{"id":1675229,"date":"2021-02-08T19:05:27","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T03:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.retailpro.com\/News\/blog\/?p=1675229"},"modified":"2021-02-10T17:55:49","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T01:55:49","slug":"contactless-payment-and-augmented-reality-cx-aids-during-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.retailpro.com\/News\/blog\/index.php\/2021\/02\/08\/contactless-payment-and-augmented-reality-cx-aids-during-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Contactless payment and Augmented Reality: CX aids during COVID"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Image: Karolina Grabowska<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

During the past year, brick and mortar retailers have struggled with encouraging people to visit their stores while keeping them as safe from COVID-19 as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to limiting the number of shoppers inside and enforcing mask-wearing mandates, contactless payments and augmented reality have suddenly seen significant growth as aids to shoppers\u2019 experience in stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Contactless payments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Image: Cottonbro<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to the \u201cVisa Back to Business Study \u2013 2021 Outlook<\/a>,\u201d 56% of consumers have used contactless payments whenever possible in the past three months, making it the biggest shift in terms of shopping habits during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past June, only 20% of SMBs had offered contactless payments; a few short months later, 39% have started to accept new digital forms of payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And a vast majority \u2014 74% \u2014 expect consumers to prefer contactless payments<\/a> once a vaccine is widely available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the study found that 65% of consumers said that post-vaccine they are likely to continue to use contactless payments at least as much as they are currently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those numbers skew by generation: Millennials are the most likely to embrace contactless payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, all age demographics seem to have a level of interest in contactless payments, perhaps due to the sanitary nature of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of its wide acceptance\u201461% of Boomers have expressed a preference for contactless, according to Visa\u2014it is likely here to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Augmented Reality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Image: Fauxels<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With consumers preferring to avoid contact even briefly during the payment process, it’s no surprise that dressing rooms are standing empty or even locked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, shoppers who try on clothing are much more likely to buy, so some retailers have replaced their shuttered fitting rooms with virtual ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-store, shoppers can stand in front of a camera and see themselves on a large screen. They then select different products for their virtual self to model, allowing themselves to see exactly how they’d look in the selected outfit without having to try on a single piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those mirrors could one day be linked to social media, which will provide an enriched interactive experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For retailers with an online presence, adding a dressing room widget to their websites allows customers to upload a single photo to instantly see themselves in selected clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using augmented reality<\/a> to facilitate virtual try-ons also helps retailers reduce return rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they head into 2021, retailers will be further developing those types of technology solutions, which helped get them through the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategies that include contactless payments and AR will find expanded uses as the economy reopens in the second half of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"woman<\/figure>
\n

How AR can bring immersive retail to shoppers staying at home<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

3 Technologies to blur the lines between life & shopping<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

US retail\u2019s recent rush to adopt contactless payments<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retailers adapt to COVID: creating a safer in-store shopping experience with contactless payments as well as mandatory masks, and more helpful online with AR for trying on clothes Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1675234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,45],"tags":[59,206,198,68],"class_list":["post-1675229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail-customer-business-intelligence","category-specialty-retail-industry-trends","tag-apple-pay","tag-augmented-reality","tag-convenience","tag-mobile-payment"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t