Article was originally published in RIS News
While the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, U.S. retail is re-opening. We don't know yet how quickly brick-and-mortar retail will rebound as there will be some headwinds, including consumer apprehension and numerous regulations intended to reduce the risk of virus spread.
However, there is cause to believe that consumers still value the ritual of going to the store to complete a purchase rather than waiting for home delivery. Some major retailers are reporting higher sales numbers after reopening their stores. Even after COVID-19 turned the world upside-down, the oft-predicted death of in-person retail may not be part of the "new normal."
Over the past few months, …
Read More
This article was originally published in BornDigital.
Need to Know
Office Depot first deployed QLess, a remote mobile interactive queueing platform, to 600 stores in September 2019 to gather more data about customer habits and provide shoppers with more freedom.QLess lets shoppers check into a virtual line and receive real-time alerts about when their turn is ready.Since then, Office Depot has experimented with sending out discount codes to waiting shoppers, finding that shoppers spend one dollar every minute while waiting. Upsells also increased by 30%, and time spent in Office Depot's app also massively increased.With physical distancing becoming the norm in retail, QLess also addressed the new retail normal for Office Depot before…
Read More
Originally published in the LA Business Journal
With social distancing and masks likely to remain a reality for a while longer, Pasadena-based QLess Inc. is poised to help businesses reduce in-person queues."We've been practicing social distancing for over 10 years," said Charlie Meyer, vice president of sales at QLess.The company, founded in 2007, has developed cloud-based software that allows businesses, like retail stores and hospitals, to manage customers in a virtual line. Government agencies and educational institutions also use QLess software.With the QLess service in place, shoppers at a retail store for example, can enter a virtual checkout line by sending a text message from their cellphones, eliminating the need to stand in…
Read More