• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, May 21, 2008

According to the New Future In Store by TNS, sixty percent of shoppers across the globe believe that they will be able to pay for purchases using just their fingerprint by 2015, rated top by 25% of shoppers.  However just 19% of U.S. shoppers voted for it as their favorite.  U.S. shoppers gave their top nod to interactive, intelligent shopping carts that locate products in the store, check prices and promotions, upload recipes and complete the checkout process. 

A confident 73% of shoppers globally say they expect to be using interactive touch screens in dressing rooms to communicate with sales assistants by 2015, while half or more expect that 3D body scanning and interactive dressing room mirrors will eliminate the stresses of trying on that new outfit.  According to shoppers, the innovations most likely to be in widespread use in the future, shopping via social networking Web sites and collaborative product development, are already in use by some shoppers today.

The appeal of the 12 innovations differs dramatically among shoppers in different countries.  Chinese shoppers rate the concept of an in-store holographic sales assistant much higher than shoppers in other countries, while German shoppers are far more interested in having a body scan to help their clothes to fit.

Mary Brett Whitfield, TNS Senior Vice President and Director of the Retail Forward Intelligence System, says "... for consumers, the look and feel of a shopping experience has the potential to change dramatically... shopping innovations which free up time... rank highly in this study of shoppers' perceptions of evolving retail technologies..."

Other results include:

• 41% of consumers rate biometric fingerprint payment as having high appeal-rising to 60% in China but falling to 24% in Germany
• While 73% expect interactive dressing room assistance to be in place by 2015, just 23% think they would be very likely to use this
• U.S. consumers are most keen on "smart" shopping carts-28% rank it top vs. 19% of all shoppers and just 9% of shoppers in France and Germany
• 3D body scanning is most popular amongst Germans-21% rate it as their top innovation compared with 12% of shoppers globally
• Spaniards are keener than other Europeans on the concept of a refrigerator networked into other devices to order and have groceries delivered (45% compared with 25% of U.K. shoppers)
• 59% of Chinese consumers rank a holographic sales assistants as very appealing, but the Japanese and British are least likely to find this appealing, at 15%.

Siemon Scammell-Katz, Managing Director of shopping consultancy TNS Magasin, adds: "Technology will be pervasive in 2015 and this will drive more change in the way consumers shop in the next 10 years than it has in the last 20 years.  We know that shoppers are frequently overwhelmed by too much choice and need to shop in minimal time, and these innovations will provide welcome reassurance and help..."

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