Consumer Behavior

Many consumers not so eager to get back into retail stores

Photo by istock.com

July 29, 2021

Many consumers not so eager to get back into retail stores.

A majority of American shoppers, 61%, prefer to shop online compared to in-store shopping and nearly a third, 295, would forgo alcohol for a year if it means never visiting a brick-and-mortar retail store.

Those are top findings from a Smarty survey regarding consumer shopping, according to a press release.

The survey also revealed that 22% would give up shopping for new clothes for a year to avoid going to a store and 20% would give up their morning coffee.

Yet not every consumer is anti-brick-and-mortar as 30% said they love the in-store experience and 50% said they enjoy shopping in a store.

When asked if they have shopped in retail stores in the past year:

• 68% said they have been to a general retail store.
• 64% responded they shopped in a grocery store.
• 50% stated they have been in a home goods store.
• 50% said they shopped in a health and wellness store.
• 38% stated they shopped in an apparel store.

"We're seeing that the quick and easy service consumers grew accustomed to is here to stay," Vipin Porwal, Smarty CEO and founder, said in the release. "I imagine in two to three years time, many retail storefronts will be obsolete. Those that aren't will have learned to prioritize user experience over anything else to stay competitive."

The survey, conducted by Propeller Research, polled 1,024 U.S. adults in May 2021. Smarty is a three-year-old online shopping destination.