Impatient British shoppers are being presented with new innovative methods to combat queuing, crowding and click and collect concerns.

Research reveals consumer habits in lockdown changed forever and as the industry seeks to adapt to the challenges, the nation is being shown the way forward.

While in-store shopping continues to reign supreme as consumers’ preference, exactly four in ten Brits admit queuing is a major source of frustration.

Nearly half (46 per cent) get annoyed when they are surrounded by too many other shoppers, while the hybrid click and collect option is the ‘worst of both worlds’ according to 49 per cent of those surveyed.

Brands and retailers are in drastic need of solutions and now, leading sustainable packaging provider DS Smith have joined forces with behavioural science guru Professor Ivo Vlaev to help find an answer.

Technology including Smart labels and QR codes could eliminate the need for queuing and give customers a much-desired sense of control, while interactive screens and unique collection IDs are also being touted as tech-savvy solution to Brits’ long-standing concerns.

All of DS Smith’s inventive conceptualisations harness behavioural science in different ways and Professor Vlaev, from the University of Warwick Business School, said: “People’s expectations of brands haven’t changed, yet as we shift to a blended model of shopping retailers who want to keep brand loyalty need to ensure that no-matter how someone is shopping that they keep the same experience.

“For both click and collect and online shopping, packaging can be a way of elevating that experience.

“For example, box designs can help with frictionless payment in store and click & collect can be improved with boxes creating smart personalised IDs making collection easier, quicker and even more personalised.”

Scan and go apps would be able to inform customers how much time they’d saved queuing with a smart label or QR code, while interactive screens outside have the potential to empower shoppers and satisfy desires for up-to-date, real-time information.

Click and collect’s popularity has rapidly risen in lockdown – two-fifths of Brits have turned to the method – but with almost exactly half of us not liking the system, DS Smith’s innovative team predict unique collection IDs and personalising customers’ experiences could be the answer.

Consumers would be more likely to respond to information specifically tailored to them, which could even be as simple as a ‘welcome’ message upon arrival at the click and collect area.

Shopping in store remains the nation’s preferred method, but consumers’ experiences could also be enhanced by combining instore and offline experiences to give them a hybrid best of both worlds.

DS Smith’s innovation team are constantly looking to the future of innovation and Stefano Rossi, Packaging CEO at the company, said: “Brands now need to find a way to seamlessly blend their range of offers so consumers are happy however they choose to shop.

“Our experts have been working to produce clever and innovative solutions that solve some of the key frustrations with different types of shopping and make for a better experience across the piece.”

DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable fibre-based packaging worldwide, which is supported by recycling and papermaking operations. It plays a central role in the value chain across sectors including e-commerce, fast moving consumer goods and industrials.