The in-store ticketing process is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of retail operations. While digital innovation and automation dominate discussions, brick-and-mortar stores often face challenges balancing cost-efficiency and improved service. Lowering costs, increasing basket size, and delivering exceptional service remain top priorities, but the shelf edge—the core of the in-store experience—frequently gets less attention than back-office functions like warehousing or marketing.
This blog explores how three retailers approach their in-store ticketing process and demonstrate how simple innovations can lead to better outcomes.
Traditional Ticketing: Challenges Retailers Face
Retailer A: A manual and time-consuming process
Retailer A uses a Point of Sale (POS) system to print promotional tickets for upcoming cycles. Here’s how their in-store ticketing process unfolds:
Printing Tickets:
Tickets are printed on pre-printed stationery based on promotion types (e.g., catalogue specials, and temporary price reductions).
Paper stock needs constant swapping, which requires babysitting the printer.
Sorting Tickets:
- Tickets aren’t in any logical order, so the retailer spends hours tearing, cutting, and sorting them at home.
Placing Tickets:
- Staff remove outdated tickets manually, taking extra care to check expiration dates.
Handling Errors:
- Inconsistencies in prices and missing promotions cause delays and require communication with head office.
Custom Promotions:
- Retailer A manually creates tickets for in-store promotions using Word templates, adding to their workload.
Outcome:
The process is time-consuming, error-prone, and creates unappealing tickets that shoppers barely notice.
Retailer B: A centralized yet inefficient system
Retailer B’s in-store ticketing process is slightly different but still inefficient:
Receiving Tickets:
- Tickets are mailed from head office in bulk, without any particular order. Multiple formats (A4, 3up, 9up) are sent to accommodate various setups, but most are unnecessary and go to waste.
Handling Errors:
- Missing or incorrect tickets require follow-up, delaying promotions.
Custom Promotions:
- Retailer B also prints their tickets for local promotions, similar to Retailer A.
Outcome:
Despite centralized ticketing, the process still wastes time, resources, and paper, without delivering better results.
A better approach: Retailer C’s optimized ticketing system
Retailer C and their group have implemented a new system that transforms the in-store ticketing process. How did they do it? By simplifying paper stock management:
Switching to blank perforated stock for tickets:
- Eliminates the need for pre-printed stock.
Reducing logistics, storage, and waste:
- Tickets can now be printed on-demand using colour printers, addressing specific needs instantly.
Introducing a Dedicated Ticketing System:
- Prints tickets in planogram or category-specific orders to avoid manual sorting.
Features clear indicators to help staff identify which tickets to remove each week.
Enhancing Ticket Design:
- Uses varied designs and colours to make tickets stand out.
- Displays influential information, increasing shopper engagement and basket size.
Streamlining Custom Promotions:
- Store staff can create matching tickets for in-store promotions with ease.
- The process is standardized, ensuring consistent branding and style.
Empowering Store Staff:
- The system is user-friendly, allowing any staff member to produce and print tickets, reducing reliance on managers.
- Regular updates to ticket design keep shoppers engaged and looking for deals.
The results for Retailer C: Efficiency without high costs
Retailer C’s approach proves that improving the in-store ticketing process doesn’t have to involve expensive solutions. By focusing on process changes, they’ve achieved:
- Reduced Costs: Less waste, fewer logistics, and efficient printing.
- Increased Engagement: Attractive and clear tickets drive shopper interest.
- Improved Efficiency: Staff can focus on higher-value tasks instead of manual ticketing.
Conclusion
For retailers, change doesn’t always require significant investments in high-tech solutions like electronic shelf labels. Sometimes, simple and cost-effective changes to the in-store ticketing process can yield better results. By rethinking processes and leveraging thoughtful innovations, retailers like Retailer C demonstrate that improving the shelf edge is both practical and impactful.
Change the process, change the outcome.
What’s next?
We hope you found these pointers useful. If you’d like to discuss how Last Yard can help with optimizing your in-store ticketing process, get in touch today. Book a discovery call for a quick 15-minute demo with real-world examples you can share with your team.
