mobile app / post covid-19 solutions / cms / product dev / Digital Transformation forum courtyard mall / retail / crowd management
The organized retail sector incurred losses amounting to INR 90,000 crore during the lockdown period. The unlock announcement allowed malls and shopping arcades to open to the public again. But the fear of safety still loomed large, and people shied away from malls.
Forum Courtyard, is a shopping mall that has retail chains and restaurant chains. Forum too was affected by the lockdown and saw a steep decline in footfalls. They were looking for a solution that would help them with crowd management, assure people that it was safe to visit the mall, and also by way of all this lead to capture consumer data.
Brandsum Tech Solutions had already delivered a crowd management technology solution to Quest Mall and integrated it into their existing app, which the agency had built. This further convinced Forum Courtyard to partner with Brandsum.
The brief:
Forum Courtyard needed a solution for users that would ensure that the mall is safe and hygienic to visit again. The mall needed an app that would assure users that the mall is a safe and hygienic environment, for them it would be the platform to capture data and use it to send out further promotional communication.
Creating a rich user experience:
Since this was going to be a platform that had to represent safety at the mall for consumers, Brandsum suggested integrating a simple yet effective QR code. All users had to do was download the app from the Play Store or App Store, enter their phone numbers, input the OTP and generate the unique QR code. This QR code could be scanned at the mall for entry and exit, resulting in complete contactless entry and exit.
Via the app, guests are also privy to a personal shopping assistant, complimentary who will shop for the users while they stay at home. This feature can be used by calling a number or even using the Whatsapp Business number that was integrated by the agency. The personal shopper helps guests choose products of their choice from stores of their choice via video calling. The products are then delivered to the doorsteps of the user.
The app also has an exhaustive store directory with the complete inventory of stores in the mall. With an in-built call-in feature, the directory conveniently allows users to call a store of their choice.
It also has a dedicated safety section, that users can refer to for maintaining personal safety while at the mall.
Capturing data with an immersive back-end
For the QR code to be generated, users have to input their phone numbers. Thus getting the mall direct access to phone numbers of guests who have visited the mall. The app further filters users by staff and visitor. Users who opt for a staff login are further segregated into mall staff and store staff, where store staff have to specify which store they work with. This helps track the attendance by way of entry and exit times of the staff.
The billing staff and cashiers of each store have privileged access to a section of the app that allows them to scan the QR code of each guest. This then allows them to input the billing amount and the discount availed. In case of stores running multiple offers, the staff also have the choice to identify the specific offer that the user availed.
Brandsum knew that maintaining social distancing in the mall at all times would be a challenge. Therefore they created a dashboard that allows the mall management to not just track the entry and exit times of users, it also showcases how many people are present in the mall at any given point in time - segregated into guests, mall staff, store staff, support staff (mall security and house-cleaning) all in real-time. This data is updated every minute. Therefore allowing to limit people and maintain social distancing at all times.
In addition to this app, Brandsum built the Forum Courtyard team a complimenting Android app to host all the data. This app allows the mall management to read the QR codes for entry and exit. Furthermore, this app allows the mall management to map every entry and exit point and manage crowds more effectively.
Impact created in numbers:
1.8K
users.
Within one week of the app being launched for both iOS and Android users, it garnered 1.8K users.
30K
visits
Over 30,000 visits have been recorded via the app.
6.6K
downloads
As of 31st July, 2020 the app has 6.6K Android downloads and 2.3K iOS downloads.
The team at Forum Courtyard was appreciative of the app that Brandsum built and with their turnaround time. The agency has already been assigned phase 2 of the app development, which will see a 100 crore bonanza offer being launched, which will have customized offers for users and stores. All of which will be completely integrated into the existing app!
For technology driven marketing solutions, connect with Brandsum.
