Millennials Are Less Loyal: The Role of Queue Management

This is the final post in our three-part blog series about the millennials and implications for queue management. By now it should be clear that this generation of consumers, currently ranging in age from 18-33, will have a tremendous impact on all aspects of retail. This series was prompted by a Retail Dive piece written by Kelsey Lindsey. As she points out in her recent article on the ‘age of millennials,’

“…millennials tend to be less loyal to political parties and religious organizations, and less trusting of others when compared to previous generations. This disaffiliation may have transmitted itself somewhat to industry trends, with the one-brand consumer becoming more and more obsolete. But while the constant state of deal-hunting by millennials has decreased the reliable business of yesterday, it still may be possible for companies to attract younger consumers that will stay loyal to them for years to come.”

To gain some modicum of millennials’ loyalty, retailers must raise the bar on strategies that build interest and trust.

Effective Queue Management Can Impact Loyalty Among Millennials

Customer loyalty develops based on the customer experience and, when it comes to in-store retail, a large piece of the customer experience has to do with the checkout process and wait times. Ultimately, the waiting line is where customers are won or lost. And this critical juncture in the in-store journey will come to mind as your millennial consumers decide to revisit your location or choose the alternative down the street. Whether the line was too long, whether the checkout process was cumbersome, or whether they felt their time was being wasted... these factors contribute to the strength of their loyalty to your brand. It’s integral to take steps to make this last part of the shopping experience more enjoyable and to leave each customer with a positive impression. In order to build satisfaction and loyalty, the goal should be to make the wait “less painful” by manipulating the variables that cause wait times to feel or actually become shorter. Such strategies can include a single-line queue to shorten actual wait times, virtual queuing to eliminate the physical waiting line all together, or interactive digital signage to engage customers while they wait. The important point is that the waiting line is one of the last touchpoints a retailer has with its customers. For millennials who are less loyal, this touchpoint becomes even more important. Regardless of how the rest of the shopping experience went, this is the part they’ll remember most and talk about when they leave… good or bad.