The November 2011 Paying for Time: The Future of Retailing report deals with three inter-related issues, which can be summarised as the impact of new technology on the retail industry, discount delay and rapid retailing. The aim of the report is to assess how new technology can play a role in helping retailers improve their profitability in a world where consumers often want instant gratification of their wants, but may be persuaded to delay gratification if the appropriate rewards are provided (e.g. lower prices). For example, is the growth of multichannel retailing and the impact of new technology altering customers' expectations of speed/tolerance of delay?

This report addresses a fundamental question: Can the bricks and mortar operations of retailers (and bricks and mortar-only retailers) compete against the online world by using in-store technology?

The notion of discount delay is bound up with a host of psychological, economic and sociological motivations and factors that collectively influence what can be called "the price of impulse".

Report areas include:

  • Ownership and attitudes towards new technology
  • Online shopping activity over the past six months
  • What factors lead to the choice of a retailer when shopping online
  • Customer loyalty to a particular retailer
  • Desired delivery times
  • Attitudes towards website delays
  • Use of mobile devices in-store
  • Use of price-comparison websites
  • How much money would a consumer need to save on a single item to walk out of one store and go to a nearby store.
  • How much extra would consumers be willing to spend in-store despite knowing the same item was available cheaper online.
  • Use of in-store technology e.g. self-scanning checkouts and contactless payments
  • Attitudes towards receiving text and emails from retailers
  • The factors that encourage a consumer to shop in a particular store
  • Consumer actions if products have to be returned.

To download a table of contents for this report, click here.