Amid the lockdowns across Europe, we have seen a rapid shift in how people shop their goods. Stores needed to adapt equally as fast. Some succeeded, while others had hick-ups in aligning their business models to facilitate such an environment. When it comes to the hygiene and safety of store visitors, three important and mandatory process steps require attention: the entrance, payment, and exit. These steps need to be adjusted to the post-covid world to ensure that customers feel safe in their store. There are many solutions that companies can leverage, such as a card machine for small business. In this article, we will look at these process steps and look at improvements.
Entrance and exits
For some stores, this is a true bottleneck. Imagine a store with cheaper products that generate a profit thanks to volume. To ensure volume, there need to be enough people visiting the store. This, in turn, requires to have a solid process at the entrance and exit. If a certain number of people are allowed in, the people waiting outside should keep a distance as required by local regulations. This can be supported by technology, for example by showing a green or red light depending on the distance between the people. This will give the people queuing up a safe feeling when shopping.
Consider QR codes and window shopping
While you might know the term ‘window shopping’ from a 50 Cent song back in the days, this is an option to consider. We already saw this trend emerging in Asia, where storefronts get replaced by pictures of products and QR codes. Shoppers can easily scan the QR code and purchase the product directly on their phones. The QR code can also incorporate a payment link that immediately brings the shopper to their preferred means of payment. This is a new innovative shopping option for curious consumers that do not want to stand in-line or walk through a busy store.
Leveraging an innovative card machine for small business
When customers have entered your store, it is important to ensure a safe payment process. Limiting psychical interaction to do so is key. A card machine for small business that allows for contactless payments is a start. With this machine, customers can simply tap their debit card or phone and conduct the payment. This limits the required interaction that is common for traditional card machines.
Payment link to conduct a payment
Another option, similar to the QR codes outside the store, is a payment link. The cash system that also connects the card machine can show a QR code on a screen. The customer can then scan the code and conduct the payment on their phone. This can be a very fast process but is dependent on the adoption of users.