For retailers, the modern point of sale is the gift that keeps giving
Peak retail season is upon us. No doubt the busiest time of the year for retailers, and also sometimes the most stressful.
Extra heavy traffic online and in-store and long lineups on top of typical store operations is taxing on store teams. But, it doesn’t have to be.
It has been said time and time again, the POS system is the heart of the store. It has the power to keep operations running smoothly, and truly can make or break the experience.
Let’s look at 3 functions your point of sale needs in order to keep up with business during peak season.
Mobility
A busy store is definitely a good thing. But, heavy foot traffic can lead to long lineups which is a huge pain point for retailers and customers alike. 86% of customers have left stores due to long lines, which ends up costing retailers billions in revenue.
Stationary checkouts limit the number of purchases that can be made at one time, which can cause huge build ups in a busy store. The right point of sale is the solution in eliminating long lineups.
Mobile point of sale plays a vital role in reducing the waiting time. When customers are shopping and interacting with associates on the floor, it can be a jarring experience to be passed off to someone else for checkout. Or worse, left to stand in a long line. Equipping associates on the floor with mobile POS systems —like iPhones, iPads, or other mobile devices— creates a more immersive and cohesive experience for shoppers. Customers can be checked out from anywhere in the store all at the same time, to keep things flowing smoothly.
Omnichannel capability
Customers aren’t just shopping in-store. Today’s consumers are digitally savvy and channel-agnostic. Three quarters of customers participate in omnichannel retail shopping. This is especially true in peak seasons when customers may not find the hot holiday item they’re looking for in-store, but can order it online. Associates need to be equipped to support customers in an omnichannel way.
An omnichannel POS provides a one-stop-shop for customers on a multi-channel journey. Customers want to know that you value their time— even if it’s just 5 minutes. Even if customers aren’t in a rush, they don’t want to have to wait through two transactions, especially if one of them is to order an item the store didn’t have in stock. Being able to process purchases across channels all in one order adds a layer of convenience and seamlessness to the customer experience.
Agility
Of course, when looking at these functions, the main concern is how to implement them seamlessly. If you want to roll something out, it needs to be done quickly and smoothly, especially with a busy store. Legacy systems can take anywhere from hours to days to set up. And it takes on average about 40 hours to learn how to use them. For retailers, especially during peak season, every minute counts— the more time you spend getting up and running, the more productive time you lose.
The importance of POS agility, extensibility, and ease of use cannot be understated. Your point of sale system needs to be able to seamlessly connect into other systems, including your OMS, catalog, and tax systems, and should be able to accept payments from a variety of sources. Having a POS with an intuitive nature also ensures that associates are able to pick it up quickly. These capabilities make it easy to implement, meaning little to no lost time or productivity, and the ability to scale as the business grows.
Bringing it all together
As business picks up, it’s important to assess how your POS will be able to support your store, team, and customers. The functionality of your point of sale depends on its agility, mobility, and omnichannel capability. Modern POS systems that cater to the mobile, omnichannel customer journey, and integrate seamlessly into day-to-day store operations are the future of retail.
See how Tulip’s SaaS POS solutions let world-class brands step over archaic monolithic systems with a new approach that combines the simplicity and scalability of a mobile, cloud-based solution with the depth of functionality top retailers need.
Contact us to see how a new point of sale can start helping you today!
