Without a doubt, e-commerce and omni-channel retailing together are largely responsible for a significant amount of activity surrounding warehouse automation. It's fair to say there has been a full-on explosion in the number of consumers who are using smartphones and computers to purchase goods and services, and every segment of the retail sector is being impacted from apparel and electronics to food and beverage.

"In the United States, there is an increasing demand to use online and mobile technologies to improve the grocery shopping experience. Shoppers want easier, more personalized, and more control over their choices and will make decisions on where they shop based on the level of these services," said Allan Davies, CMO of Symphony EYC (formerly Aldata). The company, a provider of retail and distribution improvement software, conducted a survey of one thousand U.S. consumers over the recent holiday period with a focus on the benefits and motivations of using mobile technology for grocery shopping, in particular.

Among the findings, the most compelling advantage for grocery shoppers to use mobile technology is to avoid lines and waiting, with 54 percent of respondents citing this reason. When asked specifically about the advantages of using smartphones to shop for groceries, 60 percent of respondents said receiving personalized promotions on their favorite products would make online shopping easier, while almost 73 percent were attracted by the ability to compare prices via their smartphones. However, the survey also revealed that 88.5 percent of those polled had not yet used their smartphone to actually buy groceries during the past 12 months.

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