So, a new year is always a good time for a bit of reflection. One word springs to mind about 2012, WOW! It is clear that there is a mass consumer trend around mobile services and self-service. Recently, I have caught others and myself on a number of occasions walking past empty manned checkouts in the supermarket to use a self-checkout. Is it because I am anti-social? Maybe? But no, it’s just more convenient even with the odd weight check hiccup or alcohol purchase. I feel like I am in control, not working to anothers expectation. I don’t have that pressure from the operator waiting for payment while I am still packing my bags for a start. I am waiting for the day I can scan my own shopping with my phone as I go round. And that I think is the next evolution.
My smartphone goes everywhere with me and I’d much rather use my own device than someone else’s, and that is where QikServe comes into its own. QikServe lets the customers use their own device to access service. Self-service is already in play in the hospitality sector with terminals on tables. The stats are well known, 30% reduction in cost and 10-15% increase in sales, figures that are often quoted. QikServe lets the customer use there own device to order food and drinks using our patented Quick Response (QR) code method to deliver a menu and identify a micro-location. The surprising thing is that left to their own devices, pardon the pun, people spend more, up to 75% more, far higher than the 10-15%.
QikServe is a perfect solution for giving customers options to overcome service barriers. In 2012 we saw QikServe deployed into a number of food and beverage service scenarios. The flexibility of QikServe means we can rapidly and conveniently deploy QikServe, and that is what we did. Restaurants for food service, bars, holiday parks, airports, hotel room service and we have also taken on the pie and Bovril at the football stadium. If someone told me 3 years ago I’d scan my own groceries at the supermarket I would have probably looked at him or her as if they had 2 heads. Ordering your pie and Bovril at a football stadium using your phone and getting it delivered to your seat is exactly one of those paradigm shifting statements.
By far the most powerful aspect of the smartphone, which no retailer should ignore, is its ability to connect. However, what retailers also need to bear in mind is that an individual’s screen ‘real estate’ is not easy to penetrate. A lot of brand owners are trying to get their own app on there. It is a hugely competitive space. To do that you are going to need a pretty compelling offer. The other way to go is the aggregator solution. This is much more appealing from a user perspective because they have one app to access many retailers. You only need to look at the success of one of my personal favourites, Booking.com, which seems like it lets you book any hotel in the world. QikServe gives the best of both worlds, a useful multi operator app that gets your brand on an individual’s device. QikServe lets you connect to a customer in a way that has never been possible until now. Imagine being able to understand the likes and dislikes of an individual, and imagine knowing more about their extended networks. Well you don’t need to imagine! QikServe can bring that to you today, at the same time delivering real value add service for your customer.
It is clear 2013 is going to be even bigger for the smartphone as more and more everyday transactions move to the little screen. If you would like to learn more about QikServe and the incredible opportunities it brings then please feel free to drop us a line.
