ChargeItSpot, a provider of cell phone charging stations for retailers, events and other indoor public venues, has released the results of its “Store Associate Report.” The study asked consumers for their thoughts and feelings on the value of store employees at retail locations. ChargeItSpot collected responses from more than 600 shoppers at malls across the country, using its integrated survey capability QuickPoll.
A major highlight of the study is that 63 percent of all shoppers see store associates as extremely important—with an additional 28 percent saying that store associates are somewhat important. Only a combined 9 percent deemed associates as unimportant to their shopping experience. Interestingly, tech-savvy Millennials placed the highest value on store associates, while Baby Boomers were the most comfortable with doing away with that human interaction.
“Retailers strive to deliver rewarding experiences to shoppers every time they enter a store,” said Douglas Baldasare, CEO and founder of ChargeItSpot. “Store associates represent the brand and are there to help shoppers with their needs. Our survey found that even young shoppers see the added value of having a human interaction when they enter a store.”
See the chart below for a full breakdown by age of shoppers’ sentiments on the overall importance of store employee presence during their shopping experience.
| AGE | RESPONSE | TOTAL |
| 18-35 | Extremely Important | 66% |
| Somewhat Important | 28% | |
| Somewhat Unimportant | 3% | |
| Extremely Unimportant | 3% | |
| 36-51 | Extremely Important | 54% |
| Somewhat Important | 33% | |
| Somewhat Unimportant | 10% | |
| Extremely Unimportant | 3% | |
| 52-70 | Extremely Important | 49% |
| Somewhat Important | 24% | |
| Somewhat Unimportant | 5% | |
| Extremely Unimportant | 22% |
Shoppers would not shop at a store if bots replaced employees
Shoppers were asked if they would shop at a store where bots replaced human workers, and 43 percent said they would not, while 27 percent said yes and 30 percent said they maybe would.
“We are seeing more technology being integrated into the in-store experience,” added Baldasare. “Amazon is already testing the cashier-less checkout process in their Amazon Go location, eliminating the need for human workers altogether. While this may seem like a perk for some, it could turn shoppers away from stores.”
The chart below illustrates shoppers feelings on bots replacing human workers.
| AGE | RESPONSE | TOTAL |
| 18-35 | Yes | 29% |
| Maybe | 30% | |
| No | 42% | |
| 36-51 | Yes | 12% |
| Maybe | 35% | |
| No | 54% | |
| 52-70 | Yes | 19% |
| Maybe | 30% | |
| No | 51% |
