Can a Fitting Room System Really Boost the Bottom Line?

Increasing store revenues is a challenge you can approach from any number of perspectives.

How can you adjust operations to increase revenue? One answer is a targeted customer service process that supports the customer purchase journey.

But how can you prove that such a process has an impact on revenue? What metrics will actually show a link from the changes to increased revenues?

Data-enabled fitting room systems offer a solution. These systems leverage technology to make your store more adept at serving customers and meeting their needs. Fitting room systems can provide improved customer service as well as increased revenue.

What is a Fitting Room System?

To understand how a fitting room system might be able to increase your store’s sales, let’s start with a basic overview of what a fitting room system actually is. Alert Tech’s systems are modular, but consist of two main hardware components:

1. Occupancy Sensors: These non-intrusive sensors not only measure fitting room occupancy, but provide a means of recording fitting room traffic and length of fitting room visits.
2. Call Buttons: Call buttons allow customers a simple way to request assistance from store associates without having to leave the fitting room. The buttons also provide data on the number of customer calls, as well as associate response times.

Alert Tech clients have access to real-time fitting room system data via an iOS app. Associates can tell whether or not a fitting room is occupied, keep track of the names of customers behind the door, and see who has an active call for service. Data is stored in the cloud can be accessed and analyzed by management across the brand.

How is a Fitting Room System Useful?

There are a number of benefits to a fitting room system. Let’s take a look at a few of them:

1. They reduce wait times during peak hours: These systems provide tools so that your associates can help move shoppers through the fitting room more efficiently. Associates can reduce times between fitting room occupancy, increase peak fitting room utilization, and overall convert more shoppers into buyers.
2. They provide a framework for a sales process in the fitting room: When a customer enters the fitting room, his or her odds of buying a garment increase substantially. Fitting room systems provide a simple way for associates to know when customers need assistance. This improved customer service helps shoppers find what they are looking for, which leads to higher conversions.
3. They remove the need for inefficient and disruptive door knocking: As an engagement strategy, studies show that door knocking is only 2% efficient. Aside from the inefficiency, door knocking often makes customers feel interrupted, rushed, or even disrespected.
4. They foster customer-centric service: You should base customer-associate interactions on the customers’ wants and needs. Fitting room systems promote a customer-centric service, as call buttons give your customers the power to reach out to associates, rather than vice versa. This customer-centric service goes a long way towards providing a more positive customer experience.
5. They provide powerful real-time data: Fitting room systems deliver real-time data that can be incredibly useful to your operations team. For instance, it can be seriously motivating for associates to know what metrics they will be measured on and to have access to those metrics in real time (say, via a real-time leaderboard).
6. They allow for powerful analysis: You can perform analytics on stored data to gain insight and inform critical business decisions: How do your stores compare to benchmarks within the industry? How do individual stores compare with one another? What is your volume of fitting room traffic? How much of that is converting to sales? Based on your analysis, what key areas should you focus on?
   In addition, store traffic, fitting room traffic, and number of fitting room calls can and should be combined with sales numbers to help drive payroll decisions.

Impact of Fitting Rooms on Revenue

So, there are a number of benefits to fitting room systems. But how does this translate to your bottom line?

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Fitting room systems are important because a trip to the fitting room is essentially the “moment of truth” in a shopping experience. Customers who decide try on clothes aren’t just more likely to buy but are also more liable to make larger purchases.

Get more people in the fitting room, and you will increase sales.

Offer more service in the fitting room, including helpful upsell and cross-sell recommendations, and you’ll also increase sales.

Conclusion

At Alert Tech, we have seen stores generate a significant lift in revenue by focusing on improving fitting room processes and metrics. With a user friendly fitting room system, you can increase revenues and differentiate your brand.