As the nation’s lockdown restrictions ease, a Shopper Media study has revealed that Australian shoppers are now experiencing longer wait times due to social distancing regulations.
Karissa Fletcher, Head of Marketing at Shopper Media, says, “The latest Shopper Study reveals that higher numbers of shoppers, combined with the need to socially distance, has led to an increase in waiting times, with 50 per cent of Australian shoppers queuing before entering the supermarket. These figures support the fact that shopping centres remain essential for Australian consumers’ and as a result they are willing to wait to get what they need.”
Across the states, more than 50 per cent of Australian shoppers confirmed they have waited for less than 10 minutes, but 27 per cent of shoppers in South Australia and Tasmania reported to have waited longer than 20 minutes, closely followed by Queensland at 26 per cent . The longer waiting times are being recorded on Fridays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, but as restrictions begin to lift and children return to school, further changes are expected.
“With these figures in mind, Shopper Media wants to remind consumers of the importance of remaining socially distanced. While shoppers are being patient, as seen through the increase in waiting times, we need to remember to keep our distance, especially as coronavirus cases are expected to spike as restrictions are eased. Shopper Media is a people-first business and our priority is the safety of our local communities and business partners,” says Ms Fletcher.
Centres within the Shopper Media network are following the Retail Recovery Protocols for COVID-19 to ensure shoppers continue to have confidence in their centres as restrictions ease. This includes offering alcohol-based hand-sanitiser at key locations throughout centres, as well as increasing the frequency of cleaning hard surfaces and facilitating social distancing with clearly marked queues. In addition, they are working with retailers to ensure they are also following best practice in hygiene to provide a safe, healthy and inviting environment for everyone.
The Shopper Study was an online survey of 7,698 Australian consumers nationally, with fieldwork conducted between Friday, 1 May and Thursday, 7 May 2020.
Shopper Media utilises market-leading technology that is 100 per cent digital. Its network of Smartlite® panels installed in more than 370 shopping centres includes Wi-Fi and virtual Bluetooth beacons, giving Shopper Media the advantage of knowing exactly what is happening in any of its centres in real time.
According to the latest Roy Morgan Research (April 2019-March 2020 VS January 2019-December 2019), Shopper Media’s Smartlite® network now reaches 12.3 million Australians aged 14 +, a staggering 59 per cent of the population. This means Shopper Media reaches at least 1 in 2 Australians across every generation, so its first-party data and real-time insights are not only rich, they are a genuine reflection of Australian shoppers’ behaviours and attitudes.
“Shopper Media has the unique capability to capture first-party, real-time data, enabling us to understand foot traffic in our centres. We know exactly how many shoppers are in our centres, how often they come, the time of day and day of week, allowing us to see visitation patterns, peak trading, dwell times and more. Couple this with our ability to survey shoppers in real-time, we demonstrate unrivalled expertise in essential retail,” adds Ms Fletcher.
