Black Friday, US retail’s biggest day of the year, promises us two things: some outstanding shopping bargains and, if we’re not careful, a real parking headache.
With traditional bricks-and-mortar retail under increasing pressure, there is a real need to optimize the whole customer experience in order to secure footfall and that all-important repeat business.
Poor parking and access to venues has been shown to be one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, for shoppers failing to return. Many malls and outlets have already realized this and have parking management strategies in place that direct new arrivals to available capacity.
But it’s no longer even the case that parking lots will necessarily be full. With eCommerce taking a bite out of bricks and mortar’s sales, there will often be spare capacity. Buying habits have changed, and so have expectations.
Venues have discounted savagely. They have also introduced ‘buy online and pick up’ services. At the same time, shoppers are becoming more discerning — apps and the online experience have increased the sense of immediacy and better individual service.
So, it’s no longer just a case of finding ‘a’ parking space; shoppers want ‘the’ parking space that best serves their precise needs. In some cases, that may even be several spaces, one after the other, as people venue-hop, beating the rush by getting in, getting done and getting gone.
Better from the customer’s point of view, then, if you can plan your parking strategy before getting in the car. Better yet if you can book online, know precisely where you’re going, and have the guarantee that when you arrive, the space (or spaces) you booked will be vacant for your use.
All this requires highly accurate sensing systems, and an electronic back office solution that can understand and make best use of available capacity and then share that knowledge online or via dynamic on-street and at-venue signage.
ATS ParkingCloud™️ is a single data platform that connects with vehicle-counting and other data-collection devices and then assimilates the information they gather via the Cloud. It provides parking scheme operators with a single dashboard for all their parking needs. It gives customers the ability to manage their parking requirements, and updates them in real time.
“Because it’s device-agnostic, ParkingCloud can work with any supplier’s detection and counting solutions,” says ATS CEO Andy Souders. “That means malls and other venues needn’t worry about the sunk cost of existing solutions. We can supply all that they need but we can also work with what they have to produce a state-of-the-art parking management solution — one which optimizes space utilization, guarantees revenues and helps to build customer relations.
“The performance improvements we can provide are relatively inexpensive and near-instant. But they can make a real difference in terms of a venue’s public image and profitability — important considerations in an increasingly competitive retail environment.”
Posted in Press Releases.
All Traffic Solutions (ATS) is a leader in portable, cloud-supported devices for traffic safety, smart parking, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications. Our innovative Software as a Service solutions and connected devices are transforming how communities solve their most complex parking, traffic and transportation challenges. ATS’ patented TraffiCloud® and ParkingCloud™ platforms enable organizations to remotely manage their sensor networks and centralize data in real time. Over 5,000 organizations use ATS technology to increase traffic safety, improve parking system performance by maximizing revenues and the customer experience, and optimize operational performance through traffic and parking pattern analysis. Visit AllTrafficSolutions.com
