Retail surgery: How can I make sure the tills in my stores can cope in the January Sales rush?

As John Lewis discovered in its Oxford Street store in the run-up to Christmas, having a reduced number of working tills, or software that works inefficiently due to an increased number of customers, can lead to a loss in sales.

To ensure tills are equipped to cope with the speed and efficiency January often demands, Mike Eaton, managing director of systems consultancy Retail Answers, says: “You need three things to be in place. Firstly, hardware and software must be working efficiently.

“Make sure you have the most robust system that doesn’t flake out and fall over if there are too many people. You should be able to judge this by past performance.”

He adds: “Secondly, make sure the card process systems are working quickly. This needs to be in order to keep queues downs and customers happy.”

Should software malfunction, retailers need to put staff in place quickly, to direct customers to another till. Eaton advises retailers to ensure they have details of their supplier’s helpdesk at the ready should software malfunction.

“Ensure customer service levels with your supplier are high. They should have an in- or out-house helpdesk who can respond quickly to any problems you are having,” he says. “Most retailers will have the numbers and contact details they need but it doesn’t do any harm to double check these.

“There should be a service strategy and infrastructure in place so that the helpdesk react quickly. Something like this can really impact sales.”