Page 55 - HW October 2020 NEW

global eyes
US retail carries on selling – without touching...
TWO MAJOR US retailers among many are working hard to ensure that consumers don’t have to travel in-store or even come into contact with their staff, or their retail systems, unless they really want to...
As a result of the Covid-19 crisis, almost a third of US consumers will increase their long-term use of digital channels and over half say they’ll use both online and bricks & mortar for their shopping needs.
Of those who’ll swing both ways, research also suggests that touchless retail – from checkout to collection – will be important.
Indeed, a recent study by McKinsey & Company found that fully 60% percent of US consumers using click & collect or Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS) say they plan to continue using the service after the pandemic subsides.
Amazon palms off payment – Amazon’s latest experiment is designed to further enhance the retail experience of its already no-contact Amazon Go FMCG outlets.
With a significant tranche of consumers unwilling to come into contact with as few potentially virus- carrying surfaces, staff, buttons (etc) as possible, Amazon has been playing with ways to further improve the odds – and speed of transaction – by removing the need to use a payment card, smartphone or NFC device to pay for goods as you exit an Amazon Go outlet.
Amazon describes the Amazon One system as “a contactless way for people to use their palm to make everyday activities like paying at a store, presenting a loyalty card, entering a location like a stadium, or badging”.
Just like a fingerprint, Amazon says
because a person’s palm signature is unique it’s also highly secure plus you don’t have to get anything out of your pocket, wallet or purse, let alone touch anything you don’t have to.
Looking further out, Amazon says such a system could proliferate and become an alternate payment or loyalty card option with a device at the checkout counter next to a traditional point of sale system or when entering a location like a stadium or badging into work.
Amazon says it takes less than a minute to sign up using an Amazon One device; you insert your credit card, hover your palm over the device and then follow the prompts to associate that card with your unique palm signature.
You can associate one palm or both by the way, and don’t have to have an existing Amazon account.
https://one.amazon.com/
Lowe’s consumers stay at arm’s length – Lowe’s has been busy rolling out contactless collection lockers at the
entryways of its metro markets – just in time for the busy Thanksgiving holiday shopping season – and promises the same service will be outside all US stores by the end of March 2021.
Lowe’s says that as shopping preferences shifted during the pandemic, it accelerated the migration of Lowes. com to the cloud and rolled out curbside pickup to support its burgeoning growth of online.
With more than 60% percent of Lowe’s online orders picked up in-store and demand for contactless services here
to stay, Lowe’s latest investment will eliminate checkout time for customers and allow them direct access to pick up their orders and get in and out of the store faster.
The secure, entirely digital experience relies on electronic technology in the self- service lockers that generates a scannable barcode when an order is ready for collection.
After a Lowe’s associate stages an online order, the customer receives an automated email notification with a one-time user barcode. The customer then completes the pickup by scanning the barcode at the locker using their smartphone without having to wait
in line, receive assistance from a store associate or contact a touchscreen or keypad.
The Lowe’s retail locker solution is provided by US package management specialist Parcel Pending by Quadient.
www.lowes.com www.quadient.com
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OCTOBER 2020 | NZHJ 53