Report: long queues cause retailers 1 billion in losses

Busy urbanites don't have time to queue up to pay for their fashion goods. Long queues at the tills are a deterrent to customers and new research shows people will abandon their purchase when the lines are getting too long in their favourite stores.

According to new research by mobile operator EE, long queues are causing UK retailers over 1 billion pounds a year in lost sales.

63 percent

would abandon purchases

In an online survey of 2,000 UK consumers, 63 percent said they would abandon purchases in-store if the queue was too long.

A quarter will only wait a maximum of two minutes, 59 percent said they would wait no longer than four minutes, and 73 percent of shoppers say they would abandon their purchase if they had to queue for more than five minutes.

Over three quarters of shoppers said that queuing to pay for a product at the tills is the worst part of shopping in-store.

The research is designed to support the launch of EE's new Connected Retail service, which allows retailers to register when customers arrive at their local store and how long they spend shopping.

"Consumers are always online, always mobile, shopping on the go. By 2016, 80 percent of consumers will be using mobile to make informed buying decisions," Max Taylor, director of corporate business at EE, told The Telegraph Online.

"By combining technology with wireless connectivity specifically for use in a retail environment, Connected Retail opens up new possibilities, such as offering spontaneous promotions based on a customer’s location within the store and known buying preferences, or even to set up an instant digital marketplace to provide customers with a choice of competing offers."

Supermarket chain Asda is testing EE's Connected Retail technology in its 575 UK stores, and Asda’s branded in-store WiFi has already attracted more than 800,000 subscribers.

Cross-referencing Wifi data with customers’ use of online shopping apps also gives Asda a more holistic view of buying behaviour, enabling the retailer to provide better-targeted services and communications across online, mobile and in-store channels, EE says.

Image: Fashion queue