In fact, stores everywhere are embracing technology. Top Shop and Gap have been experimenting with augmented reality in their changing rooms and using ‘smart mirrors’ that allow customers to virtually try on clothes and compare different looks side-by-side.
In the US, home improvement store Lowe’s is giving customers DIY tips via hologram figures. Also in America, department store chain Target has been trialling robot assistants that can answer customers’ queries while tracking their movements via sensors. This provides invaluable intelligence on those areas of the store that attract the customer most.
Such ingenious developments are helping to create a boom that is fuelling development and expansion for the more forward-thinking retail chiefs. For example, October this year saw the opening of a new 200,000 sq ft shopping centre at the O2. Besides offering a wide range of shops, the Icon Centre also features eight cinema screens plus an Oxygen Freejumping trampoline park.
use a smartphone or tablet to pinpoint those washrooms where cleaning or refill needs are the most urgent.
Tork EasyCube works particularly well in high-end shopping centres where the power of the internet is being embraced rather than challenged. For example, the architects of Welle 7 at Bern in Switzerland’s main railway station – a leisure and retail concept – installed Tork EasyCube in all its washrooms as part of a strategy to incorporate the latest technology into its design. The system is dramatically improving cleaning efficiency at the complex.
It is not only technology that can improve efficiency in high- traffic washrooms, of course. Cleverly-designed facilities will also help to speed up washroom throughput and maximise the time a customer can spend on the shop floor, in the café or at one of the paid-for attractions.
Queueing in the washroom can be kept to a minimum if a sufficient number of cubicles are supplied and if the hand washing process is quick and seamless. Hand drying often creates queues because air dryers take between 10 and 12 seconds to dry the hands, while poorly-designed hand towel dispensers tend to jam frequently or run out of towels quickly, forcing the visitor to spend time searching for a functioning unit.
“Cleverly-designed facilities will help to speed up washroom throughput and maximise the time a customer can spend on the shop floor, in the café or at one of the paid-for attractions.”
Work has also begun on transforming London’s Brent Cross into a massive new complex with 200 more shops plus a cinema, 60 restaurants and hotel accommodation. The facility is due to be completed in 2022.
Of course, these multi-use facilities present a massive cleaning challenge. Contract cleaners and facility managers are expected to keep these vast spaces spotlessly clean at all times – even though retail outlets are becoming progressively larger and operating for longer hours while also being used by a mix of shoppers, diners, leisure- seekers, workers, hotel residents and cinema-goers.
So, it makes sense for cleaning companies and facility managers to harness technology themselves in order to increase the efficiency of cleaning. Robot cleaning machines, ‘connected’ trolleys and sensor-operated equipment are all helping to boost productivity and make life easier for cleaners.
Washrooms are at the sharp end of cleaning since a poorly-maintained toilet will quickly become messy and grubby – and this will reflect badly on the entire facility. Tork EasyCube addresses this problem by enabling staff to check on cleaning needs via sensors in washrooms and in dispensers. These constantly monitor visitor traffic and refill levels so that a cleaner covering a sprawling site is able to
www.tomorrowscleaning.com RETAIL & DAYTIME CLEANING | 37
Tork PeakServe works particularly well in high-traffic washrooms since the dispenser caters for over 1,000 washroom visitors between refills – 600 more than most other dispensers. Each towel is delivered within three seconds, allowing the user to take a towel and then move on. And the unit will never jam since the paper is delivered via a continuous roll.
The internet is here to stay and will continue to shape the way in which we communicate, socialise, work and shop. The smartest of business chiefs will understand that in order to survive they need to embrace the change and use the internet to inspire their customers and enhance their offer.
By working hand in hand with technology we can create magical spaces that work for everyone: the customer, the retail manager, the facilities staff – and the cleaner.
www.tork.co.uk
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