Back to brick and mortar? 3 in 5 consumers say in-store shopping is irreplaceable

Consumers also plan to shop in-store during major sale events.

In-store shopping experience continues to be appealing to Singaporean consumers despite the prevalence of online shopping, a survey has found.

According to Sensormatic Solutions’ survey, three in five (61%) consumers said online shopping can never replace in-store experiences, this is likely because most of them (75%) enjoy browsing in a physical store.

When shopping during major shopping events and the holiday season, consumers said they (80%) will also go to a physical store. Overall, there are more Singaporeans now who prefer to shop in a physical store (40% vs 38% in 2021). 

“The study finding shows that Singapore consumers are readily switching back to shopping in physical stores as the economy opens up and in-store shopping becomes accessible,” said Sensormatic Solutions’ Vice President & General Manager, Asia Pacific, Daren Ng.

Making in-store experiences better

What makes a great in-store experience for consumers include the ability to check if a product is in-stock at a physical store (46%) and not having to queue for long when making payment. (43%). 

Consumers (75%) think technology can also improve their in-store experience, with 88% saying they have used their mobile devices to supplement their in-store shopping experience. Consumers are also keen to explore newer retail technologies like contactless payment (49%), Virtual reality (35%), and Personalization (33%)
 
“There is a real opportunity for physical store retailers to leverage technology to engage with shoppers in more creative and immersive ways. They can also leverage data and analytics to deliver further enhanced and personalised shopper experiences to engage with their in-store customers,” Ng added.