With Christmas exactly one week away, we have officially entered into “last minute shopping” territory. There’s no question that shoppers want what they’re looking for – quickly! Therefore, long queues in your store can lead to frustrated customers. This can dampen the festive spirit and harm your reputation.
What can you do to avoid long queues that frustrate holiday shoppers?
Introduce self-checkout options.
Especially when they’re in a huge rush, many customers prefer self-service options. They help to avoid waiting in line. Installing self-checkout kiosks or providing a mobile app for in-store purchases can speed up the process. For example, a tablet-based self-checkout station allows customers to scan items and pay for them directly. Alternatively, mobile payment apps enable shoppers to complete their purchases via their smartphones without needing assistance.
As reported by Sylvain Charlebois of Retail Insider, a Dalhousie University study found that 75 percent of Canadians had used self-checkouts while visiting the grocery store at least once over the six months prior to the survey. 85.1 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their experience. “All told, self-checkouts are becoming more popular than ever, even surpassing serviced checkouts,” writes Charlebois.
Hire temporary staff.
It’s not too late to bolster your staff for the craziest part of the holiday shopping season. Getting additional help is a smart way to handle increased foot traffic. Seasonal workers can assist with bagging items, managing queues or answering customer questions to keep lines moving efficiently. It’s important to ensure that your temporary team is trained to operate your point-of-sale system, understand your store layout and provide excellent customer service.
“One of the most apparent advantages of hiring temporary workers for the holidays is to address the surge in customer demand,” says All Trades Staffing Services, “Whether you’re in the retail, hospitality, or e-commerce sectors, this time of year usually sees an uptick in orders, customer service inquiries, visitors, and foot traffic. Temp workers can step in to meet these heightened demands, helping your business operate smoothly without overburdening your staff.”
Incentivize off-peak shopping hours.
Does your store get super busy in the evening when most people are off work? Find ways to encourage customers to shop during quieter times. For example, offer time-based promotions such as giving discounts to early-morning or midweek shoppers. As well, you can offer loyalty points or exclusive offers for those who make purchases during specific hours. This strategy will help you to distribute foot traffic more evenly throughout the day or week.
“It’s also worthwhile to try to engage last-minute shoppers by making it easy for them to start and finish their shopping in one trip,” notes tvScientific, “They usually prefer online shopping, but this can be an issue if they wait too long and miss shipping deadlines. If your brand can solve this problem for them, it’ll be more likely that you’ll earn their business.”
Utilize Taliup Register.
With Taliup Register, you can say goodbye to long queues and frustrated customers! With our dual-screen smart payment terminal equipped with our POS solution, you can optimize your checkout process, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and ultimately, drive revenue growth. To learn more, call Unity Payments at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca today!
