Collaborative shopping and product development web communities will empower consumers of tomorrow
London. June 10 2008 – The UK retail marketplace faces a revolution from shoppers, as online communities empower consumers to demand more involvement in what and how they buy. Results of a TNS study unveiled today reveal that more than three quarters of consumers expect to be actively involved in the development of new products and brands by 2015. 78 per cent of UK shoppers questioned predict that next-generation internet will result in the creation of widespread collaborative product development websites, blurring the line between manufacturer and consumer and giving shoppers an unprecedented level of influence over what products appear on the supermarket shelves.
Equally popular is the concept of collaborative shopping communities, which are already starting to appear in developing markets. In the TNS New Future In Store study, 73 per cent of UK consumers predict that group buying online will be prevalent in 2015, as consumers seek to increase their buying power over brands.
However, the UK is lagging behind other markets in terms of jumping on the retail technology band wagon. In China, a massive 95 per cent questioned expect that consumers will be actively engaged in collaborative shopping communities in the next seven years, and almost half of Chinese shoppers rated involvement in product development as having ‘high appeal’ for them (46 per cent compared to 31 per cent of Brits).
Pat McCann, Head of TNS Retail & Shopper Insights, comments: “The web has already revolutionised the retail space – but this will go further, as manufacturers and brands turn to their own consumers to advise them on new product development initiatives. The shoppers of 2015 will be creator, adapter, editor and packager, able to customise their own goods and shopping experiences. This is a great empowerment which is set to change both the online and high street retail spaces forever.”
TNS’s New Future In Store looked at a range of future innovations in shopping. The focus on web-based activity and social networking signals a massive shift in how technology will dictate the way we shop – with 81 per cent of UK consumers predicting that social network sites geared purely towards sharing information about stores, designers and trends will be in popular use by 2015. However, when it comes to individuals taking part in these social networks, the Brits are again below the average – with just 5 per cent saying they would definitely use this tool, compared with 26 per cent in China and 15 per cent in Spain.
Jim Nail, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer for social networking specialists TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony, added: “We recently published a study which found that the potential of social networking is being hugely underestimated by businesses and marketers. This new data demonstrates exactly how great an impact online communities will have on the future of retail – from product development to purchase. Brands and retailers need to listen to what shoppers are saying, and get ahead of the game.”
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Note to editors:
New Future In Store 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. The data was collated and analysed in February 2008. Go to http://www.tnsglobal.com/news/key-insight-reports/ for a copy of New Future In Store in PDF format.
Here is the list of 12 retail innovations in our consumer survey:
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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.
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Interactive Dressing Room Helper
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.
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Smart Carts
A smart cart incorporates interactive technology via a video screen on the front of the 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.
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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.
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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.
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Group Buying by Consumers
Shoppers join online collaborative shopping communities to aggregate their buying power with other consumers.
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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.
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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.
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Holographic Sales Assistant
Shoppers will interact with an in-store hologram that can answer questions and facilitate merchandise transactions.
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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.
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Shopping by Mobile Device
Consumers will use mobile devices to place orders and arrange delivery from remote locations.
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Self-activated Shopping Agents
Networked devices in the home – such as networked fridges – will monitor what products consumers use, create shopping lists, and communicate with other devices to arrange deliveries.
About TNS Retail & Shopper Insights
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’ (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.
www.tnsglobal.com/research/retail-shopper-research/
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 behaviour.
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.
TNS is the sixth sense of business™.
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