt-in to networks that send them text messages about sales, products and retailers that are relevant to the shopper based on current location.

9. Holographic Sales Assistant
Shoppers will interact with an in-store hologram that can answer questions and facilitate merchandise transactions.

10. Participate in Collaborative Product Development
Product developers will encourage consumers to post ideas and answer surveys online about new products and how existing products can be improved.  

11. Shopping by Mobile Device
Consumers will use mobile devices to place orders and arrange delivery from remote locations.

12. Self-activated Shopping Agents
Networked devices in the home—such as refrigerators—will monitor what products consumers use, create shopping lists, and communicate with other devices to arrange deliveries.

About the Report
New Future In Store is a complimentary report available online at www.retailforward.com.

TNS Retail & Shopper Insights is a specialist area of expertise that helps leading consumer products manufacturers and top retailers gain actionable insights into the shopper environment. TNS has built a unique offering that tracks the entire “shopper journey”—from before shoppers enter a store, as they walk around a store, at the point of purchase and after they have selected a product for purchase. Equipped with the latest technology and research techniques, a team of TNS retail and shopping experts is forging global partnerships with some of the world’s best-known manufacturing and retail brands. 

About TNS Retail Forward
TNS Retail Forward. (www.retailforward.com) is a global management consulting and market research firm specializing in retail intelligence and strategies. The company's syndicated research and executive development program, known as the Retail Forward Intelligence System™, provides members with an authoritative perspective on the retail and consumer products industries. 

About TNS:

TNS is a global market information and insight group.

Its strategic goal is to be recognised as the global leader in delivering value-added information and insights that help its clients make more effective business decisions.

TNS delivers innovative thinking and excellent service across a network of 80 countries. Working in partnership with clients, TNS provides high-quality information, analysis and insight that improves understanding of consumer behavior.

TNS is the world’s leading provider of customised services, combining sector knowledge with expertise in the areas of Product Development & Innovation, Brand & Communications, Stakeholder Management, Retail & Shopper and Customer Intelligence. TNS is a major supplier of consumer panel, media intelligence and audience measurement services.

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