The Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated eCommerce and the wider acceptance of the need for digital transformation in business. Another technology that is expected to play an enhanced role in business, particularly retail and travel is touchless technology. Piplsay, a global consumer research platform, conducted a nationwide survey in the US and the UK. The research sought to understand what people think of this new rising acceptance of touchless technology.
COVID-19 has created a massive surge in the demand and popularity of touchless technology. The social distancing changes that have taken place around the globe will now likely continue well past the pandemic. This is because health and safety take on a more profound meaning. The dawn of touchless tech – how keen are people about it? The report delves into people’s opinions and expectations as they return to normalcy. Businesses can leverage this data in their decision-making.
Touchless technologies such as sensors and voice-activated interfaces as well as app-based beverage dispensers and cashier-less retail seem to be becoming the new norm amid the pandemic.
Businesses have to think differently
With COVID-19 showing no signs of subsiding, businesses have begun to rethink ways to operate differently. Furthermore, businesses have to allay the nagging doubts and fears about the pandemic. While sensors and voice-activated tech were in play even before the pandemic.
Smartphone apps and QR codes seem to have become the new touchless enablers. They have narrowed the gap between humans and technology even further. After appearing in commercial establishments such as retail outlets and shopping malls, touchless tech has now spilled over to workplaces. Particularly as employees slowly begin their return to work. As life gets back to normal amid the ongoing pandemic, what expectations do people have from businesses around them? Piplsay polled 30,173 Americans and 6,090 British adults to get some insights. The Piplsay survey was conducted nationwide in the US and the UK from April 9-11, 2021. Here is a summary of what we found:
Key insights:
- 51% of Americans say their preference for touchless technology has increased amid COVID-19 as compared to 44% of Britons
- 40% of Americans hold a negative view of businesses that do not adopt touchless technology as compared to 35% of Britons
- Only 49% of Americans and 34% of Britons are extremely comfortable with the increasing level of human-technology interactions
Other Important insights
- 37% of Millennials in the US and 28% in the UK view businesses that do not adopt touchless technology negatively
- About 35% each of men and women in the US and the UK say their preference for touchless technology has increased a lot amid the pandemic
- 60% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Xers in the US are extremely comfortable with the increasing human-tech interaction as compared to 47% of Millennials and 35% of Gen Xers in the UK
Enterprise Times: What this means for business?
This is an interesting report. Touchless technology has seen a massive surge in demand amid COVID-19. The changes we see now will likely continue well past the pandemic as safety and health take on a more profound meaning. The majority of both US and UK respondents expect businesses and workplaces to continue to have touchless technology in place. (82% in the UK and 71% in the UK). Businesses will have to sit up and listen to the lessons of this report. Consumers and employee expect and want the technologies in place to protect them from covid-19. Touchless technologies will be in the front line of that defence.
