LONDON: A bespoke till system is helping beauty brand Lush boost sales at peak times, increase retail space and cut costs.

According to Jack Constantine, chief digital officer at Lush, the retailer had become frustrated by the standard offer from till suppliers and the length of time they were taking to make changes.

“We already have our own website, and we wanted to take that digital web approach and bring it into the wider business,” he told Marketing Week.

That has entailed building its own tablet till system – tablet tills replace the usual cash desk but offer faster transactions and more payment options – which includes an app built on Google’s Android that allows staff to offer mobile checkout points to customers anywhere in store, as well as personalised product information.

The new system was trialled in the brand’s store in London’s Oxford Street, where, Constantine reported, revenue has risen by up to 20% as staff process more transactions, with a concomitant drop in the number of people leaving without buying because the store was too busy.

Smaller tills also free up more retail space while Constantine estimated that capital expenditure could fall by 75%, before adding in the benefits of not having to pay licensing fees and negotiating a reduced rate on its payment gateway.

“We are seeing cost savings and revenue growth, as well as customer experience improvements,” he said.

A wider roll out is now under way, with all UK stores expected to be using the new system within six months and all 950 stores worldwide to follow.

Future upgrades could include wish-listing and email receipts with product information – “things where we can see more benefits and perks benefiting customers,” Constantine explained.

“This is not over,” he added. “We are laying the foundations for how retail and digital come together to provide the ultimate customer experience.”

Sourced from Marketing Week; additional content by WARC staff