74% of Consumers Rank Product Availability as #1 Shopping Priority, Survey

monitor inventory velocity, but this information is too late to make a difference. It’s like driving your car, looking in the rear-view mirror.” This reality brings significant consequences for retailers.

Matacunas also pointed out, “This shopper study brings attention to the impact of distorted inventory – disappointed consumers, lost sales, lower margins.” Technology: Opportunity and Apprehension Retailers are leaning into technology to help solve inventory and efficiency issues, but shoppers are cautious.

The survey reveals that 71% of customers feel uncomfortable or unsure about roaming robots in stores, with women feeling more uneasy than men. However, younger shoppers (18-54) are more open to such technological advancements. Matacunas explained the retailer perspective, “Digital shelf monitoring is a growing market.

Retailers are testing roving robots, stationary cameras, and on-shelf moving field cameras. These promise to capture inventory information to improve plan-o-gram compliance, in-stock integrity, and velocity data.” He emphasized, “Consumers don’t want technology to interfere with the shopping experience…