PAYONE CONSUMER SURVEY: EXPECTATIONS OF THE CHECKOUT ZONE OF THE FUTURE

Frankfurt am Main/Vienna, 25.01.2023

PAYONE, a joint venture between Worldline, the European market leader in payment and transaction services, and the DSV Group, the payment competence center of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, has conducted a representative survey in Germany and Austria among consumers between the ages of 18 and 70 on their payment habits and expectations of payment options in brick-and-mortar stores and online stores. In the process, 1001 end consumers in Germany and 500 in Austria were surveyed nationwide.

The survey participants were not only interviewed about their use of current digital payment methods, but also about their attitudes towards the standard store checkout and their expectations of the functions that future checkout systems should offer from a consumer perspective.

Checkout zone no longer part of the standard store appearance in future

Retailers already gave the classic checkout zone a bad name in the PAYONE study "Payment systems of the future" no longer stood a chance in the long term. 50% of the retailers surveyed there were of the opinion that the conventional checkout counter will be obsolete in the next 10 years at the latest. This view is shared in particular by the German consumers surveyed: 83% of them are of the opinion that the classic checkout area will no longer be part of a contemporary store presentation over the next decade. At 78%, the Austrian consumers interviewed were somewhat more reserved in their assessment of this development.

Unsentimental consumer view of the future: farewell to checkout and advice staff

In line with this result, the German consumer group (88%) and the Austrian group (85%) declared checkout staff to be a relic of the past by the end of the next decade at the latest. German consumers (78%) and Austrian consumers (73%) are just as unsentimental about saying goodbye to personal advice and on-site sales staff in the future.

Pragmatic setting: automatic scanning and payment

In order to pay for purchases as quickly as possible and avoid long queues, self-scanning checkouts have become established and are already well received by consumers. German shoppers in the 18-49 age group regularly use scanners, whereas Austrian consumers are somewhat more hesitant in comparison. In the 60-70 age group, Austrians are the ones who are less reluctant to scan and pay for their purchases themselves, with 36% compared to 32% in the German comparison group.

Delivery of the receipt & automatic receipt of bonus points

Receiving the receipt automatically on the smartphone or to the personal e-mail address is appreciated by 50% of both German and Austrian survey participants. For 58% of German and 48% of Austrian consumers, the automatic crediting of bonus or loyalty points or participation in a competition round off a user-oriented service in the context of paying in a brick-and-mortar store.

Payment process: desire for acceleration

If they could design the payment process of the future, consumers would like it to be significantly faster: This is well illustrated by the statement from 28% of German and 21% of Austrian survey participants that it causes them embarrassment when other customers in the checkout queue are forced to wait due to their own payment method. The younger target groups in particular react much more sensitively than the older age groups: 39% of the German and even 41% of the 18-29-year-olds surveyed are reluctant to be confronted with such a situation at the checkout. At 39%, German consumers aged 30-39 are on a par with their younger peers, while Austrian consumers aged 30-39 are much more relaxed at 24%.

Shopping experience: Disruption caused by the payment process is undesirable

According to the respondents, the shopping experience should ideally not be spoiled at all by the "disdainful" payment process: 22% of German and 33% of Austrian consumers say they prefer to pay for their purchases in the background.

Automatic payment process before leaving the store

In the opinion of both German and Austrian consumers, this would ideally take the form of automatic payment before leaving the store, for example. In Germany, this method is particularly preferred by the 30-39 age group (52%), compared to only 24% of Austrians. Older generations, however, have significantly less trust in this technology, possibly due to doubts about the correct accounting of the personal shopping basket or because they believe they are losing track.

Biometric identification

At 31%, Germans are much more fearless and tech-savvy when it comes to recognizing themselves using biometric methods such as facial recognition or fingerprints, compared to only 20% of Austrians.

Authentication via deposited individual means of payment

With regard to the method of identifying oneself as a customer at the retailer of choice using a payment method stored via an app, for example, and knowing that regularly purchased goods have already been conveniently stored, the German survey participants (37%) are significantly more interested in getting to grips with this technical application than their Austrian counterparts: here, only 23% of respondents can imagine using such an authentication method when shopping.

If the age groups are examined separately, authentication via the preferred personal means of payment is particularly welcomed by 46% of 30-39 year old Germans and 33% of Austrians. This would be used by 43% of Germans, but only 21% of Austrians aged 40-49. A similar disparity between Germany and Austria can also be observed among 18-29 year olds: 41% of Germans would approve of this form of identification, but this only applies to 22% of their Austrian peers. This observation continues in the 50-59 age group: 31% of Germans, but only 20% of Austrians, consider this technical solution desirable. At 26%, the 60-70 age group in Germany is rather cautious about this type of digital payment. The Austrian comparison group, however, is much more skeptical with only 19%.

According to the consumers surveyed, the following conclusion can be drawn: In the end, nobody likes to pay - but if it has to be done, then this annoying side effect should take place entirely in the background so as not to detract from the pure shopping experience. What also counts with digital payment is speed and the simplest and most convenient handling possible. Consumers are also prepared to forego contact with sales staff and personal advice in the future, to "grab" the goods themselves and scan them and/or enter personal (biometric) data. From the consumer's point of view, nothing stands in the way of cashless payment - on the contrary: the majority are positive about the digital transformation of the traditional checkout area. A development that will ultimately benefit retailers, as they can more or less banish the often time-consuming payment processing from their daily routines, making it easier to plan and use human resources more profitably.

About PAYONE

PAYONE is a leading payment provider in Germany and Austria. In stationary retail, mobile or online - PAYONE helps retailers and service providers with the challenges of cashless payment. As a full-service payment service provider, PAYONE ensures digital payment processes that work quickly, easily and reliably. PAYONE develops individual solutions for all industries and company sizes in accordance with the highest security standards.

PAYONE's pioneering omnichannel concepts help retailers to offer their customers a cross-channel shopping experience. PAYONE pursues the goal of enabling integrated payment across all touchpoints. PAYONE processes 5.4 billion transactions per year for 277,000 customers. With around 1,400 employees at four locations, the company also offers numerous value-added services that go far beyond the traditional payment business. PAYONE is a joint venture between Worldline and the DSV Group. PAYONE works throughout Europe for well-known global brands as well as for small and medium-sized companies. These include Deutsche Bahn, Rossmann, PUMA, home24 and Sansibar.

www.payone.com

About Worldline

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] is a global market leader in payments and the technology partner of choice for merchants, banks and acquirers. With over 18,000 employees in more than 40 countries, Worldline provides sustainable, trusted and secure solutions to help its customers around the world grow. The services offered by Worldline include national and international commercial acquiring for both bricks-and-mortar and online business, the highly secure processing of payment transactions and a wide range of digital services. In 2021, Worldline generated pro forma sales of just under 4 billion euros. worldline.com

Corporate purpose

We develop and operate leading digital payment and transaction solutions that enable sustainable economic growth and strengthen trust and security in our society. Our solutions are environmentally friendly and accompany everyone on their journey in the digital world

Press contact PAYONE:

Katharina Praschl
Am Belvedere 10 | 1100 Vienna
Phone: +43 1 71701 6534
katharina.praschl@payone.com