Queue jumpers causing lost revenue, says survey
The UK could be in danger of turning into a nation of queue jumpers unless action is taken to keep shoppers in line, according to a survey from queue management and customer journey specialists, Tensator.
The survey, which examined the queuing habits of consumers across the UK, found that more than 1 in 5 shoppers (22.3%) get frustrated with queue jumpers with 97% saying they would consider abandoning their purchase if the wait was too long.
Kevin Hickson, general manager at Tensator, commented: “We know that queuing environments are often under-used areas in outlets and that retailers have increasingly been using them as revenue-generating areas.
“However, our survey shows is that consumers demand an orderly and speedy queue or else they will simply walk away – resulting in lost revenue for retailers. We commissioned the survey to help find out more about the in-store experience of consumers, to ensure that the investment retailers and operators make, whether in merchandising or staff training, is spent wisely.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!Just under half of the survey’s respondents said that they would only be prepared to wait for up to five minutes to pay for their weekly shopping, in comparison to up to 15 minutes in a bank.
More than 65% said that they accessed social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter while queuing with many commenting about the environment they were in, thereby providing an opportunity for retailers to engage with them at point of sale.
While 43% of respondents said that they thought about their plans for the day when in a queue, many noted that they considered how stores could improve the way they managed queues, demonstrating that consumers judge retailers based on their queuing experience.
When asked about impulse buys, the favourite items to pick up at point of purchase included sweets, confectionery and magazines.
For every survey response received Tensator donated a sum to its local charity Willen Hospice.
