Retailers on the Move with Mobile POS

The store is still the strong heart of retail, offering consumers the opportunity to touch, feel, try on, explore, engage and buy, all under one roof. After all, that’s what great shopping is all about! However, to be successful today, that store’s heart must beat with a decidedly digital pulse. Ultimately, the consumer wants the best of both the physical and digital retail worlds.

More and more shoppers are walking into their favorite stores and consulting their mobile devices to help them make decisions. According to a recent Cisco Consulting Services survey, the number of people shopping in this way has doubled in the past year, rising to 18 percent from 9 percent, Retail TouchPoints reported.

The Crucial Role of Mobile POS

These “über digital shoppers,” as Cisco calls them, expect retailers to meet them where they are, armed with mobile devices and connected retail systems that are just as good if not better than what is in the consumer’s pocket or purse. Enter mobile POS. Solutions such as Yourcegid Retail Mobile help ensure that the retailer and its store associates can deliver an in-store experience that is every bit as convenient and personalized as online shopping.

For example, just as website algorithms will trigger a “save the sale” response if a shopper abandons a cart, the latest mobile POS technology can help associates to provide a convenient and speedy experience to shoppers who want to get in and get out of the store as soon as possible. Then the salesperson can proactively see how the store can satisfy the individual. Would the shopper like that dress in another size or color? If the preferred style isn’t in the store, would she like it shipped to her home? Full visibility to company-wide inventory is at the associates’ fingertips on a mobile device. If the shopper is a return customer or loyalty program member, the associate can engage in even more tailored interactions. Would the customer like 20 percent off a scarf or purse to go with the blouse and pantsuit she bought online last month? The personalized up-selling and cross-selling possibilities are endless.

Putting Customers First While Empowering Associates

Mobile POS is one of those win-win technologies that pleases both external and internal stakeholders. It helps retailers give end consumers the seamless omnichannel experience they demand. In turn, customers buy more in stores and online, boosting the bottom line due to reduced markdowns, faster inventory turns and fewer sales lost to competitors.

At the same time, store associates feel empowered to do their jobs with excellence, armed with mobile software that is connected to robust enterprise data. They are no longer bound by the constraints of a traditional point of sale or distracted by the need to phone other stores or run to the backroom to check on product availability. With full-featured mobile POS, they can even assist shoppers with checkout anywhere in the store. Research by Capterra shows that:

• 62 percent of retail workers say mobile POS has made their jobs easier;
• 28 percent say mobile POS has increased the number of products a customer buys;
• 51 percent of stores are using mobile POS to accept mobile payments; and
• in a few years’ time, 79 percent of stores are expected to use mobile POS to accept mobile payments.

Delivered through a secure, cloud-based platform, Yourcegid Retail Mobile also provides retailers with a highly scalable way to modernise their store operations with a low maintenance burden on IT teams. Mobile POS gives stores ample flexibility to take their business where the consumer is — into a pop-up location or into a new strategic location.
Could mobile POS be instrumental to improving your store processes, reaching omnichannel business goals, and, most importantly, meeting the needs of today’s über digital shopper? Chances are, the answer is yes.

Contact Cegid to discuss how we can help.