Consumers constantly expect retailers to make their lives easier. This trend manifests itself not only in product innovation but also in the shopping experience itself. Retailers must continue to provide faster technology, better transparency to customers, and more accurate logistics and delivery to make customers feel like the shopping experience is efficient. Investments in retail technology will alleviate customer pain points to increase loyalty and retention. Retailers are eager to harness the enormous potential of digitally connecting with customers to increase sales and loyalty.
From the pandemic to the holiday shopping season to recent supply chain stresses, many factors have forced customers to change their shopping habits and expectations frequently and quickly. In fact, consumers have indicated that product availability, faster delivery times, local shipping options, and full order visibility are key to a quality shopping experience. Improving in-store technology has quickly become a top priority for the industry as retailers around the world strive to compete and win. A salesperson equipped with a mobile point of sale (mPOS) system can stay close to the customer throughout their shopping journey and become an effective personal assistant and guide.
What does mPOS mean in retail?
A mobile POS is a system in which point-of-sale software is installed on a handheld mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet like an iPhone or iPad. The device performs the same actions as a cash register and terminal to complete a customer’s transaction. A mobile POS system is the best all-in-one solution for a business that is on the go or needs flexibility in payment processing. Equipped with wireless mobile POS devices, employees are able to cash out customers or access inventory information from anywhere in the store. With powerful technology at your fingertips, you can even use your mobile POS system for critical business functions.
What are the benefits of using an mPOS in a retail store?
Mobile point-of-sale systems are easy to set up and use. Using a smartphone, tablet, or specialized terminal, you can create a point-of-sale system that works best for your business.
Here are ten benefits of investing in an mPOS system for your retail store
1. Real-time visibility on all inventory items
If an employee enters a product SKU into your inventory at the same time another employee opens a search on that item, the product will be seen immediately. You can see the inventory status of the entire chain in real-time for every item you have in your stores. There is no wait time, as the product enters your inventory immediately, so any staff with the ability to search for a product can see where it is. The ability to use point-of-sale devices for inventory and cycle counts makes checking your inventory less complicated and allows you to consistently eliminate errors to maintain accurate inventory levels.
2. Facilitate seamless store transfers
With real-time product search, you can quickly find merchandise in other stores in your chain. Plus, if your store doesn’t have the product, your staff can quickly request a store transfer directly from your mobile POS. No need to run to the cash register to make the request, no need for a phone call. Make the request and receive a confirmation email within minutes. This real-time store transfer request can be made from anywhere in your store.
3. Empowers your employees
The mobile POS system empowers your employees by keeping them busy with tasks that will impact your bottom line. Instead of spending time going back and forth from your POS to the shelves to continue stocking merchandise, they’ll save time, have better morale, and make more sales.
mPOS turns store associates into more efficient employees. It eliminates paper from the inventory counting process for good. Mobile devices include a barcode scanner for fast, accurate counts that can update your inventory management system in real-time.
mPOS turns cashiers into sales generators. Customers love and expect personalized service. Mobile technology in retail frees your salespeople from the cash wrap to helping customers in the aisle close sales at the point of decision, which increases conversions.
The mPOS transforms sales associates into product experts who can offer shoppers personalized advice on products, availability, and delivery methods. Your associates can view past purchase data, online browsing history, loyalty reward points, and other data to engage the shopper with relevant up-sell or cross-sell suggestions.
4. Increased mobility
Mobile technology makes it easier to move them around in a brick-and-mortar store. Decentralizing your point of sale allows employees to process transactions and place orders immediately from anywhere in your store or other location. When your mobile POS simplifies assisted selling, everyone is happy. It’s the perfect way to differentiate yourself from your competitors, build customer loyalty to generate long-term sales, and make your customers feel like the time they spend in your store is time well spent.
Mobile technology in retail enables a geographic increase in your sales footprint and allows you to do business almost anywhere. Sidewalk sales, tent sales, trunk shows, pop-up stores, and special events are easy to organize and manage with mPOS.
5. Line-busting checkout options
With a mobile-first and responsive POS solution, you can choose to keep your mobile checkout or use the same solution to place your device on a counter or offer a self-checkout option. Combining these three options is the ideal strategy to reduce lines, satisfy fast-moving customers and even increase average order value.
mPOS can prevent lost sales by reducing waiting times in queues. No one wants to wait. Most customers want a quick and easy checkout. When the store is busy, it’s easy to expand checkout to manage long lines and preserve sales that might be lost due to long waits.
6. Accept modern payment types
Shoppers want flexibility in payment options. Mobile technology in retail allows for traditional cash transactions, credit or debit cards, store credit, gift cards, coupons, digital offers, and loyalty points. According to the Mastercard Contactless Consumer Polling survey, more than half of Americans now use some form of contactless payment, including credit cards and mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay. Contactless payment – which can also be used for curbside pickup- helps your customers feel secure (because they don’t have to touch devices or sign with a pen) and gives them the convenience they want when shopping.
7. Enhanced customer service
Customers are looking for salespeople with mobile devices. Half of the customers ask mobile device-equipped salespeople to check product availability at other stores. The ability to check products in real-time from anywhere in the store when customers are looking for something will enhance the customer experience and benefit your store chain in several important ways.
Mobile point-of-sale solutions open up a new world of opportunities for your business. You can enhance your customer’s experience by personalizing their visit. You can establish a built-in loyalty program complete with coupons and discounts for customers who use the mobile checkout system. Give loyalty points to customers who frequently use your mobile checkout system. This program will pay off in the long run. You can reward returning customers by collecting data and offering promotions or discounts. You can also collect data that will help you improve customer offerings and provide important demographic information.
You can revolutionize the way your customers interact with your business by personalizing your approach. Offering value-added services and additional features is easier than ever with a mobile POS system that gives you the flexibility to create unique experiences for each individual.
Mobile POS systems can speed up the returns and exchanges process. Returns and exchanges can slow you down. Mobile technology in retail speeds up returns and exchanges by allowing retailers to quickly increase throughput to avoid delays at checkout.
8. Becomes a data repository to fuel marketing
mPOS software offers real-time analytics and insights into your customers. If you integrate your mobile POS with an online ordering system, you can see the most popular times, what products are selling, and how your customers like to pay. By connecting all your in-store and e-commerce channels, you’ll get a better picture of your business at all times.
The mPOS equips retailers with more data for more effective marketing and allows them to provide a much more personalized and comprehensive experience for their customers. Associates can request and capture customer email addresses for email marketing campaigns. They can also collect other information about customers before, during, or after the sale, wherever they are in the store. This will increase engagement and loyalty and boost your sales and revenue.
9. Greater potential for store expansion
The mobile retail POS system facilitates expansion because scaling up is simple. Every mobile point of sale is a potential checkout station. And as you add stores, low-cost mPOS devices allow you to expand faster with little or no investment in new IT infrastructure.
The adoption of mobile POS systems makes chain stores more competitive. As a result, those chains that have tried it are seeing increased sales and revenue and more satisfied customers. You can be part of the mobile POS revolution and see your profits increase.
10. Seamless integrations and upgrades
Retail technology is constantly evolving. Chances are, you’ll need to update your mobile POS system at some point to keep it current.
Updating your system will allow you to integrate different platforms that will streamline business operations. Retail point-of-sale integrations include connecting your system to order management, inventory, and accounting software. The mobile POS system also makes it easy to adjust items and other settings on the fly without waiting for shifts to end. Updating over Wifi pushes out changes to all connected devices immediately. So, you can create a POS report for each task.
Empower Your Retail Store with Mobility
Mobile retail technology is a game changer in modern retail as it allows retailers to deliver a memorable shopping experience that builds brand loyalty. mPOS enhances sales conversations to drive sales, and during off-peak hours, associates can use their mobile devices to count inventory, improving productivity and the quality of their inventory data.
Retailers who adapt to meet rising customer expectations can sell more, earn more, and build personal relationships through an integrated omnichannel strategy that includes mobility. ChainDrive is a mobile point-of-sale system that acts as the central point of interaction between your employees and your customers. It can serve multiple roles and functions, from checking inventory or customer details to providing the immediate and critical information your staff needs to better serve your customers. With its functionality, businesses can provide excellent customer service by conducting transactions at any time. Savvy retailers know that a mobile POS solution is a retail technology that offers a positive ROI for their business. Contact us today to demo ChainDrive Retail Mobile POS and see how easy it is to deploy mobility in your stores.
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