Improving the customer journey with an innovative validation solution
The Challenge
Slough Extra is one of the largest and highest profile Tesco sites with over 40,000 visitors per week. The store is located next to a train station and right in the middle of the town centre, therefore they needed to protect the car park from non-customer abuse.
We wanted a solution that wouldn’t impact the customer journey and, if possible, have a positive effect on the customer experience. This ruled out ideas such as using entrance barriers and complex processes requiring upfront parking payment followed by customer reimbursements.
Our solution
We developed an innovative new product to solve this key client need. We used our ANPR system to implement a “customer-only” car park whereby customers could validate their parking at a kiosk using their shopping receipt, or an accompanying voucher, before returning to their car.
Plus, the kiosks provided the retailer/landowner with an opportunity to create a positive connection with customers at the end of their shopping trip. Allowing them to extend targeted offers and encourage future loyalty.
Implementation:
Signage and communication both pre-launch and during the first 3 months post-launch would be critical in ensuring customers understood why the change was being made and exactly what they needed to do.
In order to overcome this challenge, we designed clear signage with a step-by-step guide, and we created a multilingual interface – in English, Polish and Urdu – representing the customer demographic.
The results
Our success in launching this new product was as much due to our focus on the customer journey and ensuring a successful implementation plan, as it was about the innovation itself.
The system was launched into the Slough Extra store, along with three other Tesco stores around the country.
During the six months post-launch, the system succeeded in freeing up over 3,000 spaces per week for Tesco customers. Whilst the final part of the implementation plan was to initiate a soft-enforcement process, this was pushed back due to the dramatic results which were achieved without it.
We’re proud to have won the Innovation prize at the British Parking Awards and to have been shortlisted for the innovation prize at the BT RetailWeek Tech & Ecomm Awards.
We went on to roll-out this product across the Tesco estate. And this solution is now an embedded product within the marketplace, with other supermarkets and retailers following suit.