Qmatic has launched its new solution for in-store customer journeys, specifically designed for Click & Collect. The solution builds on experience from handling two billion customer interactions worldwide every year, and offers an important innovation to make Click & Collect a great, seamless shopping experience every time.
40 per cent of retailers seeing continued growth in this customer preference in 2017, according to research from Qmatic. The convenience of selecting items and paying online, then picking up your goods at a time and location of your preference without the hassle of waiting for a delivery, appeals to a growing number of online consumers. However, this omnichannel approach can often end in disappointment.
Many retailers struggle to offer a great experience to their online shoppers entering stores to collect their purchases. Qmatic’s research revealed that 53 per cent of retailers agree that there is a disconnect between their online and instore experience. Poor signage, lack of customer notifications and no dedicated collection areas contribute to friction in the collection process. Customers can be left waiting in long lines rather than experiencing the convenience that Click & Collect was designed to achieve.
The new scalable solutions for Click & Collect from Qmatic enable the consumer to check in at arrival, either by a self-serve kiosk or mobile-enabled staff member at the door who can “quick serve” their needs. This check-in notifies staff of customers in-store so that their order can be located and brought out ready for collection. The system informs the customer through text
messages to keep them informed, and offers directions to the collection area or equivalent. When the package is ready, the Qmatic system notifies the customer.
The benefits with this Qmatic solution for click and collect are many: It gives both staff and consumers better insight throughout their respective journeys. Importantly, it also enables retailers to design their shopping environments to promote browsing whilst customers wait, transforming what is generally a passive and frustrating waiting experience to an active and pleasurable waiting experience, which can lead to increased sales and overall customer satisfaction.
“The Qmatic system is very scalable”, says Ellen Hartelius, product manager at Qmatic in Mölndal, Sweden. “It is possible to include customer feedback surveys and connect to digital signage amongst other things, and the fact that our system captures rich data for every step of the journey is very valuable for many retailers.”
The UK has been a forerunner in the Click & Collect trend, and Vanessa Walmsley, managing director at Qmatic UK, emphasises the possibilities retailers can take advantage of with the Qmatic solution, as the general global trend towards online shopping raises questions about the future of instore retail: “Many brands have big challenges to address when it comes to their omnichannel offer and what specifically the role that the physical store will play in the future – will stores be smaller or perhaps fewer? The benefit of Click & Collect is it brings the customer back into the store. It gives a great opportunity to create new concepts like VIP shopping and presenting high margin products around the collection area. It might be the best chance for retailers to reach the new generation of consumers,” Vanessa said.
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