Electronics retailer, Dixons Carphone, launches contactless curbside collection at 20 of its Currys PC World stores in the UK using Qudini’s click and collect check-in software.
With non-essential stores set to reopen 15 June, Dixons Carphone will be applying lessons learned from its Nordic operations, where stores have stayed open despite the pandemic, to act as a blueprint for the opening of its UK stores, says chief executive, Alex Baldock.
“In the Nordics [Denmark and Sweden], our stores continue to operate to high social distancing and hygiene standards, providing a successful blueprint for how our UK stores can safely reopen as soon as government so decides,” he says.
Electronics retailer, Dixons Carphone, which owns a number of subsidiaries including Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse, has launched a number of interesting initiatives during Covid-19 that support social distancing, such as:
Contactless curbside collection
Dixons Carphone has launched a contactless curbside collection service at 20 of its Currys PC World stores in England, allowing shoppers to pickup their goods immediately without having to enter stores, Retail Technology Innovation Hub reports.
Using a virtual queuing system, the zero contact drive thru model allows customers to drive to stores with dedicated parking bays where they can pay for and pickup the products they wish to purchase while staying in their cars.
Read more about contactless curbside collection.
Livestreaming with sales assistants throughout the UK
Dixons Carphone is also livestreaming its sales assistants through its ShopLive personal shopping service. Customers browsing on the currys.co.uk site, for instance, will be invited to chat with sales assistants across the UK via a popup ShopLive video link on selected webpages. There is also talk of the service showing live demonstrations of products where customers can ask questions.
At the end of April, the retailer reported online sales had jumped by 166% in the UK and Ireland, and by 16% overseas, as a result of the lockdown, with items such as computer equipment, breadmakers, gaming equipment and TVs proving to be particularly popular.
Find out more about livestreaming events during Covid-19
Zero-contact shops and increased hygiene standards
The international electronics retailer is also said to be introducing a number of contactless shops, where only a small part of an existing outlet is open to customers, while sales assistants provide products and assistance from behind screens.
When stores do eventually reopen, a Currys PC World store told The Mirror that it will implement the following initiatives to keep customers safe:
- Reducing the number of customers allowed in store at one time.
- Clear floor-markings to keep customers at least two metres away from one another.
- Increased and more regular cleaning, as well as equipping store associates with extra protective equipment.
- Safety screens at tills and other places where customers come into contact with employees.
