Reserve

A new flexible ecommerce solution designed to boost car park occupancy, customer visibility, and ultimately increase parking revenues has been launched by APT Skidata.

Called ‘reserve’, the new digital platform accommodates three key commercial applications: pre-book/pay in advance to enable customers to manage their end-to-end parking journey online; pay now (pay and go), to enable pre-registered customers to drive in/out of a car park using autopay; and pay later, so customers can park and settle their parking charge after the event within a defined period.

While further enhancing the customer experience, reserve is principally designed to enable car park owners and operators to manage all of their ecommerce solutions from a single, smart interface, rather than having to rely on multiple solutions from multiple suppliers.

By addressing all of the customers’ needs in a single platform, reserve gives operators total flexibility in how they deliver their parking experience: Retail users, for example, may use Pay in Advance for the most convenient spaces, and for contract and staff parking, and also use Pay Now for frequent visitors, with the added benefit of also being able to accommodate promotions codes and discounts to reward loyalty; hotels may opt for a similar formula, and improve the customer journey further by creating one customer booking flow – book a room and book parking in the same session.

Airports may use a combination of all three applications, including the pay later too at Drop Off Zones to maximise vehicle movement and revenue, whereas hospitals, stadia, event locations, and city centre car park operators can also benefit from the flexibility the reserve platform provides.

Derek McLean, Head of Product at APT Skidata, says reserve is yet another example of the company’s focus on digital solutions: “We recognise that ecommerce is the way to increase revenues, give operators greater visibility of their customers and behaviours, and further enhance the customer journey,” he explains. “With reserve, car park operators can manage their car park and reservation ecosystem on a single platform seamlessly, and with total flexibility.”
Crucially, reserve can be customised to an operator’s needs and branded accordingly. It is designed to be mobile-first, available across all devices, with a user interface that is friendly, intuitive and optimised for a mobile customer journey. Complete integration via a Smartphone with Apple and Google Wallet assures the ticket is easily accessible and presented to the reading device in the best way possible.