For many parents it’s the ease at which they can obtain the correct uniform, in the correct size which is their main concern when shopping for schoolwear. In fact, the Cybertill Parent Report study, which questioned more than 300 UK parents of children aged 11 or under on their shopping habits, found that mums, dads and guardians want knowledgeable shop staff, efficiency, convenience and good facilities when they are shopping. Parents tend to browse products in real life and compare prices online before buying, although only 13% of purchases are helped by in-store browsing.
In addition, almost two-thirds (64%) want a dedicated click and collect till, while 48% are frustrated by a long queue to pick up their click and collect order.
We here at Cybertill love helping schoolwear retailers upgrade their systems to offer services that their customers expect. Here’s how:
Although we are a nation who is known for our patience when queueing, it seems that customers are a bit fed up of long queues at the checkout, especially when they can so easily be reduced with queue-busting tech. A mobile point of sale tablet from Cybertill is made for busting queues during peak times. mPOS does what it says on the tin, it’s a mobile till, meaning that shop staff can hit the shop floor and take payments from customers wherever they are whether that be the shop floor or stock room, and it can also be used to sell off-site at pop-ups!
What’s more with portable retail tech, your retail operation can remain seamless, allowing you to offer a personal experience to customers and spend longer talking to them and getting to know their needs and requirements (rather than just a quick interaction at the till!) You can also capture the student’s details on the mPOS and create a student profile which, if you capture whilst young, is customer loyalty that will last for at least 8 years, from reception all the way up to finishing GCSE’s. 
With Cybertill, schoolwear retailers can offer busy parents hassle-free shopping with different options for buying and picking up uniforms such as; buy and reserve online and then collect instore, buy instore and take away same day, click and collect, collect later or deliver to home or school, which can also include an e-receipt.
Although it may not be the most flashy of benefits, the intelligent reporting with Cybertill will send you to the top of the class in the schoolwear retail game. The reporting helps shop managers keep track of KPIs and sales targets, and help head office check in on performance in real-time, so that you can use the reporting to better prepare for next year’s busy season.
In-store services such as personalisation and embroidery can be hard for schoolwear retailers to track and charge customers, but with Cybertill, retailers can add name tags or embroidery with ease and handle complex sales such as, with multiple children in the same family all with different requirements.
And let’s not forget about omnichannel. As I mentioned earlier, many parents are omnichannel in their shopping, switching between online and offline channels before making a purchase. With Cybertill you can connect your store stock to your website seamlessly, with real-time updates on stock and sales to eliminate the risk of double selling and keep parents up to date on changes in stock and pricing. Why not add a section to your website that shows what uniform you have in-store, how many and in what sizes? Utilise your website to assist in driving footfall to store providing a great opportunity to upsell.
It’s all about saving your customer’s time, but not scrimping on the service. If you would like to learn more about how Cybertill is a tailored solution built with schoolwear retailers in mind, download our Schoolwear Sector Brochure or arrange a free demonstration of the software.
Rachel is passionate about retail and the ever-changing retail technology environment, with a keen eye for upcoming retail trends that are set to shake up the sector.
