With supermarket retailers under pressure to replenish stock, meet increased consumer demands, manage a reduced or exhausted workforce and enforce social distancing protocols, providing a streamlined and efficient customer experience has unfortunately (yet understandably) been pushed to the back of the queue.
As retailers limit the number of customers able to enter their stores at any given time and enforce social distancing policies outside stores by positioning foot markers six feet apart, supermarket shoppers are faced with lengthy lines that unnecessarily place them, and those around them, at risk.
(Read: Steps supermarkets are taking to protect customers and employees during the Coronavirus outbreak)
However, there is a digital alternative a number of supermarkets are putting into place that eliminates the need to queue altogether.
Find out how to enhance your supermarket operations while enabling social distancing during Covid-19
How a virtual queuing system can easily eliminate Coronavirus queues
Instead of asking your customers to wait in lengthy lines, supermarkets can employ virtual queueing systems that allow customers to enter queues digitally, such as through their mobile devices.
Customers are then given their position in the queue alongside an accurate wait time estimate, and can track their position in the queue in real-time.
And when it’s their turn to enter your store, customers are called forward automatically.
This is an approach that New Zealand grocery retail company, Foodstuffs, is piloting in its New World supermarket in Kumeu and in its Pak’nSave supermarket in Royal Oak, Auckland.
“It made sense to me straight away,” said New World Kumeu’s Owner, Wade Brown, “so it was a no-brainer.”
How Qudini’s Virtual Queuing System works for supermarkets
Qudini Virtual Queue Management software eliminates the need for customers to line up from outside supermarket by:
- Enabling customers to join a digital queue by weblink, SMS, QR code, your app, a host or a kiosk.
- Providing customers with their queue position and an accurate wait time estimate via the interface used to check-in and by SMS.
- Enabling customers to relax while following their queue position and wait time by an in-app or weblink tracker.
- Automatically calling forward waiting customers by SMS and a smartphone or TV display.
How Qudini’s Retail Choreography software can benefit your supermarket during Covid-19:
- Eliminate the need for physical lines outside your supermarkets by creating virtual queues.
- Streamline your click and collect check-in services with Queuing and Appointment Scheduling software.
- Control customer volumes and keep your most at-risk customers safe by enabling customers to schedule visit times.
- Easily coordinate essential activities across thousands of stores by using the Qudini Task Management software.
- Gain valuable insights into your store operations, your customer needs and their experience during the Covid-19 period.
Qudini’s cloud-based, out-of-the-box software is used by a number of prominent supermarket retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, and can be deployed to thousands of stores in a matter of hours.
Find out more about how Qudini can benefit your supermarket store during Covid-19 here:
