Investor Relations

Many retail corporations make the error of seeing the queue as a disadvantage – it’s a typically held belief that a lengthy queue can dissuade potential customers from buying.

Whilst in many instances this may be accurate and inescapable, a shop queue can easily be used to the stores advantage if they use it correctly.

Point of sale is where most impulse buys are made, and display units integrated into queue systems have become very common in retail. In most cases stores will exhibit small, budget friendly items which will appeal to a great deal of consumers. For example, you will often see sweets or chocolates displayed at the tills in grocery stores, or socks and jewellery in clothes shops.

Not only do point of sale display units profit the business by boosting sales, they also in fact boost the patience level of waiting customers, making them less likely to exit the line before buying. Consumers will also be less likely to reconsider if or not they really want the product they’re intending to buy if they are preoccupied by other goods in queue.

So as to realise optimal sales it’s also important to consider queue control . Rather than having individual lines for every till, the most business savvy retail outlets have one long line for each and every accessible till. It is extremely irritating for the shopper when they are stood in line and the adjacent queue moves at a faster pace than their own. So despite the fact that one queue may appear longer than 4 or 5 individual queues, this is a substantially fairer system as consumers are served in the order in which they enter the queue. A single line will in addition appear to be moving considerably faster than individual queues.

Queue control can also be handled through the use of ‘virtual queue systems’ as opposed to ‘physical queues systems’. The catalogue shop Argos, is easily the most prominent instance of virtual queue systems being incorporated into a shopping environment, though the system is typically seen utilised in hospitals and doctor’s surgeries.

Virtual queuing advantages the shopper essentially simply because they are usually supplied with a seat while waiting. Shoppers who are sitting are normally more happy to wait for a longer stretch of time than people compelled to stand. This can consequently enhance profits, as a lower number of shoppers will walk away from point of sale.

In order to enhance customer knowledge, thus improving the speed at which a queue proceeds, electronic digital signage can be used.

If a single line is in place in a shop, the shopper may be stood at considerable distance from the till where they’re to be served. This could cause problems should the consumer not be conscious that a till has become free. Electronic digital signage can be employed in synchronisation with a speaker system so as to notify customers when a till becomes free. This system will make sure that the line is constantly moving as fast as possible. Consumer stress can also be lessened because they are able to relax while waiting, as opposed to being forced to keep highly alert so that they don’t miss their turn.

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