Episode 39: Frictionless retail: How brands are removing barriers on the path to purchase

In this episode, our retail experts in the US and UK discuss the trend of frictionless retail, the idea of seamless, barrier-free shopping, in both the pre- and post-COVID-19 landscape. Some retailers have gone so far as to develop technology to help consumers completely avoid certain nuisances, for example during the checkout process, in order to create a more enjoyable shopping experience. But is that one step too far, removing too much of the path to purchase that consumers don't get the same purchase satisfaction? As the global COVID-19 pandemic is currently creating an entirely new meaning of frictionless retail, what can retailers and consumers expect next? Listen now!Host: Andrew Davidson (SVP/Chief Insights Officer)Guests: Alexis DeSalva (Senior Research Analyst, Retail and ecommerce, Mintel Reports US), Nick Carroll (Associate Director, Retail, Mintel Reports UK),Diana Smith (Associate Director, Retail and Apparel, Mintel Reports US)