By Laura D., Chief Marketing Officer at The Welcome Hub

Retailers like Whole Foods, Urban Outfitters, and Under Armour are using a smart new tactic to keep you in stores

You are finally walking on the streets of New York as an authentic tourist. You do enjoy every inch of the city, you want to see everything. At some point, though, you realize one thing that probably makes you feel worse than when you lost your wallet: the battery on your phone is about to die. The thing is that you are miles away from your hotel. And you just had lunch on that cool Italian restaurant but didn't even remember to recharge your phone. ChargeItSpot is a free phone charging kiosk that aims to keep shoppers in stores while they wait for their phones to charge. What now?

Thinking of it, ChargeitSpot created a smart solution: a kiosk where you can recharge your phone. For free. The charger is in select Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Whole Foods, Under Armour, Bergdorf Goodman, and Urban Outfitters stores. 

You just have to enter your phone number, choose a security image, select an available locker, insert the phone, and plug it into the relevant charging cord. The charging cords should fit all phone types.

Many participating stores advertise signs in their windows to alert shoppers that they offer mobile charging stations. ChargeItSpot also has an app that tells shoppers which retailers near them have charging kiosks.

There are eight compartments in each kiosk. The compartments lock, so customers don't have to worry about leaving their phones unattended. Meaning, it is safe leaving your phone over there. Well, in the meantime you just have to pay a closer attention to your credit card.

Participating stores have shown a 54% conversion rate of customers making a purchase while charging their phones in the stores, resulting in higher sales, according to its website. 

Another benefit of ChargeItSpot is customer loyalty. If a customer knows there's a charging station in the store, he or she might be more likely to go in and keep coming back.

Retail stores and shoppers seem to be happy with the kiosks.

In New York City you can find ChargeItSpot kiosks at:

. TJ Max - 14 Wall Street / 620 Avenue of The Americas / 407 East 59th Street

. Urban Outfitters - 182 Broadway and 521 Fifth Avenue

. Under Armour - 583 Broadway

. Bergdorf Goodman - 754 Fifth Avenue

. Bloomingdale's - 1000 Third Avenue

You can also download their app here and have fun.