House of Fraser queues up new tech
By Retail Technology | Monday November 18 2013 | UPDATED 10.03.23
New virtual queue management technology trial is enabling customers to escape the queue for House of Fraser's Buy & Collect counter
House of Fraser recently revealed itself as the first retailer to trial a new short messaging system (SMS) based queue management technology from technology company Qudini in one of its stores.
Qudini allows the ever-growing numbers of the retailer’s Buy & Collect customers to escape queuing by checking into its City of London store and receiving SMS updates on their orders while they browse the store waiting for service.
Check in to browse while you wait
Customers can check in their details from a self-serve kiosk or by SMS when they enter the store, so they can continue browsing while the instore counter prepares their click & collect order and texts them when it is ready to for collection.
The service seeks to ensure that House of Fraser is able to continue to offer their multichannel customers the same integrated digital experience that they are used to online within their physical store environment.
Boosting customer satisfaction levels
Initial results show that customers enjoy this digital alternative to standing in a physical queue waiting for their order, with Buy & Collect customer satisfaction results for the store rising by 12%.
Andy Harding, executive director for multichannel at House of Fraser, stated: "Qudini offers an innovative and engaging service-led tool, which has allowed us to evolve and differentiate our Buy & Collect proposition in some of our London stores. Customer feedback has been very positive so far. The Qudini team has been fantastic at working with us to ensure our trial launched smoothly.”
