Dunelm, a UK based homewares retailer, deployed curbside and deliver to car functionality to customers at 170 superstores. The solution, provided by JRNI, has contactless click and collect services. This improves staff and customer safety and provides a better customer experience.
The Retail Times reported that Dunelm selected JRNI’s curbside pickup feature to power deliver to car, along with capacity management, a digital counter to manage in-store occupancy. All services are features of JRNI Appointments which allows companies to schedule and manage one-to-one experiences to increase revenue and build stronger customer relationships.
Customers pull up in the car park and click a link directly from a store email or text, which they have already received, advising them their order is ready to collect. They are asked to input a few details such as car registration, make and model, which in turn notifies someone from the store who collects the pre-prepared item and delivers it to just outside of the car to keep everyone safe. From a customer perspective, this experience is much quicker and easier than phoning the store.
Dunelm had tested JRNI Virtual Queuing through which shoppers can join a queue via phone or a QR code to be notified when there’s room in the store, with lockdown, however, it’s been a lesser priority.
Henry continued: “As a consequence of COVID-19 we wanted a process which would be quick, safe and simple for our customers and colleagues. We knew we could rely on JRNI for rapid deployment and superb support as we already use JRNI Appointments to power our Made to Measure initiative for bespoke curtains, blinds and shutters.”
John Federman, CEO at JRNI, commented: “Anxious consumers need reassurance. They should also be able to expect the right experience, at the right time, in the right place. Given the rapidly evolving nature of this pandemic and subsequently national and local restrictions, what this ‘right experience’ looks like can change in the blink of an eye.“
“The businesses that will be rewarded with brand loyalty and sustained revenues are those like Dunelm, delivering great experiences in-store when they can, and evolving their online offerings alongside.”
The TASBIA™ Bottom Line
JRNI has extended features beyond core appointment scheduling and queuing to address customer needs. With Lockdown 2.0 in the UK, the existing queuing approach depended on customers physically entering stores. Retailers such as Dunelm needed to quickly add “Buy on Line and Pickup in Store” (BOPIS) functionality, and JRNI, as their primary provider, solved the problem.
There is a strong trend for appointment scheduling and booking vendors to expand their offerings to address the pandemic. This includes offering virtual meetings (in place of physical location bookings), BOPIS, and home delivery functionality.
Vendors such as JRNI that have existing customer relationships and integration with existing POS, CRM, or WFM systems, can leverage their platform and cement customer loyalty. It’s a good formula and one that we will see more of as both businesses and vendors have to deal with the pandemic. And, these new integrated capabilities raise the bar for what is needed in the future.
