When it comes to shopping for groceries, people in Estonia prefer self-service systems. Only one in four prefers to pay at a staffed cash register, while the most popular option is to scan your purchases yourself and make the payment at a self-service machine. This was reported by the Kantar Emor polling company, which conducted a survey about the issue.
One-quarter of respondents reported a preference for self-service scanning and paying, while another 21% spoke of shopping via a mobile app as their primary preference.
“Young people prefer mobile apps, while Estonians aged 50 and over traditionally favour traditional checkouts,” said Kantar Emor survey expert Kaisa Esko. “There is also a notable difference in preferences between genders. Men most often favour a staffed cash register, while amongst women that is the least popular option.”
Esko added that reasons for preferring one payment process over another will vary.
“This depends on what people value most – speed, security, interaction or cleanliness,” she explains. “Some people prefer mobile apps over the commonly used handheld scanner for hygiene reasons. Preferences also differ among retail chains, depending upon how convenient and reliable the various solutions prove to be.”
At shops with handheld scanners, clients usually cite advantages such as avoiding interpersonal interaction, the system being quick and convenient, and there being no long queues. On the other hand, paying at a staffed cash register is preferred because that is a simple and familiar process which also offers a chance at interaction. Some people argue that self-service systems have not yet been sufficiently developed.
The Kantar Emor retail monitoring survey is aimed at mapping trends and changes in the consumption behaviour of Estonians, as well as competition among grocery retail chains. The most recent survey was conducted from September 12-19 and involved 1,015 Estonians aged 16 to 74.
Source: BNS
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