The session “‘The Moment of Truth? Check Me Out’: Queue Bursting Technology” analyzed the basic problem of queue at the bill counter and the hassles customers face wasting time which dampens the shopping spirit leaving a negative impact on customer loyalty.
The session was moderated by Vikram Idani, Head-IT, Trent Ltd. The eminent panelists were Amit Bhatia, Head-Retail Solutions, NEC India Pvt Ltd; Asif Merchant, MD, Catwalk Worldwide; Manoj Gor, Regional Senior Manager, PVR; Rahul Puri, AVP IT & CISO, Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd; Ranjan Sharma, Head-IT & Supply Chain, Bestseller Retail India; Uzwal Kumar Chatterjee, VP & Head IT, Mahindra Retail Pvt Ltd.
Mr Idani initiated the discussion asking each panelist
What is the moment of truth for you?
For Mr Puri it’s customers hitting POS, placing orders and paying before the counter; for Mr Sharma since Bestseller is in the space of fast fashion the stores need to exude freshness, be it in merchandise or window; for Mr Chatterjee Mahindra Retail-owned Mom & Me is in specialized retail space so brand awareness amongst the customers is the moment of truth; for Mr Merchant the Indian brands need to wake up to deliver services on par with international standard.
The requirement of queue bursting
Young generation, who are buyers of fast fashion, do not like to wait to check out. The problem intensifies during EOS (End of Season) sale, but Mr Chatterjee shared that that time can be utilized by developing interesting mobile apps for in-store promotion.
Mr Bhatia shared how queue bursting solutions worked for PVR, saving 40-50% of time, increasing 40-50% sales.
How successful is self check-out?
Self check-out kiosks and hand-held terminals are some solutions for queue bursting but do they fit in every store format?
The panelists opined that for some high-end store it works but not for grocery stores where customers visiting are not that tech-savvy.
Instead, omni-channel retailing is one effective solution for queue bursting. Mr Bhatia stated that even Walmart is winding its self-kiosk checking out services; it’s not successful for Ikea in the US. But Mr Merchant felt differently. According to him, it’s not convenience but discount online attracts customers.