Queue busting technology is not just for Christmas

Written by Eurostop

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Mobile POS solutions do much more than just help retailers beat the queues and process more transactions – they improve the customer experience from start to finish. Marcus Ardeman, Sales Executive at Eurostop explains.

queue-busting

At busy shopping times like Christmas, Black Friday, Easter, and sale times, many retailers consider what options they can employ to shorten queue times and process as many transactions as possible. Whether this means adding extra staff or opening rarely used till points, they know that reducing queue times and getting more transactions handled faster increases the number of customers served – and importantly the bottom line.
Talking to our customers we recognised this need and we now provide more flexible, mobile payment solutions that work on tablet devices, enabling retailers to handle increased demand for transactions away from the fixed till point, to beat the queues.

More than just queue-busting

e-pos tabletHowever, that is not the full story! The new interactive POS tablet technology offers so much more than just queue busting, it enables a retailer to support a better customer experience. With so much competition today for retailers the customer experience is key (including those that provide luxury and bespoke items). A more flexible payment solution that works in their store setting can give a retailer the edge on customer service – and one which we are able to offer thanks to the latest mobile and tablet technology.

For these retailers, whether they have four stores or twenty four, the technology can be used by an assistant, who can act as a personal shopper with a customer. Such retailers have realised the benefits of having staff more mobile when serving – using mobile tablets, they can talk with customers, check stock and with bar code scanners and chip and PIN technology, they can also scan products and process transactions from the shop floor. As well as providing a great service, this approach also helps to ensure that queues don’t form in the first place.

In some independent stores, the tablets can even be used to design and create a bespoke piece while with the customer, which can then be ordered and the transaction handled – all from the same device.

To complete the seamless shopping experience the e-receipt functionality enables receipts to be sent directly to the customer’s phone or email. If a printed receipt is required, the use of wi-fi and remote printers ensure that the customer does not need to stand and wait at a till point. Receipts can also be configured to match a store’s style – for example, printed to a different size, (A5 or A4) and include the retailer’s branding.

Improving the customer experience

The ability to check stock from anywhere on the shop floor improves the whole customer experience, enabling staff to be more responsive. Not only can a member of staff use a tablet for a check of stock items in the warehouse, they can also conduct a search on the website. For many retailers with multiple locations that often do not hold all stock in every store – being able to quickly access stock levels at other stores enables sales personnel to handle customer queries efficiently.

In busy times being able to apply such technology could be invaluable. An example might be shoe retailers who have many key peak times, including back to school at the end of the summer. When handling shoe sales, tablets can be used to measure customers’ shoe sizes, check stock against the size required and then process the transaction, all from the shop floor. This prevents queues at the till point as customers line up after the fittings – reducing stress levels for both staff and parents!

A change of mindset

This personalised service approach does require a change of mindset. It is about managing the whole customer experience from the start right through to transaction.

Today the omni-channel retailer is not just focused on processing sales faster and getting more customers through the door. The new tablet technology offers retailers more flexibility to support their business and respond to customers. Rather than simply thinking of a mobile point of sale as queue busting, retailers should think about all the added benefits to their business, and for their customers.

Eurostop

Editor at Eurostop Ltd

Eurostop Ltd provides omnichannel retail software and services to international retailers in the fashion, footwear and retail industries.

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