Recent coverage in some of the national newspapers has highlighted concerns about the tendency for till receipts produced on thermal printers to fade with the resulting fear that consumers might have problems returning goods or claiming on warranties.
If the items were paid for on a card then bank or credit card statements can help as proof of purchase but if you’ve had to resort to that it wouldn’t rank too highly for most consumers in any “Do we make it easy for you to shop with us?” questionnaire.
Electronic receipts have become one way to solve this but it takes a dedicated person to keep all electronic receipts easily to hand on a mobile phone for that item you bought a few months ago that no longer works and many consumers are cynical of a retailer’s attempts to collect personal details such as email addresses with the fear they might not find those electronic receipts among the mass of marketing emails they’ll get as a result of parting with the modern world’s equivalent of a letterbox.
There can be easy ways to help consumers and mark yourself out as a retailer with great service by not offering receipts of any kind or telling the customer it doesn’t matter if they lose it. Instead, record the customer’s name and address details when they make a purchase and tell them if there is ever a problem all they need to do is to walk into any store and give their name and address; no need to keep anything printed or electronic.
Just imagine how easy that would be for the consumer.
For shoppers nervous about giving this personal data you can set a policy of not marketing unless the customer specifically asks and by telling your customers this you can start to provide that differentiation in service that stands you out from the crowd.
Stay tuned for more insights into how our RetailStore platform can help retailers go the extra mile to improve customer experience.
Rachel is passionate about retail and the ever-changing retail technology environment, with a keen eye for upcoming retail trends that are set to shake up the sector.
