You're familiar with the process; you have to keep ahead of the competition in order to succeed. There are many ways to do that, and you've probably used most, if not all of them. What you might have overlooked, though, is doing an upgrade to your check-out counters. Make your checkouts more efficient to get ahead of the competition.
Outdo your competition by designing checkout counters:
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So that customers can be served quickly
You do everything you can to make your customers' shopping experiences enjoyable. However, perhaps the same can't be said of your checkout process. Your job is to help your customers check out as quickly as possible once they're done shopping; if you make them wait, you're not serving them to the best of your ability. Here's how to make your check-out counters more efficient:
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With speed in mind
In much of today's retail market, merchandise barcode scanners are ubiquitous to the checkout line. If you haven't upgraded, it may be time to do so. Even if it only takes you a few seconds more to manually enter a price versus scanning it, it's probably worth it for both you and your customers. You'll speed up the checkout process so that you can serve more customers in the same amount of time, and your customers will appreciate their fast trips through the checkout line.
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With more counter space
Your check-out counters should be made larger if you can accommodate the extra space they'll take up, for a couple of reasons. Number one, a large counter allows customers to easily place items for checkout without fear of dropping merchandise or having it fall off the counter. Plus: a larger counter can actually increase sales. That's because when customers can "pile" merchandise on the checkout counter with abandon, they won't be afraid to buy more. If you've got small check-out counters, they may feel they have to limit the amount or size of their purchases to the space you provide.
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With room for plenty of point-of-sale displays next to the checkout
Don't forget your point-of-sale displays, either. While you want to provide merchandise that provides easy "impulse buy" profits for you through customer purchases like magazines, candy and gum, you'll also want to provide point-of-sale displays with items customers actually need. They'll be grateful to you because these types of displays give them an extra chance to buy something they might otherwise have forgotten. Over the counter medications, first aid supplies, and travel sized personal hygiene items like shampoo are just some examples of truly needed items that you can stock next to the checkout.
What about self-service check-out counters?
Increasingly, retailers are using self-service checkouts as an option for shoppers who want to get through the line quickly.
Are they for you? That depends. If your customers truly expect to be served from start to finish, it may be in your best interest to optimize your traditional check-out counters for efficiency but avoid self-service.
However, if you have a subset of customers that you know would truly appreciate the ability to check out via a self-service option and it's doable, you may want to devote one check-out counter to self-service. You should still provide traditional checkout services for customers who want them.
Streamline your checkout process with efficient check-out counters. This will give you a leg up on the competition that has nothing to do with tapping into your advertising budget. Instead, serve your customers well by making the shopping experience enjoyable and the checkout process as expedient as possible. You'll gain their loyalty and appreciation in return.
