Survey: 66% of Shoppers Say They Would Avoid Stores That Fail to Meet COVID-19 Safety Expectations

Survey reveals that only 7% of consumers have "complete trust" that retailers will keep them safe. Operators can overcome this hurdle by clearly communicating their safety and sanitization process to vending, micro market and OCS clients.  

MISSOULA, Montana, July 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two-thirds (66%) of shoppers say the safety measures a retailer has put in place to protect them from Covid-19 will determine where they spend their money, a poll has revealed.

The survey conducted by Vitreous World for Cennox, the provider of business-critical solutions to blue chip companies and ATM providers worldwide, polled 2,000 consumers to uncover changing attitudes to shopping as more stores begin to open their doors.

In response, almost half (46%) of shoppers believe the safety measures put in place by supermarkets and retail stores have been inadequate or poorly managed, while just 7% said they have 'complete trust' that retailers will keep them safe.

Cennox's Chief Operating Officer Nick Cockett commented: "The results are clear; if shoppers don't feel protected, they will vote with their feet.

"We know how hard retailers have been working to overhaul their stores in recent weeks and months, but they simply cannot afford to adopt partial measures to keep customers safe."

The research also revealed how customer loyalty to supermarkets – among the fiercest battlegrounds in the retail industry – has been impacted by their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

67% of shoppers admit loyalty to their favorite retailers would be impacted if safety measures were deemed ineffective, while 69% said they would consider switching from their regular supermarket if their in-store safety expectations were not met.

Cockett added: "Retailers have spent years building intricate loyalty systems to keep shoppers coming back in. These results show us that robust in-store safety is the new gold standard to win the hearts and minds of consumers – at least for the foreseeable future."

According to the survey, 13% of consumers had managed to avoid supermarkets altogether since lockdown began.

In other results, more than half (54%) of all shoppers wear some form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while out shopping, with masks and gloves the most popular items.

Cennox, with a proud heritage of building solutions to a changing world, has developed products to keep shoppers safe in the new store environment, including a UVC Keypad cleaner, which uses Ultraviolet-C light to neutralize surface-clinging viruses such as Covid-19 in less than 30 seconds at in-store payment terminals.

Visit www.cennox.com.

About Cennox

Cennox supports the world's leading brands to deliver their complex projects. We thrive in demonstrating real end-to-end solutions, tailor-made to meet the needs of our clients. From nationwide installation services and the provision of multi-vendor technical hardware, to implementing security solutions and facility transformation. Cennox improves our client's project cost efficiencies, provides choice and delivers products and ongoing services to enhance the operations of their business.