2025 Commerce Experience Report reveals consumer insights on technology and customer experience trends within the grocery, fuel convenience, and restaurant industries
ATLANTA, January 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NCR Voyix Corporation (NYSE: VYX), a leading global provider of digital commerce solutions for the retail and restaurant industries, has released key findings from its 2025 Commerce Experience Report. The second annual U.S. consumer survey explores how grocery, fuel convenience, and dining purchase behaviors are changing.
Why Shoppers Prefer Self-Checkout
Shoppers choose self-checkout for various reasons, the top one being speed. Seventy-seven percent of shoppers prefer self-checkout because it’s faster than staffed checkout. Over one-third of shoppers (36%) prefer self-checkout because it has shorter lines, while 43% prefer to bag their items. 2
Looking at a generational snapshot, Gen Z and Millennial grocery shoppers are the biggest adopters of self-checkout. The majority (63%) of Gen Z shoppers (ages 18 to 29) prefer self-checkout, as do 45% of Millennial shoppers (ages 30 to 44)3.
Sixty percent of shoppers who do not frequent self-checkout would be more inclined to do so if grocery stores made it easier to check out with more than 15 items. 4
Grocers Use Smart Tech to Combat Shrink
Grocery stores are implementing more smart technology at the checkout to combat shrinkage, and shoppers are taking notice. Consumers have encountered the following technologies at the checkout recently:
42% A camera detecting if you skipped scanning an item and prompting you to try again
32% Scanners that can recognize produce
28% Age/ID verification technology
12% Smart carts/baskets – e.g., computer vision checkout system that does not require you to scan a barcode, uses cameras and a weight sensor to detect products5
Savings and Personalization Drive Loyalty
More than half of consumers (54%) expect the cost of their typical grocery purchases to increase in 2025. 6As such, many more (56% this year vs. 46% last year) are making a concerted effort to shop where they can find the best deals and looking at rewards/loyalty programs to save. 7
Seventy percent of survey respondents say they are members of a grocery store loyalty program, outpacing fuel convenience (54%), and restaurants (51%)8.
Most grocery store rewards members (75%) receive personalized offers daily to weekly. 9
Playing Favorites in Fuel Convenience
Fuel convenience stores are raising the bar, and consumers are paying attention. Most consumers (53%) have gone out of their way to visit a specific gas station because they favor its convenience store.10
Some consumers prefer the food options of specific convenience stores (27%), others like the loyalty programs (37%), and easy ways to pay (36%).11
Dining Differently
Like at the grocery store, inflation is driving higher restaurant prices12, and consumers feel the effects. Most consumers (84%) choose limited-service restaurants to save extra cash13.
In the past six months, 35% of consumers have dined at a fast-casual restaurant over five times.14 Comparatively, in the past six months, 26% of consumers have dined at a full-service restaurant more than five times15.
Fifty-five percent of survey respondents have cut back on their delivery habits because of inflation – either ordering less in general (38%) or ordering from less expensive restaurants (17%). 16
Higher prices have also impacted how consumers tip; 56% either tip less or only tip at full-service restaurants.17
When asked what technologies they would like to see more of from restaurants, self-service kiosks (39%), table-top ordering (37%), and digital payments (32%) were among the top three. 18
The Future of Customer Experiences
As the future of customer experiences continues to evolve, consumers are looking for more smart technology, enhanced checkout options, product personalization, and convenience.
"It’s tried and true, but businesses really do win when they focus on customer experience," said David Wilkinson, chief executive officer at NCR Voyix. "Our data shows consumers want more technology present to simplify checkout, greater personalization, and loyalty rewards. It also shows that when places like fuel convenience and limited-service restaurants provide quality products at affordable prices, it pays off. Businesses will continue to adapt to changing consumer expectations in the year ahead and lean on new technology even more to be competitive."
For more details on the 2025 Commerce Experience Report by NCR Voyix, visit the site.
About the 2024 Commerce Experience Report by NCR Voyix
NCR Voyix commissioned a blind survey of American consumers in November of 2024 to understand how dining, grocery, and fuel convenience purchase behaviors are changing. Respondents to the online survey included a total of 1,044 American consumers. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus +/-3%.
About NCR Voyix
NCR Voyix Corporation (NYSE: VYX) is a leading global provider of digital commerce solutions for the retail and restaurant industries. NCR Voyix transforms retail stores and restaurant systems through experiences with comprehensive, platform-led SaaS and services capabilities. NCR Voyix is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with customers in more than 30 countries across the globe.
1 (Q10 All 2024 Data tab) 77% of consumers who prefer self-checkout say they do so because it is faster.
2 (Q10 All 2024 Data tab) 77% of consumers who prefer self-checkout say they do so because it is faster, 36% said it has shorter lines and 43% prefer to bag their own items.
3 (Q9 2024 Data by Age tab) 63% of shoppers ages 18 to 29 prefer self-checkout; 45% of shoppers ages 30 to 44 prefer self-checkout.
4 (Q 12 2024 Summary Data tab) 60% of consumers who do not use self-checkout would be more inclined to do so if grocery stores made it easier to check out with more than 15 items.
5 (Q14 All 2024 Data tab)
6 (Q 20 All 2024 Data tab) 54% of survey respondents said yes when asked if they expect the cost for their typical grocery purchases to increase in 2025.
7 (Q 19 All 2024 Data tab) When asked if inflation has changed their grocery habits, 56% of respondents this year said yes, they make a more conscious decision to shop where they can find the best deals. (Q7 2023 Summary Data) 46% of survey respondents answered this way last year.
8 (Q 16 All 2024 Data tab), (Q31 All 2024 Data tab), (Q54 All 2024 Data tab)
9 (Q17 All 2024 Data tab) When asked how often they receive personalized offers through their grocery store rewards/loyalty programs, 59% said weekly and 16% daily, equaling 75%.
10 (Q24 All 2024 Data tab) 53% of survey respondents said yes they have gone out of their way to visit a gas station because they preferred their convenience store.
11 (Q22 All 2024 Data tab)
12 (Q 46 All 2024 Data tab) 62% of survey respondents expect restaurant prices to increase in 2025.
13 (Q35 All 2024 Data tab) For Limited Service: The sum of 1-5, 6-10, and more than 10 is 84%.
14 (Q35 All 2024 Data tab) For Limited Service: The sum of 6-10 and more than 10 is 35%.
15 (Q35 All 2024 Data tab) For Full Service: The sum of 6-10 and more than 10 is 26%
16 (Q43 All 2024 Data tab) 38% say they order delivery less than they used to because of inflation and 17% order from less expensive restaurants.
17 (Q38 and Q39 All 2024 Data tab) The sum of "Yes, I tip less,"(27.53%) and "Yes, I only tip at sit down/full-service restaurants" (28.32%) is 56%.
