At Tug Life, Pret A Manager’s Board Advisor, Mark Palmer, reveals that the international sandwich shop focuses on technology that enhances customer experience, as opposed to being a cutting-edge technology first mover

According to Palmer, technology helps Pret do what it does day in and day out. In fact, many of the most important technology isn’t always consumer-facing. For example, technology plays a key role in forecasting demand and helping to enable on-time fresh deliveries to 500 shops worldwide each and every day.

Contactless payments

“We are first and foremost a fresh food and coffee retailer and tend to look at investing in technology that directly benefits the customer experience as opposed to being a cutting-edge technology first mover,” he added.

“We are keen on technology which can benefit our customers. The best example of this is contactless payment where Pret was a very early and active adopter of the new technology, first with cards and now with phones. Pret customers value speed and convenience and this technology enhanced their Pret visit experience. Contactless has also helped reduce the level of cash handling in our shops bringing a direct business benefit to our operations.”

Twitter feedback

On social media, Pret’s Twitter has become a live customer service channel to see positive and bad feedback which allows Pret colleagues know what needs improving.

“In Pret’s support centre, the company installed its coffee area with a giant screen showing a live Twitter feed to see what its customers are writing in order so issues can get fixed fast, and so we can let customers know we have it on hand,” he added.

Palmer also noted that convenience remains king as people leave ever busier lives, which is why he expects to see more and more customers looking for health and wellbeing as part of their busy schedules.

Written by Leah Alger