Consumers have returned to stores, but COVID-19 caution has become the norm

According to Zebra Technology’s 14th Global Shopper Survey , two-thirds of respondents said they plan to return to offline physical stores in the coming months .

But 73% of them said they would not stay in stores for a long time , 65% were worried about the risk of being exposed to others and did not believe that retailers would comply with government-issued store epidemic prevention and safety regulations as they did last year .

73 % of respondents prefer home delivery rather than going to a store or other location to pick up their groceries. 77% said they would shop online , including baby boomers. Among baby boomers, 35 % said they use mobile apps to buy groceries and food delivery .

Meanwhile, the survey found that half of respondents research product prices online before leaving home , and nearly a third said they check store inventory before heading out, compared to just 19% who did so in 2019.

About a third of respondents said they looked for better prices on their mobile devices while shopping . More than 70 % mentioned they didn’t find everything they wanted in - store , and nearly half said they didn’t shop in-store because it was out of stock.

In addition, according to data from the North American Consumer Association , more and more consumers are using mobile phones to shop , but the volume of online orders in North America still ranks last, and most North American consumers buy groceries or takeout through mobile apps .

Meanwhile, 80% of North American consumers prefer businesses that make returns easy . However, only 60% of retailers in the region say their company ’s online returns process is easy to use.

The study also examined the attitudes of retailers, with more than half of retailers surveyed (55%) believing they fully fulfill their online orders, but only 38% of shoppers saying they fully trust retailers.

Even retail assistants are concerned about their employers’ abilities, with only 51% fully confident their employers can deliver or fulfil customers’ online orders as promised.

For these retailers, improving online order processing and fulfillment efficiency is a top priority. Nearly 90% of retailers said their companies are looking for ways to improve in-store purchasing and packaging and warehouse fulfillment. Currently, more than a third of retailers are planning designated pickup and return spaces within existing stores.

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