Retail Store Statistics: Under 40s more likely to splurge in ‘modern’ stores

New research by Saturn Visual Solutions has generated retail store statistics that show 17 per cent of under 45-year olds have been persuaded to spend more than they’d originally planned to by digital displays.

 The survey, commissioned by Saturn Visual Solutions and carried out by statistical research specialists OnePoll, asked 2,000 UK-based, adult full-time and part-time workers how they felt about modern stores that have interactive displays and screens showing product information and videos.

Nearly a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds (24%) admitted that they’d been persuaded to spend more than they’d originally planned to whilst in a store with digital displays. The figure went down to 19 per cent with 25 to 34-year-olds, and 15 per cent for 35 to 44-year-olds. The number dropped sharply to just seven per cent for the respondents over 45.

Men were more likely to find digital signage in shops persuasive, with 17 per cent admitting to splashing out as a result of seeing it, whereas just nine per cent of female respondents said the same.

Saturn CEO, Chris Welsh, said: “We’re not surprised by the statistic that show people are more likely to splurge in a store with digital displays. It shows that the environment customers are shopping in and the information they are provided with can really influence how they feel about a product.”

A quarter of all respondents (25%) felt that the displays in modern stores made it easier to find about new products.

Nearly as many (22%) said that shopping in modern stores with digital displays was more fun, and felt more luxurious (22%).

Almost a fifth (19%) said they thought stores with digital displays tended to feel like nicer places to shop. This figure went up to 26 per cent for male respondents.

Saturn CEO, Chris Welsh, said: “Our research shows that a good portion of the younger generation think digital displays enhance their in-store shopping experience. For too long retailers have treated digital displays like an ’optional extra’. Hopefully, these retail store statistics illustrate the impact that displays can have on shoppers’ experiences and their perceptions of brands. It also clearly indicates a positive influence on the bottom line, for retailers.

“It’s unlikely that this preference for a more modern, interactive store is going to change with the next generation. Retailers need to start upping their game and delivering an in-store experience that focusses more on the here and now, rather than what used to work in the past.”

Saturn Visual Solutions is a digital signage consultancy and works with retail businesses to help them make their in-store shopping experience more engaging and fun to increase profitability.

Saturn has used the statistical research to produce a white paper called ‘Re-energising retail – How the 2024 in-store experience is changing and what to do about it’ which can be found here.