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Coles engages 'retail behaviour technology' experts to to reduce customer waiting time
COLES has instigated a world-first pilot program to dramatically reduce customer wait times and improve the in-store experience, utilising new digital technologies that constantly analyse customer behaviour patterns.
The pilot program currently underway at the Coles Taylor Hills store is the first in-store collaboration between US and UK leaders in the field, Brickstream and Maidenbower.
A Brickstream system has been installed to measure customer traffic, analyse queuing times and behaviour, and predict the number of queue lanes required in the next five, 10 and 15 minutes.
The Maidenbower Consulting (MBC) customer-centric methodology provides Coles staff with best practices for acting on the recommendations made by the Brickstream system, including opening a new register to reduce customer waiting time, as well as how to respond to common customer behaviour patterns to create a better retail experience.
Brickstream's BehaviorIQ platform, TrafficIQ and QueueIQ applications, and Brickstream 3D smart devices use advanced analytics and sophisticated stereo vision technology to discreetly capture highly accurate intelligence about in-store customer behaviour as people come and go, move about, and wait in line at retail locations. This rich insight helps retailers better understand shopping characteristics such as the ratio of sales to store traffic, wait times of individuals in queues, and service levels, as well as how customers are responding to product displays and other types of promotions.
The combination is a world first in automating areas of store management that have until now been governed by on-floor management and staff observation and reaction.
"The overall customer experience is influenced by the last thing they remember in a store and that shouldn't be waiting an eternity to purchase your item," said Paul King, managing director of MBC.
"Working with the Brickstream solution will help retailers make serious improvements to wait times and to customer service in general."
Brickstream CEO Steve Jeffery said the combination with MBC and the Coles project was a catalyst for greater innovation in the area of catering to customer needs and wants.
"Our partnership with Maidenbower provides our joint customers with the best of both worlds, the implementation of the leading in-store behaviour intelligence technology along with best practices for how to respond to the knowledge that the technology provides," Mr Jeffery said.
"We look forward to expanding our relationship with Maidenbower and working together on additional large-scale, in-store projects."
MBC has worked with retail service businesses to train staff on the latest retailing technologies and promote best practice customer service for more than 20 years. It specialises in large-scale training rollouts, helping national and international businesses deliver skills to their workforces via a mix of trainer and delegate sessions, online interactions, and shop floor training.
MBC has helped leading UK retailer, Sainsbury's become the number one user of self-service technology in the world and - MBC's Mr King said -- gain "100 percent positive feedback in the process".
www.maidenblowerconsulting.com
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