How an online appointment scheduling tool can help bring customers back to stores

Today‘s customers are more informed, demand immediate response and expect a seamless and smooth shopping experience with the brands they choose. 

With so many options to choose from, particularly in the world of e-commerce, traditional retailers must merge their on- and offline marketing strategies, integrating digital solutions in order to stay competitive and offer a memorable customer experience.

Much has changed, but one element remains - we often still need, or take comfort in, advice from a professional to aid our decision-making before purchasing. Advice from an in-store expert remains a fundamental part of completing many types of purchase. 

However, we’ve all made the effort to pop in to a store to seek help, only to find that the person we need to speak to is busy, on a break or not working that day. This missed opportunity often results in a missed purchase or pushes a customer into the arms of a competitor.

Implementing an online scheduling tool will help eradicate such missed opportunities and hand a crucial feeling of control and professionalism to your customer experience.

Win back customers by offering an unparalleled personalised service

By giving prospective customers the opportunity to arrange an appointment with one of your experts online, you are giving them the power to access personal, one-to-one customer support on their terms. 

With TIMIFY you can personalise the booking process by including all relevant questions your staff member needs in order to understand a customer’s likes and dislikes in advance: favourite brand, colours, style and any other information to help deliver a truly personal shopping experience. If a customer is looking to buy a dress to go to a wedding, you can prepare a full outfit according to what brand, colour and style they prefer. 

Your customer will appreciate and value the effort, and will be more likely to go with the recommendations.

TIMIFY‘s retail customers report basket sizes increasing by three to four times when a customer has booked a consultation appointment online than when they just walk into the store.

Offer different online bookable services to your customers 

To be competitive in today’s market, retailers need to find other ways to offer aggregate value to their customers. In addition to offering online bookable appointments with a personal shopping consultant, trial a “Try Before You Buy’ service. Customers can pick out items they are interested in online, then book a convenient time slot to come into the store and try them out. 

Some retailers could benefit from providing post-purchasing services like having a dress fixed, a computer configured or a home visit to set up a new sound system – all booked online at the customer’s convenience.  

Invite your customers to in-store events and experiences and make them online bookable 

Events, parties and group workshops are a great way to increase visitors and offer a unique, fun service. Organise events with your retail partners and make them online bookable. 

If a new make-up collection is now available in-store, invite your VIP customers by sending an email invitation with the possibility to book their places online. Or if launching a new product targeted at millennials, why not announce it on Facebook with a direct link to online booking? 

Offer a truly multi-platform online booking experience 

TIMIFY gives the flexibility to add a booking button across all of your digital touchpoints: corporate website, Facebook page, newsletter, emails, business cards and even your company app. 

In this way your customers and prospects can book appointments with a personal shopper or consultant from any platform, in the very moment they are considering a product or service.

As soon as an appointment is made customers receive an instant confirmation, followed by a reminder message closer to the appointment date. Before an appointment they can make amends, cancel or reschedule an appointment, all online – no more phone calls, ‘press 2 for reception’ or on-hold music! 

Reward clients that book online with special offers or discounts 

One of the best ways to engage customers and encourage them to book more in-store services is by using special offers. Reward your customers with a reward or freebie. 

If they are part of a loyalty or membership program, offer points boosts if they book a consultation appointment online. 

TIMIFY even offers an Upselling app that can promote relevant complementary services to customers while they are booking a core service, allowing them to add it to their basket without having to go through a separate booking. In this case, why not offer discount if two or more services are booked at the same time? 

Of course, these are just a few suggestions to help increase visitors to your store, based on our experience with our retail clients. However, if you would like to discuss bespoke options based on your business model, book a consultation (online of course!) with one of our representatives. They will be happy to do a full analysis of how TIMIFY’s online appointment scheduling software could work for your business and help build customer satisfaction and revenues.