HOUSTON, June 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Installing an ATM at a convenience store or petrol station increases loyalty, foot traffic and sales, according to a new survey of UK consumer habits commissioned by Cardtronics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CATM), the world's largest retail ATM owner and operator.
Findings from a newly published report demonstrate that by offering customers access to cash at the same time as purchasing gas, groceries or paying a bill, shop owners are more likely to encourage return visits and additional spend in-store. Moreover, cash is used as the primary payment method at local shops, with 90 percent of consumers choosing it over card payment.
"The Value of Cash" report, released today by Cardtronics and research company Populus, is based on first hand market research across the UK, and shows that just under three quarters of shoppers (74 percent) consider an ATM as an important service to have on-site.
Jonathan Simpson-Dent, Managing Director of Cardtronics Europe, said:
"We've always been given anecdotal evidence to suggest that an ATM is able to offer shop owners a boost to their business, but now for the first time, we've been able to prove and quantify it. We're pleased to share this customer insight and think it could become a central aspect of the business models for shop managers if they are looking to expand and grow."
"It is perhaps not surprising that in an increasingly cash-rich and time-poor society, we want to achieve more than ever when we visit our local shop. By offering a diverse range of services to their customers, local shops remain a 'one shop' hit for the local community, and cash access is a central part of that customer experience."
Over half (53 percent) of shoppers said they wouldn't come back to the site if the ATM was removed or broken. This could result in a loss of an average of £11.49 per customer who wouldn't return if the ATM wasn't there.
For local shops, ATMs are a key driver of consumer traffic, with 82 percent of ATM users planning their visit to the store around the presence of the cash access point. Even further, access to cash vitally proves to be an additional pull for repeat visits, with over half (52 percent) the customers using the ATM in the shop at least once a week. In addition, over a quarter of consumers (26 percent) said the ATM in their local convenience store was the one they always used.
The survey also reveals that consumers consider it useful to have several services in the same place; they can check their balance via the ATM at the same time as purchasing products. Furthermore, a third of respondents would visit a shop more often if the ATM located therein dispensed discount coupons that could be used in store.
About The Value of Cash Project
Cardtronics worked closely with research agency, Populus, to conduct 821 face-to-face interviews with respondents outside convenience stores and petrol forecourts in November 2013. An exit-interview approach was used to record attitudes and opinions from consumers about customers' in store expenditure and ATM usage.
To ensure robust and representative results, loose quotas were set to make sure sites across all regions in the UK, as well as urban and rural locations, were included in the research. Interviews were spread across customers aged 16+ and conducted at locations with ATMs inside and outside the forecourt.
About Populus
Populus is one of the UK's leading research & strategy consultancies specializing in political, reputation, stakeholder and customer research. Populus offers the full-range of market research solutions, and has in-house experts in qualitative, quantitative and omnibus research, as well as senior strategists from the worlds of business, politics, marketing and communications. Populus is a founding member of the British Polling Council and abides by the Code of Conduct of the Market Research Society of Great Britain.
About Cardtronics (Nasdaq:CATM)
Making ATM cash access convenient where people shop, work and live, Cardtronics is at the convergence of retailers, financial institutions, prepaid card programs and the customers they share. Cardtronics owns/operates more than 82,700 retail ATMs in U.S. and international locales. Whether Cardtronics is driving foot traffic for America's most relevant retailers, enhancing ATM brand presence for card issuers or expanding card holders' surcharge-free cash access on the local, national or global scene, Cardtronics is convenient access to cash, when and where consumers need it. Cardtronics is where cash meets commerce.
Contact Information:
Cardtronics — Media
Nick Pappathopoulos
Director – Public Relations
832-308-4396
npappathopoulos@cardtronics.com
Cardtronics — Investors
Chris Brewster
Chief Financial Officer
832-308-4128
cbrewster@cardtronics.com
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