Tesco customers can now shop the full range of its F&F clothing range through in-store transactional kiosks.
The supermarket is trialling the use of the new transactional kiosks in three stores in Coventry, Woolwich and Pitsea, where shoppers can buy items that are out of stock or not available in store. Purchases can be delivered to their home or to the store for collection at a later date.
Customers can buy, view stock availability and see relevant promotional offers through the interface. Payments take place through chip-and-pin payment facilities installed in the kiosks to enable secure transactions without the need to add in billing details.
Andrew Beale, head of multichannel and digital development, F&F Clothing at Tesco, said: “In a digital age we need to make technology work for our customers. We put the customer at the heart of everything we do and are always thinking about how to improve their experience and meet their needs.
“We recognised that it didn’t make sense for customers to interrupt their shopping experience if they can’t find what they’re looking for in-store, having to search again for that item again online when they’re at home. The introduction of the in-store technology effectively brought together our online and in-store offering and allowed customers to make purchases instantly – even if their products weren’t immediately available.”
The kiosks have been developed using Venda’s software-as-a-service-based commerce platform. Tesco and Venda also partnered with Cisco, Retec and C-instore. So far the kiosks have produced above average industry conversion rates for kiosk technology, and have been named a winner in the Tesco Innovation Awards for the multichannel implementation.
Beale said: “Venda’s platform made it extremely easy for us to facilitate sales for customers using the kiosks, which resulted in sales that may have otherwise been lost.”
Eric Abensur, chief executive at Venda, said: “Kiosks provide a fantastic opportunity to the consumer and retailer alike. From a consumer standpoint, customers are able to enter the store with confidence that they will be able to make the purchases they want without the fear of items not being in stock.
“At the same time, kiosks help the retailer to secure additional return from in-store footfall and ensure that the consumer does not leave the store empty handed. In this respect, Tesco has embraced a simple to use technology with these kiosks that produce a better in-store experience for customers that will in-turn help to boost in-store profits.”
