Young shoppers want to pay with chip in
skin
Some customers are willing to have microchip implants as a means of
paying in stores, a report out today says.
Teenagers are more open to the idea of having a high-tech shopping
experience, the Tomorrow's Shopping World report suggests.
Around 8 per cent of 13 to 19-year-olds were open to the idea of
microchip implants while 16 per cent wanted trolleys to be fitted
with SatNav systems.
This compared to just 5 per cent and 12 per cent respectively for
adults asked the same questions. Two thirds of teenagers and 62 per
cent of adults questioned for grocery think tank IGD's report
wanted self-scanning systems at shop check-outs.
Some 7 per cent of people in both age groups were willing to use
biometric iris or retina recognition payment systems.
On a more low-tech note, 61 per cent of adults and 57 per cent of
teenagers wanted staff to pack their bags in shops.
And a "cashless society" is not expected to have materialised
within the next decade.
The report says 39 per cent of teenage respondents and 30 per cent
of adults said they would still be using cash in 10 year's
time.
It adds: "The current and future progress of technology services in
store is counter-balanced by the need for shopping with some form
of 'human contact'."
One third of adults and 40 per cent of teenagers wanted lots of
staff involvement with the shopping experience.
The report, sponsored by technology services company EDS, followed
an IGD poll of 500 teenagers and a similar number of adults about
their predicted grocery shopping habits for the next decade.
