customer with the right sales advisor or sector of the store, give customers a maximum wait time and reduce customers frustration. The digital age also means that customers can even book their space in the queue before entering the store via their smart phone or tablet. Once in store retailers need to find out as quickly as possible what assistance the customer requires. This can be via a self‐service terminal, a meet and greet member of staff or if pre‐booked online, through the web. These new systems not only help customers to get served quicker and by the right advisor, they also help retailers track customers needs and sales. By using this system customers can utilise the time they would have spent queuing; by browsing, viewing promotional material or even getting a coffee, which in turn boosts sales. Customer flow technology can also be used to facilitate customer loyalty by matching customers to staff they have been served by previously, all of which goes to ensure the customer a more satisfactory shopping experience. Steve Williams Sales Director at Qmatic says “A single, unmanaged queue can quickly get out of control, blocking aisles and leaving customers feeling frustrated and unwelcome. Perhaps they simply walk away, resulting in missed sales or performance targets.”
Retailers that opt to go for a more traditional queuing system also need to make sure the time customers spend queuing isn’t wasted. A good barrier system with space for impulse purchases such as magazines and confectionary can add to revenue and keep the customer from becoming bored. “It is also ideal for secondary placement of newly launched products” says Duncan Hill Managing
Director at HL Display “to give shoppers a second look in an environment where very often they have more time to browse.” When using display and signage within the queuing system retailers need to remember to keep sales messages clear as some customers using the store in less busy times won’t need to queue but will be able to walk straight up to the counter. HL Display recently developed an in‐queue topper system for Wrigley for use within a well‐ known retailer. The topper was to display mints and chewing gum without constricting the space below, but also needed to be accessed from both sides. HL Display designed this topper with a lid to also reduce the chance of theft. This display solution shows how space can be maximized and how bespoke merchandising solutions can maximize sales and also help customers get the most out of queuing. Supermarkets have a tough time organising queuing as most customers have multiple items and can take time to be served. Customers now expect both traditional belted checkouts and self‐service checkouts to be offered and larger stores to offer scan as you go technology. ITAB UK Shop Products supply checkouts and queue management systems to many of the UK’s large grocery retailers. Mark Newell, Business Development Director at ITAB Shop Products says “The recent trends towards more regular shopping trips and the explosion of convenience stores have compounded the challenges of effective flow management. In the Grocery sector, this is becoming even more complex as the large format retailers enter the convenience store format and convenience operators
Image left: Qmatic Queue System
www.a1retailmagazine.com
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