Today, England has legally moved into its third national lockdown since the outbreak of Covid-19. The new variant of the virus has caused huge concern, with all of the UK now under strict restrictions; Wales, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland are also in lockdown. Within the first hours of the lockdown being announced and many retailers reassuring the public that they are well prepared for the lockdown, supermarkets’ online operations struggled as customers rushed to book deliveries.

Fluctuating demand – in particular for online deliveries – remains a logistical problem that supermarkets are struggling to cater to. In light of this, Ubamarket, a pioneering app in retail technology, found that 38% of Brits have used online shopping more since lockdown, but have found it inefficient due to insufficient delivery slots and replacement items. This result is bound to cause an increase in consumer footfall among the UK’s supermarkets and shops, as well as fluctuations in consumer behaviour, as they are influenced by the shoppers around them.

In light of this, is of utmost importance that retailers are able to fully cater to the needs of their customers while keeping them as safe as possible. Technology solutions, such as Ubamarket’s Scan, Pay, Go!, enables shoppers to remotely check the stock of their local store, allowing them to see what products are available with one tap. The app can be synced with all of the store’s existing systems, meaning that it is updated in real-time. Once shoppers have built their shopping lists ahead of their journey, the app dramatically reduces the amount of time spent in-store by guiding customers around the store to scan their products using an aisle sat-nav, before allowing them to pay in-app and bypass the tills.

Ubamarket has already rolled out across Central England Co-Op, SPAR, EUROSPAR, Budgens and Londis stores across the UK and Ireland.

Will Broome, CEO of Ubamarket (https://ubamarket.com/), discusses the research looking into how consumer behaviour has transformed as a result of the virus, and how retailers can overcome the challenges brought about by a second wave:

“It is encouraging to see that Britain’s retailers and grocers are committed to reassuring customers and ensuring that they are able to provide essential goods without disruption. With the lockdown now fully in effect, it is incredibly likely that consumer demand will fluctuate and retailers may find this difficult to cater to, as they are unable to communicate directly with their customers to inform them of what the conditions are like in-store.

Ubamarket’s Scan, Pay, Go! app allows customers to avoid any unnecessary trips to the shops and cut down the time they spend in-store by checking stock in advance; by building their shopping lists beforehand, they will be guided around the store in the most efficient way possible. The implementation of retail technology is one way that Britain’s retailers could safeguard themselves against this fluctuating demand and irregular consumer behaviour. With this, supermarkets and stores can access far more in-depth and accurate consumer data, helping them to assess their behaviour, manage stock more efficiently and effectively, whilst being able to effectively communicate directly to the consumer base.

I sincerely hope that the UK’s shoppers take into account the concerns and advice from Britain’s retailers, but I am also hopeful that supermarkets across the country learn from the challenges presented by the previous lockdowns and consider adopting technology to safeguard and strengthen their consumer offering moving forward.”