2021 Digital CX trends: What you need to know about what’s next

Digital experience trend #3

Blended experiences are on the rise: The line between in-store and digital experiences is becoming blurred. Consumers expect in-store experiences to have more digital elements and vice-versa in the future.         

The third and final trend is that blended experiences are becoming more and more popular—and expected. In other words, customers are looking for digital elements to be woven into their in-store experiences (and vice versa). Customers are now so digitally inclined that even when they are in store, they want to have access to the same time-saving options they have online.

The best example of this? You guessed it, contactless payment. According to our data, consumers across the U.S. and Canada agree that contactless payment is now a requirement for the brands they choose to shop with. They like the idea of being able to walk into a location, grab their items, tap their card or scan their phone, and then walk out.

As far as which payment methods they’d like to use in the future, their preferences are:

• Non-touchless debit credit, U.S. 51% and Canada 58%
• Digital wallet or mobile app, U.S. 28% and Canada 41%
• Cash, U.S. 24% and Canada 20%
• Tap-and-go (debit/credit), U.S. 22% and Canada 18%

In the U.S., one of three customers expected brands to offer some form of contactless payment; this expectation is even more common in Canada, where one of two consumers prefers contactless payment. With numbers like these, it’s clear that brands that fail to deliver these options will risk disappointing customers and failing to meet their needs.

As brands prepare to make their in-store experiences more digital, we wanted to make sure we knew what consumers are most concerned about when it comes to adopting digital experiences. The clear answer for both countries was cyber security, with 50% of U.S. consumers and 55% of Canadian consumers saying they wanted brands to specifically focus on the safety of consumer data and information.

The research also gauged North American consumers’ interest in digital/in-store hybrids such as Amazon Go, or a new store layout by Walmart that mimics the organization of the app and allows consumers to scan items as they shop.

There were mixed responses across the board, but the response was largely positive, with 42% of U.S. consumers and 41% of Canadian consumers saying they were likely to shop at such a store.

In order to further assess attitudes and understand consumers’ reasoning,  respondents were asked why they would or would not be interested in such a store.

Here’s what they said:

Consumers were excited about:

• Avoiding lineups and store traffic
• Contactless payment and earning loyalty points

Consumers were cautious because:

• They doubted the success of such a concept
• They were worried about sharing their personal information

Consumers were uninterested because:

• They still wanted the personal (human contact) experience
• They were worried about sharing their personal information

As brands look to capitalize on this growing trend of digital/in store hybrid experiences, they should keep these aspects in mind to drum up consumer intrigue and set any concerns to rest.

Takeaways and action steps

As a whole, consumers like the idea of their favorite brick-and-mortar stores using digital components to enhance their in-store experiences. They like the convenience of being able to get what they need and go without needing to count cash or thumb through wallets. As time goes on, in fact, consumers are going to expect this form of convenience, making contactless payment a must for brands seeking to foster consumer loyalty.

Additionally, as brands look to become more innovative with their in-store experiences, they need to keep consumer concerns about cyber safety in mind and go to great lengths to assure cautious consumers and increase adoption.