Customer experience, loyalty, footfall and sales. Why hardware retailers should take advantage of the growing demand for appointment scheduling.
The way we shop has been fundamentally altered by the pandemic. With the huge rise in e-commerce, customers want the same levels of safety and simplicity when shopping in physical stores. Yet, they still demand a great in-store experience. Hardware retailers can take advantage of this new mindset by deploying appointment scheduling in their stores. Here’s why.
Appointment scheduling: the new tool for the job
Qudini’s May 2021 consumer survey found that more people want appointment scheduling. When it comes to hardware retailers, 70% of hardware store customers wish to book at least one type of appointment. Most are looking to arrange a time for in-store services (33%), followed by booking store visits (27%) and scheduling virtual advice sessions by phone or video (20%).
Hardware Stores and COVID
From booking store visits at less crowded times to picking up pre-ordered supplies from the curbside, the pandemic has pushed the benefits of appointment scheduling to the forefront of shoppers’ minds. 43% of customers said they would be more likely to schedule an appointment compared to before the pandemic.
Just as safety is paramount when operating hardware machinery, safety is at the top of shoppers’ minds when visiting hardware stores. Almost a third (32%) of consumers want to schedule appointments so they know the store won’t be overcrowded. It’s not surprising, therefore, that the pandemic is accelerating demand for in-store retail choreography. What’s more, consumers are almost equally as interested in saving time (29%) and organising their day better (24%), which suggests that the demand for appointments is here to stay.
- 32% said scheduling an appointment would make them feel safer against Covid-19
- 29% said that it would be beneficial because it’s more efficient and saves time
- 24% said it allows them to better plan their time
- 24% said it allows them to better plan their conversation with the brand
- 18% said it ensures they get better service
- 16% said it means they don’t have to queue
- 10% said it’s a fairer process
Hammer home the benefits
Hardware brands and stores implementing appointment scheduling software now will likely have an advantage over their competitors. 93% of consumers that used an appointment service in the last year said it had a positive impact on them:
Quantifying these metrics suggests that a retailer generating 200 appointments per month, per store (with an average transaction value of $54) could earn an extra $99,600 per store, per year. As such, if you implement appointment scheduling across a 500 store portfolio, you could increase your revenue by roughly $49.8 million per year.
Software solutions for hardware stores
By equipping their stores with the right software, enabling appointment scheduling from their website and training in-store personnel to carry out appointment requests, hardware retailers can enhance customer footfall, experience and loyalty. What’s more, it’s simple to do. For example, we asked consumers what type of appointments they’d like to book and the three most popular methods involved resources that almost all hardware retailers already have – a telephone number, a website and in-store staff.
- By calling the store (30%)
- The company’s website (27%)
- Through a store associate in-person (20%)
As a result, retailers can rapidly roll out the technology across multiple stores. We recently created this best practice guide, which explains how brands are increasing their appointment traffic by creating a dedicated appointment booking landing page on their website.
Schedule an appointment with Qudini
To drive appointment traffic to your stores and boost customer sales, experience, loyalty and advocacy, schedule an appointment with Qudini to find out more.
Download the full whitepaper report on appointment demand within the hardware industry
