Go On, Try It — Brands Have Room to Stumble In Retail Tech Experiences: Harris Poll


The Harris Poll’s Michele Salomon (right) and Gabriel Rozenwasser at the P2PI Live event in Chicago
Note to brands: Consumers are pretty forgiving when it comes to companies trying new tech-enabled retail experiences, indicating a prime opportunity for a few risky dice rolls.
It’s a tolerance that even extends into artificial intelligence — though up to a far shorter point.
Just making an effort matters today, and the brands failing to take advantage of this appetite for innovation are leaving a range of opportunities on the table, according to research presented by The Harris Poll at the P2PI Live event in Chicago last week.
Sixty percent of consumers say they feel more positively about brands that are trying to create new consumer experiences about shopping. What’s more, 67% say they appreciate brands that try new technologies and innovations, even if they’re unsuccessful.
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Acknowledging that brands are understandably cautious about potentially upsetting consumers, Michele Salomon, VP at The Harris Poll, instead urged them to be a bit bolder and better utilize some newer technologies.
“Consumers are open to these new [technological and retail] experiences, and they’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt,” she stressed.
“They’re telling us that they appreciate brands that are going to try new technologies — even if perhaps the first time it doesn’t work and it needs a little refinement — and they’re going to feel more positively about brands that are trying to increase the overall shopping experience to make it better.”
For example, while just 7% of consumers reported purchasing a product on a livestream — the lowest choice in point-of-purchase tech usage — it received the highest endorsement, with 72% of consumers saying it had an impact on their shopping experience.
This may be because of all the choices, livestreaming is the tech-enabled experience that most closely approximates in-person shopping, according to Salomon.