Mobile point of sale (POS) systems have been around for many years but in the past couple years they have become increasingly popular with stores like Home Depot, Apple, Urban Outfitters, and Nordstrom. By adding on the POS functionality to an iPhone, iPod, or iPad you can swipe credit cards, process the transaction, and email a receipt within minutes. With the rise in shopping online, this mobile POS system gives associates the power to bring the e-commerce feeling into the brick-and-mortar portion of a business. If mobile point of sale installation is something you are considering for your store, here are a few ways it will change the game:
Education. Consumers are more educated than ever these days because of the e-commerce portion of businesses. They have the power of walking into a store and knowing more about a product than maybe the associate even knows about a product. This mobile POS system allows the associate to research a product right away so they know the products more than anyone and can answer questions from shoppers.
Quick Checkout. Associates have the power to check someone out in seconds. By having a mobile POS at your fingertips you can process transactions, send a receipt, even order things online and have them shipped to a store or to a customer’s home very quickly. This provides great customer service and gets a customer in and out quickly which they will remember the next time they want to purchase something from your business.
Inventory. A hassle for store employees and shoppers is inventory out of stock. Most stores will offer to call another store and see if they have the size or product they want but what if you could check the inventory on your mobile POS from wherever you are in the store? By offering the speedy service of finding another product and having it shipped to the store or the home of the shopper can instantly create a loyal customer where you could have lost that customer if there wasn’t someone there to help them right away.
Prevent Buyer’s Remorse. A shopper may be standing in a long line waiting to pay for something and a lot of thoughts run through their head. They loved it when they picked it up but is it too expensive now? Do they really need it? Don’t let your customers go through the buyer’s remorse cycle while waiting in a line that is too long. A mobile POS system allows an associate to check out a person right as they are ready to check out from anywhere in the store.
Overall the biggest advantage of having a mobile POS system is customer service. You can provide customers the opportunity to buy your products, whether they are in stock or not, faster than ever. Nordstrom has seen exponential growth in their sales since they started using a mobile POS system which was featured in this article. Think about how your sales process goes now and where shoppers could decide against purchasing a product. Prevent losing sales and increase customer service by implementing a service related, purchasing system.
