The receipt is a great communication tool between the retailer and the consumer. Although there is huge talk of digital receipts and the life of the digital receipt is longer than the paper receipt, the paper receipt is still more 'sticky' than the digital alternative because the consumer will touch and view the paper receipt more frequently. Many retailers are using the paper receipt to drive customer surveys but I challenge that the receipt is much better used for promotions and coupons than surveys. The future may see the detailed receipt with a coupon at the bottom become a coupon with a summary receipt at the end. Perhaps the best combination is a hybrid of the paper coupon with summary receipt and a detailed electronic receipt.

I believe an important benefit of the ereceipt is the fact that the retailer can now connect the consumer with the items they purchase. Although many retailers can see the detail of every transaction and perform analysis of their sales, they cannot connect a individual consumer to the data. If they can offer the consumer a hybrid receipt with both paper promotions and digital detail they can offer improved coupon redemption and get consumers back to the store by offering promotions that are in demand for the consumer. As an example, when I shop at grocery stores with those separate coupon printers I often get coupons or discounts for diapers even though my kids are teenagers. I guess someone is making money for printing the coupon but the CPG has no chance of coupon redemption.