Shopping around the clock
Study by KPMG in Germany in cooperation with EHI shows the potential and challenges of autonomous stores
Study shows the potential and challenges of autonomous stores
Cologne/Düsseldorf, 18 February 2025
In the coming years, stand-alone stores could ensure local supply, particularly in rural areas, and counteract the effects of the decline in brick-and-mortar stores. "For retailers, autonomous stores are not only a response to current socio-political challenges, but also an attractive, value-added alternative for customers. At the same time, retailers need to address existing customer concerns in a targeted manner," says study author Dr. Tobias Röding from EHI, explaining the results of the new KPMG Consumer Barometer.
Customer acceptance crucial for future success
The decisive factor for the success of stationary autonomous concepts is customer acceptance - and the majority of customers can imagine using them (54%). The more frequently customers already shop in traditional retail stores, the higher the level of acceptance: daily visitors to bricks-and-mortar stores show the highest level of acceptance at 75%, while the proportion of monthly customers (once or twice a month) is 60%. 15 percent have already used an autonomous store.
E-commerce affinity and residential location influence acceptance
Openness towards autonomous stores depends on various factors. People who frequently store online are more willing to shop in autonomous stores. Our study also shows a clear urban-rural divide.
According to the study, 80% of customers with a very high online orientation in their shopping behavior could imagine using an autonomous store. For people with a high offline affinity, the figure drops to 50%. At 75%, the proportion of customers who can imagine using an autonomous store is significantly higher in urban areas than in rural regions (56%).
Advantages: Time saving and flexibility
According to respondents, autonomous stores offer many advantages: 71% of customers value the opportunity to organize their daily shopping flexibly. 69% of respondents also consider the shopping process to be time-saving and 68% consider it to be particularly efficient. Many also consider the impersonality (68%) and the feeling of being monitored (68%) in autonomous stores to be a disadvantage. However, there are differences depending on the sector: the positive perception is particularly pronounced in the food segment. In sectors with product categories that require intensive advice - such as sports stores or DIY stores - it is clear that customers are currently still much more critical and cautious about these.
Age: younger and more open-minded
While younger respondents are predominantly open to autonomous concepts, older respondents are increasingly reluctant. The highest level of approval (77%) is found among 25 to 34-year-olds. In the youngest age group (18 - 24 years), the figure is 73%. Among 55 to 65-year-olds, the proportion is at its lowest level at 60%. This group also has the highest level of rejection at 21%. In the younger groups, only 13-18% cannot imagine shopping in an autonomous store.
For this edition of the Consumer Barometer, 1000 consumers were surveyed online in December 2024 in a short representative study on their opinion on the topic of "autonomous store premises".
The Consumer Barometer is available to download free of charge - also available as a subscription: Consumer Barometer 01/25
Press contact
EHI Retail Institute e. V
Dr. Tobias Röding
EHI, Project lead
Tel.: +49 221 57993-362, roeding@ehi.org
Ute Holtmann
EHI, Head of Public Relations,
Tel.: +49 221 57993-42, holtmann@ehi.org
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Deputy Head of Corporate Communications
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
T +49 89 9282 1722
creisbeck@kpmg.com
Publisher
KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Barbarossapl. 1a, 50674 Köln, https://kpmg.com/de/de/home.html
EHI Retail Institute e. V., Spichernstraße 55, 50672 Köln, www.ehi.org, +49 221 57993-0
About the EHI
The EHI is a research, education and consulting institute for the retail sector and its partners with around 80 employees and an international network of 850 member companies from the retail, consumer and capital goods industries as well as the service sector. The EHI is also a shareholder of GS1 Germany and FoodPlus and a partner of Messe Düsseldorf at important trade fairs such as EuroShop. The President of the EHI is Markus Tkotz, head of Markant, and the Managing Director is Michael Gerling.
About KPMG
KPMG is an organization of independent member firms with more than 273,000 employees in 143 countries and territories. KPMG is also one of the leading auditing and advisory firms in Germany and has over 14,000 employees at 27 locations. Our services are divided into the Audit, Tax and Advisory divisions. Audit focuses on the auditing of consolidated and annual financial statements. Tax stands for KPMG's tax advisory activities. The Advisory division is divided into the areas of Consulting, Deal Advisory and Performance & Strategy and bundles our high level of expertise in business, regulatory and transaction-oriented topics.
