Harris Khan- 43% of Brits (20,500,000) want their shopping and ordering experience moving forward to require as little human interaction as possible
- 62% of people in Britain (28,400,000) want to be able to complete their supermarket shop and exit the store in under 20 minutes
Will Broome, CEO of leading retail tech company Ubamarket LTD discusses how retailers can transform to assure their survival in the post-Coronavirus climate.
When the dust eventually settles on a pandemic that has altered our way of life immeasurably for the last twelve months, we will undoubtedly find ourselves in a society in which cultural norms and acceptances have permanently hanged. The advent of social distancing been just one example that has made us consider the way we move and socialise with each other. Now, as the end of lockdown fast approaches, technological developments that are minimising the necessity for contact are very much setting the pace ahead of a return to integrated life.
With pioneers such as Waymo testing their driver-less taxis in San Francisco, whilst closer to home, Amazon have continued their roll-out of their contactless supermarkets, launching two stores in the UK within the past month, exciting innovations are exploring the ways in which we interact with the cities we live in. As we establish our post-pandemic norms, the extent to which these will permeate throughout all aspects of our lives has been further catalysed by the desire to return to a semblance of normality, sooner rather than later.
Two such mainstays of British life that have undergone rapid transformations during the pandemic are supermarket retail, and hospitality. Ubamarket LTD, provides white-label app software for the retail and hospitality sectors, through their respective apps, Ubamarket & NOMM (New Order, Magic Menu). Working with leading supermarket chains such as Central England Co-op and SPAR, whilst preparing launches with nationwide hospitality venues ahead of the reopening of the sector, Ubamarket LTD has been at the forefront of delivering essential technological upgrades to these sectors traditionally slower to develop consumer facing tech-solutions.
With supermarket chains and restaurateurs adopting technology to adapt to client demand over the course of the pandemic, Ubamarket LTD has found its feet in helping traditional Bricks & Mortar sectors evolve. Providing AI-led innovations such as facial recognition, till-less payments, aisle and menu sat-nav’s, automated stock and menu levels through up to date cloud software, Ubamarket’s technology is aimed at providing guests and customers the least amount of time making unnecessary contact with surfaces, while allowing for speedy ‘in and out’ visits. Indeed, research from Ubamarket has indicated that the future of retail in the UK will be dominated by convenience.
Key Stats:
- 40% of people in Britain (18,300,000) will no longer use cash when shopping or when in bars or restaurants due to concerns around the transfer of germs
- 50% of Brits (23,800,000) haven’t used cash at all since the start of lockdown and have relied exclusively on card and contactless payments
- 43% of Brits (20,500,000) want their shopping and ordering experience moving forward to require as little human interaction as possible
- 62% of people in Britain (28,400,000) want to be able to complete their supermarket shop and exit the store in under 20 minutes
Will Broome, Founder and CEO of tech provider Ubamarket, discusses how Britain’s future facing industries have help to usher in new ages of retail:
“As two of the most affected and integral institutions in society, it has been essential for Britain’s retailers and hospitality venues to adopt new measures to ensure they adapt to the challenges Covid throws their way. Integrated technology offers an all-encompassing solution; in Ubamarket and NOMM’s case in the form of a simple app; which can put consumers in control, doing away with the need for time-consuming queues or order times, unhygienic checkouts and transferral of cash, and confusion about where products are and whether they are in stock. By allowing consumers to be in control of their relationship with the physical experience of being at these venues, customers are provided the autonomy needed to head back to premises safely, and with greater confidence.“
