People love retail therapy. What they don't love is having to wait for service.
Long lines are sometimes unavoidable. Using a virtual line queue can help improve the customer experience and boost sales.
The average consumer claims that 10-15 minutes is the longest acceptable amount of time they'll wait online. In some cases, customers will return their items to the shelf and leave without ever making a purchase. Some of these customers won't return after a bad experience.
Don't let this happen to you!
Instead, learn the many benefits of using a virtual line queue to help retain customers and guarantee conversions.
Keeps Customers Happy
It's no secret in business that most purchases are made based on a person's emotions. The last thing you want is for customers to feel irritated, annoyed, or undervalued. Chances are, frustrated customers aren't going to make additional purchases.
Improve the entire customer experience by offering a more pleasurable wait. Instead of forcing people to stand in a long line that's not budging, a virtual line queue gives customers the freedom to walk around and browse the shelves.
Customers feel more in control of their shopping experience and less like herded cattle. This promotes more positive interactions between the customer and staff.
Short wait times are another appeal that keeps buyers coming back.
Boosts Business
Not only will customers return when they know a virtual line queue is waiting for them, but they're more likely to make additional purchases while in your store.
Since the buyer isn't confined to a long, boring line, they're able to look around at the other products and inventory you offer. Some people will make impulse purchases whereas others might see something they really need.
Either way, the freedom to continue shopping without losing your place in line can do wonders for your bottom line.
Capitalizes on the Returns Process
Return lines are some of the longest in the world of retail and sales. When a customer comes in with an item they want to return, you're already in the negative. You're losing that sale.
But, wait! While that customer is waiting in a virtual queue line for their turn, they're able to shop and look around the store. This increases the likelihood that they'll invest the money they receive from their return on another item.
Now, your lost sale just turned into a new one!
Simplifying the return process is another way to boost sales. The easier it is for customers to return or exchange items they don't like, the more likely they are to shop at your store.
In fact, Zappos credits its 75% repeat customer rate on its seamless return process.
Improves the In-Store Pick-Up Process
With the recent surge in online shopping, more retail stores are now offering in-store pick-up. This means more foot traffic in your store and more customers to handle and organize.
Using a virtual line queue guarantees customers arriving to pick-up items they've ordered online are taken care of in a timely fashion. After all, the whole reason customers order online and pick-up in the store is to avoid going to the register and waiting.
Most pick-up items are already paid for, simplifying the process even further.
Offering in-store pick-up also means the chance for you to have a positive encounter with online shoppers and to capitalize on impulse purchases.
In fact, a recent study reported that 37% of customers picking up online orders in-store, make additional purchases they weren't originally planning to make.
Collect Data About Customers
The more the sales associate knows about the needs of the customers, the better they can serve them. Most virtual line queues collect certain data and information from the customers while they're waiting.
Employees can determine why the customer is there, if there are issues with their order or purchase, and what time they arrived. This allows for a more personalized buying or return process for the customer. It also expedites the process, reducing wait times and increasing efficiency.
Another way that virtual line queues speed-up the customer service process is by batching similar customer needs together. For example, if several customers are waiting to pick up an online order, the associate can retrieve multiple orders at once. This makes for a faster, more efficient experience.
Luxury Advantages
Some retailers are taking the use of virtual line queues one step further. Most businesses can only hope that customers have a positive experience with their associates and sales staff. For some shoppers, their entire experience relies on a single employee's presence in the store.
Introducing, a virtual queuing program that allows customers to make scheduled appointments with their favorite worker. Now, customers can have the perfect shopping experience each and every time.
This type of queuing system allows shoppers to choose the exact time and day that their favorite employee is working and schedule a specific time to shop with them. While this is being mostly implemented with luxury companies, it just goes to show the importance and value of customer satisfaction.
Use a Virtual Line Queue to Boost Business and Customer Retention
Are you losing customers thanks to long wait times or inefficient customer service? Using a virtual line queue not only improves the customer experience but helps increase sales.
Happy customers are more likely to impulse shop and browse your inventory with a positive outlook. Virtual line queues cut down on time and aggravation for both shoppers and associates.
Bring in more foot traffic with a seamless returns process and short wait times.
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