US retailers must embrace automation as coronavirus rewrites rulebook

70% of Americans would prefer a completely human free, contactless shopping experience, according to research by Sense Photonics.

The 3D vision system company Sense Photonics commissioned The Harris Poll to survey 2,039 Americans.

It also found that 72% are more likely to shop at retailers that offer contactless, curbside order pickup, with 35% even saying they would be fine never making retail purchases in a store again. 

Sense Photonics believes that big box retailers, many of whom are restructuring their physical stores into warehouses and fulfilment centres, may be best equipped to accommodate consumer preferences radically altered by the coronavirus outbreak, without alienating those who prefer conventional shopping methods.

“Consumer shopping preferences are shifting and retailers are starting to adapt to a frictionless experience,” says Sense Photonics CEO Shauna McIntyre.

“The retailers that embrace automation and introduce high performance 3D vision systems and other sensors into their industrial and commercial workflows are more likely to stay ahead of consumer preferences. This new era of technology is essential to scaling time-sensitive processes like order fulfilment.”

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