How can retailers release the pressure on billing counters during COVID times
The pandemic has created an interesting problem for retailers. On one hand they want to invite more shoppers to their store, on the other hand they have to ensure social distancing and other precautions at billing counters. Retailers who are unable to mitigate challenges that come in the way to provide a seamless billing experience to their customers are more likely to suffer. They can lose customers and thus sales.
As a retailer, you need to think like a consumer first!
For example, remember the time you yourself visited a grocery store or any retail outlet to buy products? You may have roamed the entire store to pick up a few items and then looking at the crowd in front of the billing counter, regretted shopping from the store. In a few instances you dropped the items and came out and in a few others struggled to buy the products but never wanted to visit the store again.
Having said that, it’s not the fault of the retailer, but the ancient, lagging POS systems in place that makes the billing process extremely difficult.
Retailers need to buckle up and adopt the new age retail management software that can streamline and give momentum to the age old billing process. Moreover, its technology driven features also can fuel the overall retail experience and increase recurring customer footfalls.
Let's look at a few capabilities of the best retail management software present in the market
To ease the billing processes, a few essential features that the best retail management software can offer are:
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Easy and quick billing process
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Having multiple billing counters
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Using barcode scanner to boost billing
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Easy processes to keep the customers informed about available offers, cards, memberships perks, loyalty points and discounts
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Ability to use a retail management system that can provide information about billed items, discounts and total amount, before finalisation of the bill
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Easy hard copy printing of bills
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Availability of ample change at the counter to accelerate cash payments
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Integration of technologies that can send out e-bills to customers
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Proper return policies in place and clear visibility of the same both on the retailers’ and customer ends
These are just a few of the must haves for easy billing processes. However, even if these techniques are in place, the queues are quite inevitable at the counters.
Basically, the goal is not to rule out the possibility of the queues completely at the billing counters, but to simply fast track the billing processes so that the customer need not wait for long.
A robust grocery store management system can act as a catalyst to such endeavours and produce extraordinary results.
It can potentially keep a track of every item, its offerings, discounts and likes and helps the executive at the billing counter to provide the same if needed fast. The automation driven barcode scanner, scans the products with rapidity and eases the time taken to write down the product ID and then wait for the billing.
Also, imagine you have bought more than one piece of the same item and the retailer had to scan every piece one by one to produce the bill. This hassle is a bygone story with a new age retail store billing software.
Moreover, a retail management software curated by experts to serve business specific goals, seamlessly keeps a track of every customer and their details. While billing, it gets easier to get access to the loyalty points, discounts, etc and the billing process is always satisfactory for the customer.
Along with the above mentioned features, what if the billing could be done without standing at the billing counters?
Yes, that’s possible with a retail shop management system.
Rule out the queues at the billing counter and revolutionize how you sell
Retail management software is easy to use and can be used across devices and locations. The executives at the retail shop with a crm software for the retail industry can have the application opened on their mobile phones and tablets. They can select products and bill the amount for the customers from anywhere in the store.
However, in such cases, it is feasible to use online payment methods to avoid any kind of confusion and loss of revenue. A retail shop management system easily empowers the retailers to use digital transactions with different payment gateways to get their billings done.
Digital Payments using retail shop management software can help retailers relieve the stress at the billing counters
Imagine a situation where you had waited for almost an hour to bill your products and check out of the grocery store and while checking out, it's just a 50 or 60 bucks change that delays the checkout process. Quite frustrating, isn’t it? Yes, that’s how your customers can feel too if you have only cash transactions at billing counters and you struggle with change.
Digital payments are the best way to avoid such customer troubles, make the entire process fast, accurate and enhance customer satisfaction.
Let your customers pay with their mobile wallets or cards and let them check out from the counter with a smile rather than dissatisfaction. This way they are more likely to come back to shop from you.
Make them feel you care for them, their time and shopping experience. Build customer loyalty and thus increase sales.
A retail management system is the perfect tool that you need to bring in this change to your retail outlet. A robust retail store billing software allows digital transactions and also automatically updates discounts, loyalty points and offers and bills the amount for the customer that would compel them to return back.
But how would you make sure they do return back and you give them a seamless experience at the billing counters again? Here is a smart way to do it right with a retail management software.
Notify your customers that you are offering them discounts, personalize messages and make them feel like you have a loads to offer them
With a new age store management system retailers can keep a track on every information related to a customer that includes their buying behaviour, favorite products, shopping routines, etc. This data is crucial as it can help retailers chalk out plans to reach out to the customers with the deals that they would like.
A retail management software can be beneficial as it allows to share information and provides enhanced visibility across departments. The sales, marketing and other teams can collaborate on the information and provide customer specific strategies including discounts and loyalty points and increase footfalls. They can send out notifications through emails and messages to customers giving them exciting offers that they can’t refuse.
Also, the details of all the offers sent to the customers are easily accessible and when a customer turns out to shop with the coupons, they can quickly check out at the billing counters without any hassle of showing the notification messages on the counters and giving them further clarifications.
The retailer on the other hand can also make sure that the product they are giving discounts on are available at their store with the help of real time updates on the store management system. This way the customer is not disappointed and the real motive behind sending the notifications is served.
These are a few examples of how a store management system can help retailers provide an enhanced experience to the customers . But the most important step towards implementing such changes is to choose the best retail management software.
Consult with the experts and choose what’s best for you.
Contact the experienced professionals at Ginesys who have curated one of the best retail management softwares that helps in achieving business specific goals in the retail sector with ease.
A few of the features of the cutting edge retail management software that they offer are:
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Easy to use software
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Helps in effective stock management
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Offers security of data and all transactions and more
Ginesys’ retail billing software is used by more than 20000 users across the globe with more than 500 customers and less than 1% attrition rate.
Learn more about us and find out how you can enhance your retail business and increase profits.