Creating new customer journeys for Jewelry Retailer to ensure customer safety during COVID-19

Brief

SkillNet partners with Jewelry retailer to map and create a new digital customer journey, to ensure safe in-store shopping experiences. The new store staff mobile application, which leverages and extends the capabilities of existing applications, ensured support for COVID-19 regulations and restrictions.

About the client

The client is a vertically integrated, family-owned Jewelry retailer located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. They are a multi-channel retailer with 94 stores in four states. Their jewelry is also available in more than 215 Dillard’s stores in Texas and in 28 additional states; and nationwide through their web site. Their jewelry is crafted in Texas workshops with the finest materials sourced worldwide.

Challenge | Ensuring seamless in-store customer experience while maintaining social distancing and adhering to COVID-19 guidelines

The client had to temporarily shut their retail stores to help slow the spread of COVID-19. When the stores reopened a few months later, the client realized that they not only had to manage and maintain social distancing in the stores but also limit the occupancy per state guidelines and regulations.

The initial solution to address the issue, was to manually give out hand-written numbers on paper to customers. But the customer wanted a solution which was more aligned to the corporate culture and brand. They were looking for an elegant solution to manage customer queue while ensuring that both customers and staff in the store felt safe and socially distanced. They decided to partner with SkillNet to address the issue.

Solution | Creating a new digital customer journey by extending existing application capabilities

The team started with a series of collaborative design workshops centered around SkillNet’s extensive retail domain knowledge. Once a complete functional understanding was agreed upon, the team designed a new digital customer journey, which leveraged and extended the capabilities of existing applications. SkillNet then developed a cloud-native microservices enabled enterprise solution using Agile and DevOps methodologies and technologies.

The mobile solution allows easy communication between the stores and their customers. As customers moved up the wait-list, they received notifications informing them of their current position and wait time. If the customer wanted to be removed from the list, they could simply respond to the text letting the store know that they needed to be removed from the list.

Results | Socially distanced, safe in-store experiences due to new store staff mobile app

Due to SkillNet’s collaborative approach and use of modern design frameworks like Design Thinking, the client’s store associates and managers found the mobile check-in application easy to use with little to no training.

The solution helped store staff manage and maintain customer queues during busy times keeping themselves and customer safe as they shopped for artisan jewelry