In your newsagency software you likely have facilities you can leverage to offer a point of difference. Whereas decades ago, cutaways facilities were essential and in use in almost all newsagencies, today their use is much less.
In the competitive world of retail, offering a differentiating customer service experience is crucial for success. Smart newsagency software with putaways facilities can be your secret weapon in this battle.
Putaways allow newsagents to set aside specific stock for individual customers. This could be anything from the latest copy of their favourite magazine to a particular brand of cigarettes they only buy from you.
A customer registers for a product to put away, put aside, kept for them. When the product arrives, a label with the customer details is printed and placed on the product. The product is put aside in a safe place. The customer can be notified by email or text.
Putaways offer a range of benefits that contribute to an exceptional customer service experience:
- Convenience: Customers know their favourite items will always be waiting for them, saving them time and frustration.
- Loyalty: This personalised touch shows customers you value their business and encourages them to keep coming back.
- Increased Sales: By highlighting upcoming releases or special orders, putaways can prompt customers to purchase additional items.
- Reduced Shrinkage: Knowing exactly how much stock is allocated for putaways helps with stock control and minimises shrinkage.
While putaways are a powerful tool, managing them manually as newsagents did in the 1970s and before is time-consuming and error-prone. This is where smart newsagency software comes in. Newsagency software:
- Electronically record customer preferences: Store customer information as to items they would like put aside.
- Set up automatic putaways: Automate the process of reserving stock for specific customers, saving you valuable time.
- Generate notifications: Alert customers when their put aside items are ready for collection, further enhancing the customer experience.
I mention it today as there are opportunities outside the traditional use of putaways – magazines, newspapers and artworks – where newsagents can use this part of the software they have to satisfy customers buying additional releases or issues of something that has a life beyond a single release. The software solution offers structure and consistency that other retailers in their software would be challenged to match.
Of course, I have a vested interest in that I own Tower Systems, the newsagency software company that I am grateful serves now more than 1,850 newsagents with newsagency software in Australia.