According to a survey highlighted in a recent Racked story, pretty much everyone hates interacting with sales associates.
“The firm HRC Retail Advisory surveyed 2,900 people in North America and found that an overwhelming majority of respondents — 95 percent — want to be left alone while shopping,” which is staggering. It’s almost impossible to get 100 people to agree on anything, let alone 2,900. (If you polled 2,900 North Americans about their feelings on oxygen, the results would probably be more varied. Anyways.)
“For some, it’s purely a matter of convenience and efficiency,” the story said. “But for many it came down to the fact that being approached by a salesperson introduces a new layer of pressure to the whole experience,” adding that the process can be a “very confusing” one.
And it’s not just the assistance with sizing or selection that people don’t like. “85 percent of people would rather check prices at a scanner than ask a person for help,” the story said, really driving home the point that human interaction has become unnecessary while shopping in 2018.
(The story did note that, of the people surveyed, “only 17 percent” wanted “tech-enhanced fitting rooms,” which isn’t great news for brands that have already heavily invested in the idea.)
So when there’s nothing but iPad info-kiosks and restocking Roombas running around your favorite mall, don’t blame the brands. We wanted them there.
You can read more about it at Racked.
