For weeks, Woolies has been encouraging shoppers to use contact-free payment methods when paying, especially given that scientists believe that coronavirus germs can stay active on cash for up to 10 days.
And now, it seems, the message is resonating with shoppers.
Says Mr Banducci: ‘We are all getting better at managing social distancing, so thank you to everyone for keeping a trolley-length apart, and for your patience as and where we have to manage customer numbers in store.
‘The use of the Woolworths App is up 320%, driven by viewing our digital catalogue, planning a physical shop and online shopping itself. Traffic to our website has more than doubled, especially by those looking for recipe inspiration. And in April so far, cash payments in store are down 35% as we increasingly tap-and-go.’
Speaking more of shoppers’ changing buying habits in the wake of coronavirus, Mr Banducci adds: ‘Australians are shopping less often, but buying more when they do. We are shopping more locally, more in the mornings and less on Saturdays and Sundays.’