The role of the POS in enhancing the in-store experience
The point of sale (POS) system stands as the central pillar of any store. Despite the growing prominence of online shopping, globally physical stores generated $21.1 trillion in retail sales in 2021, which is around 80% of the total retail sales.
While traditional POS systems have traditionally focused on transactional functions such as payment processing and receipt generation, the next generation of POS solutions brings forth a dynamic array of capabilities.
These innovations usher in a new era, shaping a retail experience that is increasingly customer-centric, cloud-first, mobile-first, unified commerce ready, intuitive and visual, and scalable.
Let’s take a deeper look at these 6 checkout trends that are driving customer experience excellence.
Customer-centric
Customer centricity continuously reigns supreme as a key trend in retail. So, it’s essential that every aspect of retail stores aligns with this principle, including the POS system.
The checkout process is typically the final step in an in-store shopping journey, occupying just a small fraction of the entire interaction—approximately 5 minutes out of a 45-minute engagement.
While a traditional POS system primarily focuses on simply facilitating transactions, returns, and exchanges, a next-generation POS goes beyond these functions. It is designed to enhance various aspects of the in-store experience, making it more customer-centric, shopping-oriented, and versatile.
Cloud-first
The industry is evolving from traditional On-Premise POS systems, originally developed in the early 2000s, to modern cloud-first solutions.
In the past, these On-Premise systems required a central server in the retailer’s HQ along with local servers in each store. This approach was sensible over a decade ago when widespread high-speed internet access wasn’t as common. However, in today’s dynamic landscape, relying on this infrastructure is impractical for deploying technology.
A significant advantage of embracing a modern, cloud-first solution is its versionless nature, eliminating the need for concern over arduous and expensive upgrades to access the latest features and industry best practices. Additionally, a cloud-first solution is inherently designed for agility and constant connectivity, ensuring that you receive real-time updates regardless of any changes occurring within your POS system.
Mobile-first
Legacy POS is slowly being replaced by mobile-first and next-generation POS systems. This transition is not solely about optimizing space and aesthetics; it aligns with a fundamental customer service principle: making the shopping experience as effortless as possible for your customers.
These advanced systems empower store associates to assist customers throughout the sales floor, eliminating the need for customers to queue at fixed checkout counters. Why should customers be required to visit you when you can bring your services to them? A next-gen POS system, purposefully designed for mobility, empowers you to serve customers wherever and whenever they desire.
Unified commerce ready
The importance of unified is increasing, driven by the growing demand for integration of physical and online channels.
Applying this concept to brick-and-mortar stores entails empowering associates with the knowledge of customers’ online behavior and history, enabling them to provide personalized services. Additionally, it involves granting a comprehensive overview of inventory throughout your company.
If product availability poses a challenge, omnichannel product visibility emerges as the solution. By implementing a next-gen POS system, you can offer customers an unlimited virtual aisle, or “endless aisle”, allowing them to shop for any item in your catalog, regardless of its physical location. With the limitless inventory access, store staff can “save-the sale”, and even more crucially, amaze your customers by effectively addressing this significant concern with ease.
Intuitive and Visual
In the context of a high-turnover industry like retail, a user-friendly POS system isn’t just a “nice-to-have”, it’s an absolute must.
The more user-friendly a solution is, the more likely it is to be embraced by users. A next-gen POS system takes this concept even further, as it’s designed for close, collaborative interactions rather than just face-to-face encounters. In simpler terms, it’s a solution that encourages you to work alongside your customers, to the extent that you can even lend them the device, allowing them to explore your company’s catalog and create their own shopping basket.
Visual presentation plays a crucial role in this context. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Within a next-gen POS, the endless aisle catalog is seamlessly integrated with your image database. This integration enables you to showcase your products using various types of media, just like you already do on your e-commerce platform, further bridging the gap between channels.
Scalable
In the retail industry’s dynamic business landscape, having a scalable and adaptable solution not only ensures agility but also spares businesses the headaches associated with growth.
Gone are the days of one-time, big-bang implementations. What retailers need now is a platform that continuously adapts to ever-evolving needs. Whether it’s in terms of geography or functionality, systems need to align with business plans, not the other way around.
If all you currently need to enhance your in-store experience is enabling line-busting capabilities, that’s precisely what you can implement. If, six months down the line, the requirement is to completely replace your fixed registers, there’s no issue; you’ll have the flexibility to make that transition. And should you decide, a year from now, to provide customers with a full 360-degree view and the ability to schedule appointments, that’s perfectly feasible.
A genuine next-generation platform will adapt to assist you in delivering outstanding customer experiences, following a gradual crawl-walk-run approach.
Bringing it all together
In conclusion, next-gen POS systems focus on the 6 checkout trends that help drive CX excellence including:
- Customer-centricity: Next-gen POS systems transcend transactional functions, focusing on enhancing the in-store experience to align with the pivotal retail trend of customer-centricity.
- Cloud-first: Modern cloud-first POS solutions replace outdated infrastructure, offering versionless flexibility, real-time updates, and constant connectivity to adapt to today’s dynamic retail landscape.
- Mobile-first: Next-gen POS empowers store associates to assist customers throughout the sales floor, making the shopping experience effortless and queue-free, reflecting the fundamental principle of customer service.
- Unified commerce ready: Integrating physical and online channels, a next-gen POS system equips associates with customer insights, personalized services, and an “endless aisle” to bridge the gap between physical and virtual inventory.
- Intuitive and visual: User-friendly next-gen POS systems encourage collaborative interactions with customers, seamlessly integrating visuals and media to enhance the shopping experience.
- Scalability: In the ever-changing retail landscape, genuine next-gen platforms offer scalability and adaptability, aligning with evolving business needs in a gradual, flexible approach.
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Ready to see what a next-gen POS can do for your customer-brand experience? Contact us today!
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