X. SOME AIDS TO SHOPPING

General

The main problem in shopping is the need for personal contact between shopper and retailer. If this contact had not to be so frequent and regular, it would be possible for distribution to take place efficiently without shop closing even becoming a problem of any dimensions. It is just because the shopper has to make a personal call that he is concerned with closing hours. There is of course a limit to which shopping can be turned into an impersonal process, but any method which may help reduce the number of calls that the individual must make is worth looking at. Telephone ordering, delivery services and mail order services are services which help reduce the number of visits a shopper makes. It may be desirable that these services should be extended. It may however turn out that these services are uneconomical and cost more in man power and time, than they save in shoppers' time. It is no part of this report to make this calculation. Facts however, on the present use of these three services and the extent to which phone and delivery services would be taken up if they were made more freely available are useful. Clearly it is somewhat hypothetical to question shoppers who have no telephone of their likely use of that instrument for ordering goods, and so the reader must bear in mind that answers to questions on future habits or intentions merely indicate the minimum likely response and not the full support that only experience can bring about.

Telephone ordering

Two questions were put to shoppers. The first asked shoppers who had a phone whether they used it for ordering any particular commodities, if they possessed one. The second question is of course somewhat hypothetical since habits alter with experience.

It will be seen that only a minority of shoppers have a telephone and for this minority food is the only commodity that any large section order on the phone at that moment. In all 8% of food shoppers order some items of food on the phone to-day. About 85% of shoppers have no phone at the moment and nearly 1/3rd of this group would be inclined to use the phone for ordering food if they had one. Other commodities are not particularly popular for telephone ordering except perhaps ironmongery, where there are 14% shoppers, who would consider ordering this commodity on the phone.

Only 14% of shoppers have a phone and of these slightly more than half use it for ordering some commodity or other. A special economic analysis of the sample showed that the percentage of people with phones rises as their economic status rises and in the highest economic group a majority of those with phones use it for ordering something or other. A similar economic change is noticeable among these without phones. Again as the economic status rises so a larger section would be prepared to use phones for ordering. Naturally those in the higher income groups are more conditioned to the idea of a phone and have more friends in their circle who use one.

Within limitations these figures give an idea of the minimum number of people who would use an extension of the telephone service to phone orders and therefore to cut down on calls to shops. This is important information in view of the G.P.O.’s plans for extending the telephone service.

Delivery Services

The relaxation of shopping pressure to which telephone ordering may lead depends largely upon an extension of delivery services. Delivery services may also relax shopping pressure of their own accord. It is important therefore to ascertain what use the public is likely to make of the extension of such an amenity, before further thought is given to developing such a service.

Results show that delivery services are not at the moment extensively used except for the delivery for foodstuffs, where 39% of food shoppers use a delivery service. A caution is needed, however, for the percentage enjoying a delivery service includes those who have milk or bread deliveries as well as grocery, meat or vegetable deliveries. It was not considered useful presenting information on furniture deliveries, as such data would have been rather hypothetical. Furniture purchases are not regular occurrences, so that informants would have little experience to rely on. In general potential users of delivery services are much more numerous than potential users of telephones for ordering goods. The table suggests that an extension of delivery services would certainly relieve some of the pressure on shopping hours.

Mail Order Services

Mail order services have never been very popular in Great Britain, and the evidence from this inquiry bears out that they are still comparatively little used. Probably the short travelling distances in Great Britain are a factor to consider.

These figures bear out the very restricted character of the mail order market. At the most only 8% of clothes shoppers use a mail order service; for food purchases the figure is as low as 1%. By grouping all users of mail order services together it may be possible to get a clearer picture.

This table confirms that mail order services are only used by a fraction of the population. The service is more readily used in rural areas than in urban areas, but the differences in habits are not as great as one would normally expect.

Conclusion

Information on the present use of telephone ordering, delivery services and mail orders and on the potential use of telephone ordering and delivery services, may suggest to what extent it will be possible to reduce the number of calls in shopping and so lessen the pressure on closing hours. Only a minority, at present 8%, use the telephone for ordering any commodity, another 21% of shoppers who have no phone at the moment say that they would use a phone for ordering goods. The present use of telephone ordering is greatest in the highest economic group. Delivery services are not in great use except in the case of food, where 39% of shoppers use a delivery service for some commodity or other. Potential users of delivery services are however more numerous than potential users of telephone ordering and amount to at least 34% of shoppers. Only about 12% of shoppers use a mail order service is greatest in rural areas.