How To Reduce Your In-Store Shopping Queue
It’s clearly a great thing if you’re store or event is attracting high numbers, but failing to manage this can lead to highly frustrated and unlikely to return customers. Regardless of how good your product is, the number of views you get on social media, or how nice your store looks, this can all be undermined by a lack of consideration of how to manage your customers, leaving them with a negative mindset in relation to your business. Many might even abandon their purchase if they see a long queue, so it is crucial that you have an infrastructure in place that can deal with high quantities of customer traffic. It’s hardly surprising that Amazon have introduced a store without checkouts at all. Whilst this might be a big and unrealistic step for you, there are plenty of ways in which you can control or even entertain customers when they’re shopping.
Prepare
Sometimes you can’t predict a high volume of customers, but you can certainly be ready for it. Having queue barriers or other similar items somewhere in your establishment, ready to be implemented whenever they might be needed, is a smart and logical idea. You might even need to alter the layout of your store slightly on certain days to make queueing a bit easier. Ensuring your shelves are fully stocked at all times can help you use more of your staff to assist with queue management and reduce it quickly. Working out when and why the number of customers spiked can help you predict in the future, ensuring you have the correct measures in place. Whilst a lot of these tips may have a clear yes or no answer, being prepared for a flurry of customers is something that every organisation should have a plan in place for, with each method being different based on specific circumstances.
Staff
Managing the quantity of staff you have at a certain time is crucial for any business, as either too many or too few can leave the business looking unprofessional. Ensuring they are well-trained and can do their job to the best of their abilities is crucial, as they are a representative of the business and are integral decision-makers of how satisfied your customers are. Good staff can work both independently and as part of a team to achieve common goals and maintain a positive environment. They can help to reduce wait times, manage customer flow, and provide updates on wait times and queue management procedures.
Store Layout
Adapting the layout in your store can massively help with the management of queues, streamlining the process by which customers check out from a store. You should analyse how effective your store is for dealing with large queues, taking a look at the biggest case scenario and working out how you can make it better for your customers.
Introduce Technology
With the ever-changing technological world, taking advantage of new systems that help customers check out efficiently is an excellent and necessary way of thinking. There are various types of technology that can be used to streamline queue management, including virtual queue management systems, mobile point-of-sale systems, and self-checkout options.
Pre-order & Pick-up
Offering pre-order and pick-up options is a great way for businesses to reduce queues and provide a more convenient experience for customers. By allowing customers to order and pay for products online, businesses can avoid the need for customers to wait in-store, reducing congestion and minimising wait times.
Make It Feel Shorter
Whilst this might not technically cut down the queue, it can certainly improve customer satisfaction and build trust for your business. By engaging with customers in a friendly and helpful manner, businesses can help make the waiting time feel shorter and less frustrating.
Conclusion
Queue Management Strategies
| Summary | Benefits | How To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare | • Allows you to be ready for unpredictable circumstances • Can predict better in the future • Specific to each business |
• Have the correct equipment • Place it where the necessary staff can access • Inform staff when to bring out equipment such as queue barriers |
| Staff | • Efficient and friendly staff can control queues with ease • Good communication with customers will put them at ease |
• Set guidelines for how you want your staff to act, especially when it’s busy • Give staff proper training that allows them to fully understand how to act in specific scenarios |
| Store Layout | • Can invite more sales by placing products near where customers will queue • Being adaptable with your store can improve the waiting time for queues |
• Place products next to where customers will queue • Ensure busy areas of the store won’t be impacted by potential queues • Keep queues out of direct sight from passers-by |
| Introduce Technology | • Can speed up the time it takes for customers to check out • Gives the customer more control • Reduces congestion in checkout areas |
• Virtual queue management allows customers to join a virtual queue from their phone • Introduce a self-checkout option so customers can save their own time • Use mobile point-of-sale systems to allow staff to serve customers from anywhere in the store |
| Pre-order & Pick-up | • Allows customers to avoid large crowds and wait times • Reduces the regular queue • Gives customers the option to plan ahead |
• Have a system that allows customers to pre order and pick up items • Place the pick-up point in a convenient location that won’t disrupt anything else |
| Make It Feel Shorter | • Helps to build trust and loyalty with customers • Makes the waiting time feel shorter and can boost the mood of your customers |
• Get staff to engage with customers queuing up • This can be via information, entertainment, or general conversation |
Managing queues in a store is essential for creating a positive customer experience and building long-term customer loyalty. By preparing for high volumes of customers and using a selection of these techniques, businesses can enhance the customer experience, reduce stress for customers, increase operational efficiency, and stay ahead of the competition.
