The Retail Industry

There's no going back. Retail will never be the same again as online shopping has created a global network of competition for nearly every type of product. E-commerce has created higher expectations for consumer convenience and competitive prices, but it has also given brick and mortar retailers new opportunities to shine in relation to their virtual counterpart. In a recent Forbes interview, Perry Kramer of Boston Retail Partners noted the trick to enduring this new convenience economy is competing with a quality customer experience.

For brick and mortar retailers, the game is changing and new rules are being written by the moment. Still, recent Pew Research Center research revealed 63% of Americans prefer brick and mortar over online retail. And the U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau reports that 92 percent of retail dollars are still spent in brick and mortar stores.

With the awareness of an impending evolution, the question turns not toward what (evolve) or when (now), but toward the question of how? Creating a great customer experience begins with understanding the customer’s experience. Tracking and analyzing customer traffic patterns can inform not only the volume of customers but also the subtleties of where and how customers spend their time in the store, and how travel or queue patterns relate to sales. Data such as footfall analytics and wait times can help retailers understand in-store dynamics to better design a fresh customer experience as well as evolve customer service strategies and priorities.

Queue Management Technology Solutions

Today’s queue management technology automates the collection and delivery of real-time and historical data pertaining to service efficiency and customer experience in the queue. Offering real-time insights typically associated with online shopping, in-store queue management technology provides easy-to-implement monitoring that eliminates the guesswork for managers, guiding their decisions on and off the floor.

Through in-store monitoring, performance metrics are delivered in real-time through dashboards or alerts to store managers and employees. With these metrics in hand it becomes possible to predict and respond to the lulls and rushes of waiting customers, reallocating employee resources to deal with the demand.

Real-time data allows front-line employees to be proactive and take immediate action to immediately improve service efficiency and quality, minimize wait times, and improve the morale of those waiting. The end result? A streamlined customer experience that increases conversion rates, basket size, and customer loyalty.