In a move to improve customer experience and make its stores easier to shop, Sainsbury’s is investing in multiple trials of exciting new formats across the U.K. They provide an insight into the grocer’s philosophy for the future of its stores. And nowhere else is this more evident than at its Kiln Lane store in Epsom, Surrey.
Kiln Lane is a 100,000 square foot so-called “Destination Plus” store, stocking the full range of products and brands, including Tu, Habitat, and Argos, in addition to general merchandise and groceries.
But what makes it stand out is not tech-driven; it is the layout and ease of navigation for the shopper.
The first thing on entering the store is a feeling of calm, and this is no accident; a lot of work by many teams across the business has gone into creating this environment.
Clear white signage using light boxes allows for easy navigation. Speaking to Fortune, Sainsbury’s Director of Future Stores and Customer Experience, Darren Sinclair, said, “The store has been designed based on the mission, the purpose of the store, the experience we want to create for customers”.
In the words of Sinclair, the signage is “really quick, really simple, really clear”. To achieve this, Sainsbury’s has stripped away a lot of it, especially pendant signs hung from the ceiling, as, using eye-tracking technology, they found that customers weren’t actually looking at them.
Another contribution to that feeling of calmness are the new shelving units, which look slicker and more modern but are easier to clean and don’t cost any more. Noticeably, this color scheme also links very well with the purple Nectar signage.
Good product availability was also in evidence, and again, this is no accident. According to Sinclair, a lot of effort has gone into ensuring the right space allocation for each product so that it can be traded throughout most of the day, with far less need for replenishing.
“The store has been designed based on the mission, the purpose of the store, the experience we want to create for customers”.
Darren Sinclair, Director of Future Stores and Customer Experience, Sainsbury’s
What underpins the Epsom store is the concept of what Sainsbury’s calls “mission-based” shopping. Sinclair said, “What we wanted to do is make it really easy when customers enter the store. If they want dairy or they want meat, fish, or poultry, they can easily see it”.
An example of this is the location of the wines, beers, and spirits. Rather than being tucked away at one end of the store as one might expect, it’s front and center. The reason, according to Sinclair, is that, for example, this makes it easy (and quicker) for someone on their evening meal mission shop. They can choose their core product(s), and then on the way to the checkout, easily pick up their drink.
The trials Sainsbury’s is undertaking also extend to technology. First introduced in 2016, SmartShop (a method for shoppers to scan their purchases as they shop via an app or handheld scanner) has become embedded in the Sainsbury’s shopping experience. However, in what Sinclair describes as a “technology trial” at their Richmond and Kempton stores, in conjunction with partners, Zebra Technologies, they have added a payment option.
Speaking to Fortune, Mark Thomson, Retail Industry Director at Zebra Technologies, said of the Zebra handheld devices, “It’s also a technology stack because it’s Sainsbury’s software on Zebra’s devices with location services provided by a third-party company using the magnetic field and then payment services provided by Worldline”.
According to Thomson, there’s more functionality which will enhance the customer experience waiting to be unlocked, “Where better place to get a promotion than at the moment of purchase when you’re, say, in the crisps aisle, and Walkers suddenly offer you a promotion”.
In another move to improve the customer experience, at their Witney store in Oxfordshire, Sainsbury’s is trialing electronic shelf-edge labels (ESLs) from VusionGroup, allowing the grocer to introduce dynamic pricing.
Designated a “Future Store” the trial at Witney is across the majority of categories. It is a move in common with most U.K. grocers, who are revisiting the technology as a way to drive efficiencies in the face of increased costs. However, at Witney, the grocer is also trialing computer vision technology, also from VusionGroup, in order to monitor the shelf life of perishable products in real time in order to improve availability and reduce wastage.
Better store experiences aren’t solely the preserve of deploying new technology; it is achieved through blending technology with what is right for the customer, and creating an inviting environment in which to shop. Sainsbury’s “mission-based” strategy is a back-to-basics, cutting-edge technology approach for the future.
