CAEM Article: Queues, the untapped potential.

Customer Queues, the untapped potential.

Waiting in line to make a purchase is never the most enthralling experience. If you've ever simply abandoned a queue (and the purchase) then you'd not be the only one.

But, queues don't have to be boring or frustrating, you only need to go to any major US theme park to discover that.

Within retail, the creation of a queue strategy can help to not only reduce the frustration of long waiting times, but even uncover opportunities to sell more. Below is a guide to enhancing your queue areas, for the betterment of customers and your bottom line.

Queue Management

Central to a successful queue strategy is the customer. They need to be able to quickly find the till area and understand where to queue. The queue area must not look too daunting (like queuing at customs at an airport), but at the same time it must have the capacity to deal with large numbers of people at busy times, without customers ending up circling the store.

Provide Realistic Waiting Times

Ensure that any indications of queue time are accurate (or even a little exaggerated) so that customers feel as though you have made the extra effort to surpass their expectations. Obviously indications of wait times are valuable in some stores but not others. Some customers may be deterred by knowing wait times, while others would value it.

Include Entertainment

Depending on the scale and nature of your store, entertainment may be a solution to keeping your customers engaged while they are in a queue. Implement screens, not just showing advertising (though this could form a part of it), but news, sports or even a music channel. If you're offering kids products or are a family focused store then why not add puzzles or games into the queue area to keep them and adults entertained?

Use the Opportunity to promote and sell.

Often overlooked, is the opportunity to incorporate displays into the queue space. Cleverly designed queue systems can keep customers organised and heading in the right direction, while also promoting those last-minute impulse 'must-have' purchases before the checkout.

Talk to CAEM about optimising your Queue spaces. We have manufactured and supplied a cross section of queue solutions to retailers around the world. Below are a few examples of our Q25, and its various options.