Smart lockers are a big improvement for businesses in a wide swath of industries. Plus, we are beginning to see these systems incorporated into any and all aspects of our society. People are becoming more familiar with these systems. We see them at colleges, grocery stores, libraries, correctional facilities, food shelves, and apartment complexes. Retail is right in the mix of it all, as well. So here are 4 interesting smart locker applications in a retail setting. They are situations to consider for your improved business operations:
After-Hours Pick-Up
The cut-throat competition of retail has never been higher for business owners. Shifting technology and internet adaptions have revolutionized the products that customers use and the services they expect. While these can feel like a massive obstacle to surmount, it is also an invitation. As such, you can lean into these shifts and changes regarding technology. In doing so, your enterprise can be a trailblazer for waves of updates with smart technology. Ultimately, technology will continue to impact our day-to-day interactions in evolving ways. It’s time to embrace it!
For example, here’s an interesting application to consider: after-hours pick-up. It’s a game-changer for customers who need quick, easy turn arounds. Amazingly, smart lockers are just that. They are an efficient and convenient means for employees to prepare products, safely secure items. They immediately notify customers that their items are ready. Of course, happy customers mean bigger business. And if a company can’t meet the hectic, quick-moving demands of customers navigating the speed of our world today, they might not be in business for long.
In tandem with this, many consumers want to support the local, conscientious businesses in their community. However, it gets tricky when they need things fast, at the last minute, or at a strange hour of the day. After-hours pick-up can all but eliminate the inconveniences that might drive a valuable customer to make less intentional decisions regarding the products they buy. Contrarily, by having pick-up options available and flexible for customers, a retailer can operate as a sort-of hybrid.
Streamlining Returns
You know what really interests retailers who mean business? Streamlining returns.
For example, according to the National Retail Federation, retailers expect to get back around 16% of merchandise that customers purchased. In 2020 alone, people returned over $400 billion in merchandise.
Similar to the way in which smart lockers make after-hours pick-up a possibility, they can make big improvements on the return process as well. Quick and easy instructions for customers to deposit their returns make the process increasingly more pleasant for the customers you want to keep. And by investing in a software system that makes returns more efficient for workers to process and restock leads to saved time and money on labor that is better utilized elsewhere. It’s an interesting application to consider!
Secure Deliveries
Also, for all businesses, security is a critical concern. We live in times where desperate situations can unfold in dangerous ways. It is paramount that we look at the root causes of these societal failures and keep the people and places where we do business as safe as possible.
And depending on a specific retail endeavor, the security of products is a large factor as well. Shops that wheel and deal in expensive equipment, technology rental, and other costly items need to make sure that their shops or areas of exchange are safe and secure for customers, employees, and delivery professionals alike.
However, smart lockers are very secure. For instance, the code and locking mechanisms are a big upgrade for most retail locations and customers will appreciate that added security combines fluidly with added convenience. Additionally, lockers are customizable in size for various items and use smart technology to keep those lockers secured until the desired moment of retrieval. It’s a win-win at every step of exchange.
Customer Perks
Customer appreciation is no small thing in the retail world. So businesses need to constantly attract, engage, and accommodate their customers in order to continue growing. Annual customer appreciation days, perks on a birthday, community service projects – all of these ideas can be supplemented and supported with smart lockers.
Retail businesses can give small gifts, discounts, handwritten notes, and even partner with other local businesses to create an offering that customers will value and remember.
So when it comes to smart lockers and your retail business, you improve your operations with the ideas mentioned today. Then, as an added perk, you are all the more prepared to reward your loyal customers in fun and creative ways. Consequently, it is a loop of efficiency, security, and customer loyalty. Importantly, it will increase profit margins. Best of all, it makes a difference in people’s lives.