Customer experience: optimizing in-store waiting time

Customer experience is a powerful differentiator. In the world of retail, for equivalent products and prices, customers will always prefer the brand capable of making its point of sale more attractive and efficient. Digital signage, with its impactful, contextualized and always-up-to-the-minute content, plays an important role in a store's attractiveness, perceived waiting time and customer experience.   

Waiting times: a sticking point to combat 

Busy time seems shorter than idle time. This is what researcher David Maister explains in his book " The Psychology of Waiting Lines ". The more retailers are able to divert customers' attention and minimize boredom during the downtime of a purchase, the faster time seems to pass. Displays strategically placed at points likely to cause the most friction can subtly mislead customers, inform or entertain them, while reinforcing the brand image of retail networks.

In the case of supermarkets, the two most critical moments are waiting at the checkout and searching for information when staff are unavailable. For agencies or the sale of services (catering, tertiary, etc.), customers have to wait before being taken care of, or if the professional is late. These are all key moments that require a reduction in perceived waiting time. 

Several strategies can be applied to minimize perceived waiting time:   

• Inform customers why they have to wait and how long they have to wait, with dynamic signage adapted to traffic flows. 
• Transform this moment into a useful time: present informative content on screens, generate better knowledge of the offering, generate brand commitment, etc. 
• Add a touch of fun with interactive games, promotions, contests, etc.
  

Case studies: how Axa, Boulanger and PPG have improved the in-store customer experience 

Good practice is only useful when it's shared. Here are three concrete examples to inspire you. 

Boulanger: improving the customer experience at checkout

For the home equipment specialist, digital signage plays a key role in capturing the attention of customers waiting at the checkout. On the screens, Boulanger promotes its products and offers, and broadcasts content from its partner brands and suppliers, while anchoring itself in the local reality to maximize the impact of its communications, notably with messages adapted to its catchment area. 

In-store studies have shown that the customer experience is improved at the checkout. Actual waiting times were measured and compared with those experienced by customers. The latter was 2 to 4 minutes shorter for customers with access to a dynamic display screen, contributing to a better checkout experience.  

Axa: interactive screens to keep customers waiting

The agency was looking for a solution to welcome its customers, inform them of new products and offers, and reduce their perception of waiting time. With the installation of an interactive digital signage solution and the provision of a tablet, visitors have access to a library of videos that they can choose to play on screen. Customers can then consult predefined content to find information on the offer most relevant to them, resulting in a 53% higher level of message recall.

PPG Industries: Animating waiting times in Comptoirs Seigneurie Gauthier stores

In the 200 stores selling paint and varnish for home and professional use, customers have to wait while their orders are being prepared. To limit the perceived waiting time, the brand has created a convivial space where customers and sales staff can chat over a coffee, all with connected screens relaying the brand's communications (news, sales events, promotion of offers and services, etc.). Waiting times have thus become moments of sharing and brand promotion.

When it can't be avoided, waiting time must be kept under control. To do this, you can create moments of information and connivance to occupy customers' minds and limit frustration, as we saw in the previous use cases. Thanks to a fleet of screens that can be remotely controlled, you can facilitate the management of your point-of-sale communication and optimize the customer experience across all your stores. A perfect combination of return on investment and customer experience.

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