COVID-19: Access restrictions in retail
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly shaped the face of retail. While the German Federal Government and the states have decided to relax the restrictions to curb the spread of corona, every retailer must ensure that safety and hygiene precautions are followed. In addition to the 1.5m distance rule between individuals, COVID regulations also state that the number of customers simultaneously present in the store is restricted. Examples include one person per ten square meters, as was applicable in NRW, or one person per 20 square meters in Bavaria. For many stores this led to long queues and, in consequence, reduced customer satisfaction. To improve the overall experience and provide efficient queue management, retail had to invest in appropriate customer flow management systems.
With the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in industry and business, many retail companies are now facing new challenges: How do I guarantee the minimum distance between customers, and how do I control the number of people in the store? While the minimum distance is usually indicated by markings on the floor, e-shelf-labels offer a smart management system that allows you to measure the customer flow at the entrance and exit and visualize wait time to the customer via digital customer stoppers or alternative digital signage displays. Not only does this benefit service time, as staff productivity is directed back towards in-store customer service, but also the customer experience as a whole, seeing as queuing is more transparent, minimizing walk-aways.
Using sensors, the smart customer flow management of e-shelf-labels tracks how many customers are currently in the store and passes this information on to the stored software. The software compares the data with the predefined personal limit and sends the corresponding signal to a display.
If the limit is reached, a STOP or a red traffic light symbol appears on the digital customer stopper or interactive kiosk to inform customers of necessary waiting times. If a customer leaves the shop, the display switches back to the GO or green surface. The content of the queue management system can be designed individually and in your corporate design via a Content on Demand system and therefore supplemented with further information such as advertising or news.
Advantages for your company:
- Easy to install and use
- Constant information about the customer flow in your store
- Transparency for your customers and employees
- Improved customer experience
- More operational efficiency
- Relief of your employees through digital signage solution
- Comprehensible and intuitive design
- Digital technology solution without paper ticket printers
- Application of components possible even after COVID-19
The installation of the queue management system is simple, cost-effective and requires no special knowledge. If you have a local wireless network (Wifi) with Internet access and standard network connections, your shop is suitable for implementing the Smart Customer Flow Management. Virtually any monitor or TV with an HDMI connection can be used to display the content. If you want to use already existing displays instead of the recommended Digital Customer Stopper, you will need a media player in addition to the sensors and software included in the system. We will be happy to offer you a media player as a package. The number of sensors depends on the structure of your shop. If input and output are identical, one sensor is sufficient. If input and output are separated, you need two sensors.
The content of the displays as well as the administration of the access settings (e.g. setting the limit) can be easily managed and edited via a user-friendly web interface. Design the templates according to your corporate design and add individual content: advertising, discount campaigns, shop news or general news. This way, you can use Digital Customer Stoppers as advertising space at the same time and shorten your customers' waiting time in front of your store.
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Pricing
All prices are given in Euro as net prices.
Sensors:
| Same entrance and exit (1 sensor) 169,00€ net |
Separate entrance and exit (2 sensors) 319,00€ net |
Digital Signage Display:
| Option A: 43" Digital customer stopper by e-shelf-labels
1290,00 € net |
Option B: Existing Display with A-216W Media Player
75,00 € net |
Subscription:
| Monthly fee for Smart Customer Flow Managment (3 months in advance)
20,00 € net |
After Corona: Shop Entertainment and interactive Product Adviser
After the pandemic, sensors and displays can be integrated into the store infrastructure in a sensible way. While the sensors can continue to measure customer flows for statistical purposes, the digital billboards can serve, for example, as a modern advertising medium or as an interactive product adviser. This makes it easier for your customers to make an immediate decision when making a purchase. Alternatively, the screens can facilitate the customer journey by offering online searches in-store, making online research for comparisons and reviews at home superfluous! Via display or touch screen, the virtual sales advisers provide the essential information about the desired article. Via link to the digital price tags of e-shelf labels, the position of the article is also indicated by flashing of the LEDs integrated in the labels, which eliminates long searches in the store and thus possible purchase cancellations.
If you want more information on our digital customer flow management solutions, our team will be happy to discuss details with you and advise you on the best hardware options for your store of the best ways of integrating the queue management system in your existing infrastructure to increase efficiency and control waiting times for your customers.
