Amazon Go gains favourable responses from consumers around the world

Friday, June 22, 2018 - 09:42 by Graham Miller

E-commerce giant Amazon could be on to a winner with its checkout-free bricks and mortar retail experience, according to the results of a new survey from MuleSoft.

Three quarters of the consumers questioned in the study said that they were very intrigued by the idea of being able to head to a real world outlet, pick up the items they want to buy and then leave without needing to queue.

Amazon Go offers exactly this set of benefits, with a customer’s smartphone handling the payment via safe shopping online while the immediacy and convenience of selecting goods from a local store is blended in with this experience.

In the UK around 50 per cent of people are willing to embrace this type of retail configuration, while eagerness is much higher in other parts of the world. Over in Singapore the demand for Amazon Go-style shopping is at 87 per cent, for example.

This may have a lot to do with the fact that British consumers are already wholly committed to carrying out safe shopping online from the comfort of their own homes. Adding the need to leave the house and visit a store, even if there is a frictionless checkout process available, may not hold as much appeal as a result.

The report also looked into how shoppers expect to be able to communicate with retailers. Around half said that they would be happy to chat to support staff via instant messaging services, including the likes of WhatsApp and Messenger on Facebook.

The lines between safe shopping online and high street visits is becoming less distinct thanks to emerging digital technologies. Amazon remains at the forefront of this market, although it will be interesting to see whether consumer engagement will remain at its current levels going forwards.