Consumer aversion to touchscreen germs is here to stay

BRISTOL, England, Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New research has found that consumers across the world are still concerned about using public touchscreens due to fears of germ transmission. Some are even changing their behaviour to avoid using them altogether in public venues.

Today Ultraleap, the natural user interface company, releases the results of a global consumer survey that was conducted in the UK, US, China and Japan and looks at attitudes to public touchscreens. It reveals that more than half of consumers in these markets (52%) are concerned about touchscreen hygiene, and those concerns are broader than just COVID-19.

The survey also found that the majority of respondents (72%) are also changing their behaviour at least sometimes to avoid germs on public touchscreens and nearly a third (29%) are always changing their behaviour. These behaviours include: touching the screen as little as possible (25%), using hand sanitizer before (29%) or after (45%) touching the screen, or even avoiding places where they have to use a touchscreen (10%).

This avoidance behaviour is likely to have a direct commercial impact on retailers and brands. Touchscreens provide autonomous service points for consumers, while also providing a commercial uplift in certain environments. It's reported that self-service kiosks bring in higher-than-average order sizes and require fewer staff at checkout.

"Fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King rely on self-service touchscreens to upsell more food and drink. If people are actively not using them, then brands are losing revenue opportunities. Our report demonstrates that offering a touchless option on their self-serve kiosks can provide a solution that caters to all consumers - especially those who are more hygiene-conscious. Doing so can help generate incremental revenue of between $1,800 - $4,500 per month," said Saurabh Gupta, Vice President of Out-of-Home Product at Ultraleap.

The research also reveals that consumers are not only open to (83%) but are actively positive about touchless solutions as an alternative to touchscreens - 68% of respondents said that they'd be more likely to visit a grocery store or fast-food restaurant if it offered a touchless self-service screen.

Download the full report here.

Contact:
Faye Lockier
+44 (0)774 1851059
faye.lockier@ultraleap.com 

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1872519/Ultraleap_Touchless_Tech.jpg