Over 10 million people avoid retailers that only accept cash, survey finds

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jul 28, 2017

20% of British consumers, the equivalent of over 10 million people across the UK, actively avoid going to shops, restaurants and retailers if they can’t pay with their card, a new report has revealed.

A survey of 2,000 UK shoppers commissioned by shopping app Ubamarket and seen by the Daily Express has found that retailers’ inability to offer a faster checkout experience is costing them millions in lost business, as 73% consumers have decided not to buy something having seen the size of a queue in a shop.

It also appears shoppers are growing tired of self-scan tills, with 48% of shoppers feeling irritated by the rise of this technology which promised faster checkouts but ends up attracting its own long queues and requiring an assistant to sort out issues such as phantom items in the bagging area.

Over half of millennials believe mobile payments are the future, and 41% of those questioned believe all payments will be done via mobile devices in five years’ time.

“Over the past decade, major retailers have taken some strides to improve in-store shopping by embracing new technologies,” said Ubamarket CEO Will Broome. “However, today’s research reveals that long queues and frustratingly out-dated payment systems remain a significant challenge that are ruining millions of shopping trips and therefore must be addressed. Despite the rise of online shopping, it is clear that retailers need to invest in the in-store shopping experience to maintain shoppers’ loyalty in today’s competitive market.”