EuroCIS 2019

••• 7 ••• Branchennews Ratenkauf als Umsatzbringer für Einzelhandel Studie Neukunden, mehr Umsatz und eine höhere Kundenzu- friedenheit – diese Effekte bestätigen Händler bei der Einführung der Zahlart Ratenkauf. Dies ist ein zentrales Ergebnis der aktuellen Händlerbefragung, die das For- schungs- und Beratungsinstitut ibi research an der Uni- versität Regensburg durchgeführt hat. Die Studie zeigt, dass der Ratenkauf bei jedem vierten der befrag- ten Händler (28 Prozent) im Einsatz ist. „Im Vergleich zu unserer Studie aus dem Jahr 2015 sehen wir hier ei- nen Zuwachs. Vor drei Jahren lag der Wert noch bei 22 Prozent“, sagt ibi-Forscher Holger Seidenschwarz. Consumers like the tactile experience A world without brick-and-mortar stores? Even avid online shoppers say, “no, thanks” While shoppers were largely split on whether they preferred doing their shopping online versus in per- son, most agreed on one thing: If physical stores were to disappear completely, it would have negative consequences for society. “We set out to figure out how con- sumers perceive and make sense of this change, and what they an- ticipate for the future – for them- selves and for society – if this retail change is persistent,” said Helm, an associate professor in the UA Norton School of Family and Con- sumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. From 2016 to 2017, store closures in the U.S. more than tripled to about 7,000. While the rise of online shopping isn’t entirely to blame, it’s certainly a major fac- tor, Helm said, with e-commerce sales increasing 101 per cent be- tween 2011 and 2016. Consum- ers recognize this, and they see themselves as the ones driving change in retail, Helm and her col- leagues found. To find out how consumers feel about the way re- tail is changing, Helm and her col- leagues first analyzed more than 1,600 comments made on online news articles written about store closures or the evolving retail en- vironment. They then went a step further by conducting an online survey, in which they asked a dif- ferent group of people a variety of open-ended questions about their shopping preferences and perceptions. Respondents who preferred online shopping cited many of the expected reasons: It’s fast, convenient and offers a wide variety of options. For some older people and those with cer- tain disabilities or mobility chal- lenges, online shopping was the only way to make purchases. And some people even said they like online shopping because it allows them to avoid interacting with people. Those who favoured shopping in stores said they like the tactile experience. They want to be able to touch and handle products – especially clothing and food – before they buy them. Many also described going to the store as a pleasant social experience that they share with family and friends, and some, unlike their on- line shopping counterparts, said they enjoy interacting with stran- gers. Others even said that shop- ping was important to their physi- cal health, as it was their primary form of exercise. However, regardless of personal shopping preferences, when par- ticipants were asked to imagine a world entirely devoid of physi- cal stores, most said it would be bad for society. “The majority said this would be terrible,” Helm said. “There’s a sense that brick- and-mortar stores are part of the social fabric of our society. If they disappear, many are concerned about the economy and what this will do for jobs and revenue for communities.” Consumers who favoured shopping in store want to be able to touch and handle products – especially clothing and food – before they buy them. Photo: freestocks.org on Unsplash Impressum EuroCIS 2019 Verlag: CONNEX Print & Multimedia AG Große Packhofstraße 27/28 · 30159 Hannover Telefon: +49 511 830936 · Telefax: +49 511 56364608 E-Mail: connex@die-messe.de · Internet: www.die-messe.de Auflage IVW-geprüft. Auflagengruppe: A Redaktion: Martin Braun Verantwortlich für den Anzeigenteil: Tina Wedekind Druck: Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei GmbH, 40196 Düsseldorf MESSEJOURNAL DIE MESSE Continued from page 1