Virtual shopping can't take all

The Store of the Future 2012-15 report, commissioned by Visa Europe analyses the key customer, payments, technology and social responsibility issues affecting the likely development of retail stores in Europe.

Seven countries were thought to be
broadly representative of the retail sector in Western Europe. Two
hundred of the retailers were large (more than 150 stores or turnover
greater than €200 million) and 100 were medium-sized businesses.

Surveyed retailers expected 18.8% of
retail turnover would result from Internet sales by 2012-15. The
highest proportion of retail sales, 25.5%, was forecast to occur in
Norway, followed by the UK with 22.4%.

The average for all vertical retail
markets was 18.7%. Vertical markets likely to have the highest
Internet share of sales were DVDs, films, games, CDs (42.0%), mobile
phones (41.6%), computers, cables (37.2%), and books (34.7%). V

17.2% of retailers expected store
numbers to grow, 28.7% expected the number to fall, while 30.9%
estimated that store numbers would probably be much the same as 2008.

The most likely format changes were
‘more information services in-store’ There was also support for
the idea that local stores would provide local pick-up for customers
who had ordered on the web as well as for the concept of smaller
stores focusing more on customer information and being supported by
internet services. These results do not show what retailers predict
will be the state of play in 2012-15; rather they are what is planned
or expected in their own business.

Another key format change identified by
the retailers is the growth in automated transaction options
particularly self scanning. A proportion of retailers already use
automated transactions, particularly Sweden (11.5%) and the UK
(11.4%).

A major trend in all countries surveyed
has been the growth in electronic methods of making payments. This
has been associated with the use of payment cards and, in some
countries, with electronic giro systems and direct bank transfers.
The use of electronic payments is important to achieving
customer-controlled retail transactions retail automation (customer
self-service including automated payments, also termed retail
automation.