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Planet, a global technology leader providing integrated software and payment services, has today announced a range of product enhancements that will further elevate the tax-free shopping experience and help retailers grow revenue from international spending.
We’ve been innovators in the Tax Free market now for well over 30 years and today, we remain one of the global market leaders, operating across 30 markets where we serve over 15,000 customers and more than 150,000 stores.
Our ambition is to deliver shoppers the best experience and enhance brand loyalty, and to help you (the retailer) drive more revenue from this important added-value service.
We’re investing so you can make the most of the Tax Free opportunity as the growth we’re seeing across travel and tourism leads to a strong increase in international footfall.
Digitising the end-to-end experience
Firstly, we’re continuing the work to digitise the whole end-to-end experience.
Much of this investment is focused on front-end issuing. We’re enhancing the process so that shoppers can enjoy, and store staff can deliver, a better in-store Tax Free experience.
For example, we’re speeding-up the issuing process so it’s faster for staff and shoppers. As footfall increases, you’ll welcome the time and efficiency savings this brings.
We’re also helping you generate more revenue from Tax Free with automated data capture.
By introducing passport scanning via terminals and integrating passport reading into your POS systems, your staff can quickly and easily identify all eligible shoppers, so they never miss a sale. It’s faster and more accurate too, which helps you manage your operations more efficiently.
Another benefit we’ve introduced is that by removing offline manual pads, we’re helping you cut down paperwork for store staff, so they can serve more customers and increase turnover. It also helps the environment too.
We’ve also introduced a faster validation process and we’re able to pay VAT refunds more quicky thanks to digital stamping, which is another benefit of the time to be saved through digitising the entire end-to-end process.
And digitisation also means shoppers can benefit from easier access to our Shopper Portal.
Making life easier with the Shopper Portal
We’ve recently launched our new Shopper Portal which supports shoppers all the way through the Tax Free process, from once they’ve made their purchase and been issued with their Tax Free form, right up to the point at which they receive their VAT refund.
It does this by providing them with a clear direction on the next steps in their Tax Free journey, an option to add their cards for refunds, real-time status updates and access to Planet support.
The Shopper Portal helps to streamline VAT refunds, making life easier for sales staff who spend less time explaining the process to customers. And it empowers shoppers to complete their refund at their convenience using their personal device. This much simplified approach should result in fewer complaints about the Tax Free process, faster refunds, reduced chargebacks, improved match rates and happier customers.
You can learn more about how we’re making Tax Free shopping easier for tourists that use our Shopper Portal.
Unlock more revenue with our all-in-one devices
We’ve brought Tax Free together with acquiring and currency conversion (DCC) onto a single modern and sleek PAX device, giving you access to this time-saving technology through one provider.
No wasting time searching for the right Tax Free terminal; it’s now all in the one place.
This means we can offer you a one-stop-shop, with one point of contact for all your enquiries with Planet as your single provider. In a world where technology is becoming more complex, this enhancement makes your life considerably easier.
The technology also leads to a faster and more enjoyable in-store experience, helping staff work more efficiently with a faster rate of turnover at busy tills. And thanks to auto card recognition, you can generate more revenue from Tax Free and DCC as this means that all eligible shoppers will automatically be captured and offered these value-added services.
It's also a PCI compliant way to capture card details for VAT refunding thanks to Planet’s own tokenisation widgets, offering you increased security and peace of mind for shoppers.
Training staff on Tax Free
We know from research we’ve carried out that shoppers want the Tax Free process to be convenient. 31% of global consumers say a lack of guidance from retail staff prevents them from using the service. This lack of understanding is a barrier to sales growth.
So, to help address this, we’re rolling out an exciting new state of the art online training tool for in-store staff to help them learn more about Tax Free. AI generated avatars, real-life situation role plays, and gamification all adds a fun element to the training.
The tool includes four modules: Tax Free rules and regulations, the typical Tax Free shopper profile, how to use Tax Free to up-sell and why Tax Free is so important.
It’s fully flexible, allowing for retail staff to access it at their own convenience and through their platform of choice (there’s a choice of mobile, tablet and web). This offers a more engaging way of training and leads to a better retention of knowledge.
This in turn helps to increase Tax Free sales and increases your average basket size, thanks to staff being better able to recognise and serve eligible shoppers, leaving shoppers better satisfied as they’ve been offered savings through Tax Free.
Our customers who have already rolled out this training to their store staff have seen 87% of the identified knowledge gap closed, and staff tend to play multiple times to improve their learning and enhance their position on their teams’ scoreboard, showing how the training brings with it a competitive element. They love it too with 98% of staff members saying that they really enjoy this form of learning and would use the knowledge in their day-to-day work.
Other initiatives
We’ve also introduced a new digital and drive-to-store marketing service for you to help you attract and drive footfall and an airport VIP service which helps to enhance the Tax Free experience, especially for clients of luxury brands.
We’re also busy connecting payments and software for a better experience which is why we’re continuing to invest to bring Tax Free and retail software together, so we can integrate the online and in-person Tax Free shopping experience.
“I’m confident that the investments we’ve announced today will continue to put us at the forefront of much of the innovation taking place across the Tax Free industry today,” said Luca Cassina, President Retail, Planet.
“We’re a global leader in Tax Free, where we operate across 30 markets, serving over 15,000 customers and more than 150,000 stores. Our ambition is to empower a better tax-free shopping experience and to help our retail customers and partners optimise revenue from Tax Free, as the growth we’re seeing across travel and tourism drives a strong increase in international footfall.”
About Planet
Planet provides integrated software, payment, and technology solutions for its customers in the Hospitality and Retail sectors and worldwide via a network of global Financial Services Partners.
Planet helps its customers and partners make the most of the connected commerce revolution. Our software and payment technology enables businesses to unlock the benefits of a more connected and digital world.
Founded over 35 years ago, we have evolved our services, delivering an innovative digital commerce platform that puts customer experience first.
With headquarters in London and over 2,500 expert employees located across six continents we serve customers in over 120 markets.
For more information, visit:
Website: www.weareplanet.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/planet
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