Brief:

• More than three fourths (78%) of U.S. consumers said retailers that implement mobile technology for both shoppers and store employees enable a faster shopping experience, with expedited checkout times and better product discovery. Almost half (45%) of shoppers said they prefer sales associates to use mobile devices for checkout on the sales floor rather than heading to the traditional cash register, per a study that mobile software provider Soti shared with Mobile Marketer.
• Mobile payment apps are preferred by 11% of consumers, making them less popular than credit and debit cards (preferred by 53%) and cash (23%), but more prominent than wearable payment methods like smartwatches (4.7%).
• U.S. shopper attitudes toward in-store technology mirror attitudes seen in Germany, Sweden and the U.K. Almost one-third (31%) of global consumers said they're more likely to shop again in stores that offer a better tech experience, 22% said they're likely to stay in a store longer and 19% said they're likely to spend more money, per the study.

Insight:

Soti's research indicates that shoppers have a favorable attitude toward in-store mobile technology, although that sentiment doesn't quite extend to mobile payment apps like Apple Pay. Shoppers are looking for convenience above all else, making them highly likely to favor stores that are equipped with self-checkout stations and wireless devices that store employees can use to expedite checkout processes.

Consumers show mixed attitudes about personalization, especially amid concerns about data privacy. While almost half (48%) of U.S. shoppers said they're excited by tech like facial recognition and beacons to tailor their shopping experiences, only 21% said they consider a personalized shopping experience as most important. Almost one-third (32%) said keeping personal data secure is a priority. The findings indicate that retailers need to take steps to protect consumer privacy and alleviate concerns about highly publicized data breaches, such as those seen at Target, TJX Companies, Home Depot and Hudson Bay.

Almost half (51%) of U.S. consumers said they're "very comfortable" shopping with voice-enabled assistants like Apple's Siri, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, per Soti's survey. That finding offers a more optimistic view for the future of voice shopping than other surveys have shown. The most common uses for the voice tech are searching for a quick fact (68% of users), asking for directions (65%), searching for a product or service (52%) and searching for a business, Microsoft found in a separate study of consumers. Shopping, product research, contacting customer service and accessing financial information remain less popular activities as consumers are still growing comfortable with the nascent tech.