Your point-of-sale software has a lot of features that are nice to know and free for you to get and take only seconds to find out. It is a free resource. These are my favourite things.

One such tool is the "Basket Size by Hour" report in your point of sale (POS) software. This report provides insight into your customers’ buying habits.

Get the "Basket Size by Hour" report.

To access this report, go to End of Day> Reporting > Average Basket size by hour in your POS software.

Now, put in a date 

See how the basket size varies in your shop by the time of day.

Put in a range of dates, and I am sure you will find them very interesting.

You'll likely notice that account sales tend to have higher basket sizes than retail sales. It is a hidden benefit to account sales that many miss.

Some ways to Use the "Basket Size by Hour" to Optimise Your Retail Operations

Optimise Staffing

Generally, the smaller the basket size, the less selling your staff needs to do and the more transaction processing is required. For times with high basket sizes, you need staff members who can sell.

Targeted Promotions

Most shops have different types of customers, depending on the time of the day, so try experimenting with promotions based on time.

Give it a go!

The "Basket Size by Hour" report is a powerful tool to help you optimise your retail operations and stay ahead of the competition. Analyzing this report allows you to make data-driven decisions to improve staffing, promotions, visual merchandising, and checkout efficiency. Don't miss out on this valuable insight – start using the "Basket Size by Hour" report today, boost your sales and stay ahead of the competition!

We have all had shop assistants asking if they can help.  Most customers say they do not like to be disturbed by shop assistants. It's a fact, but is not disturbing them the best thing for the shop? 

If you want something to think about in your shop, have a chew on this study here. This study points that out.

"Shoppers who interact with a sales associate are 43 percent more likely to purchase a product, and their transactions have 81 percent more value, compared to those who don't interact with an associate. In addition, they are 12 percent more likely to revisit the store."

This is true of all shops; see here.

The orange is the increase in sales, notice the department store which is the least technical got the biggest percentage increase.

Let me give you a personal example. I went to a toy shop to buy a kid's present. I was unsure of what to get, so I appreciated it when a shop assistant suggested that I buy a kid's table set. So I bought it on her recommendation.

1) So your staff needs to know their products.

The study also states there are significant problems when customers can't find a shop assistant when they have questions. A negative experience can lead to customers going elsewhere.

2) So you have to make sure that your staff is at hand.

What is clear is that consumers do rely on interaction with your staff to make purchasing decisions. Helping them will lead to a significant increase in sales and repeat purchases.

Try it out now.