How to harness the advantages of mobile Point of Sale

In retail, mobile Point of Sale has been a major topic in recent years and its adoption continues to rapidly rise.

Allowing the retailer to shorten the queue, take the register to the consumer and improve the customer experience, mPOS is renowned for having a number of distinct benefits over the fixed Point of Sale.

So, let’s take a look at the top five advantages of mPOS and how you can go about making the change.

What is mPOS?

As a quick 101, mobile Point of Sale harnesses the benefits of mobile technology to allow sales transactions to be completed anywhere on the shop floor.

It comprises a mobile device like a tablet or iPad running mPOS software and also utilises mobile payment processing technology like a card reader or bank-issued EFTPOS terminal.

The system can then connect wirelessly with further features like cash drawers, barcode scanners and receipt printers to process sales in a similar manner to a traditional register.

In the interim, the data captured by mPOS software is generally stored in the Cloud and can be accessed from anywhere. This allows retail management to log in and see what’s occurring in their store at any given time.

mPOS advantages

Affordable to implement and easy to deploy, mPOS offers a series of distinct advantages over traditional POS in the modern retail arena.

1. Shorter queues
   By nature, mPOS is mobile, meaning you can take the checkout to the customer. This means sales associates can process sales on the floor thereby cutting time spent in the queue.
2.  Showrooming
   In addition to featuring POS software, tablets also allow sales associates to access the internet, social media etc. That means they can search for information that a customer needs while also accessing stock information, product details and more.
3. Capture loyalty data
   When a sales associate is actively engaging with a customer on the floor with technology at hand, the process of collecting valuable customer data becomes far easier. The associate can input that data immediately, adding them to loyalty schemes, emailing them receipts, or signing them up for special offers.
4. Affordabilit
   mPOS is renowned as an affordable option compared to traditional POS. Tablets are generally far more cost-effective than desktop computers, no on-site data storage is required, and many mPOS software providers offer subscription or transaction percentage fees that cater to retail outlets of all different sizes.
5. Scalability
   The fact mPOS is affordable and easy to deploy makes it simpler to scale up when required. Rather than requiring complex programming and extensive additional hardware, retailers can add another tablet, utilise existing cash drawers and quickly upgrade their software subscription if required.

What you’ll need

If you’re considering making the move to mobile Point of Sale, there’s a list of items you need to consider.

A suitable tablet

Depending on whether you favour the Android operating system, Windows or iOS (now known as iPadOS), there are wealth of tablets to choose from, but the key criteria to take into account when selecting a tablet is the ease of use, software compatibility, and storage capacity.

The stand

In addition to a tablet you will need a POS tablet stand and it will need to be secure. This stand might be mounted to a counter, secured to a wall, or feature a detachable enclosure that allows sales associates to go mobile with the device. The key elements to look for are durability and security.

You can browse our range of tablet POS stands here, including portable options.

Cash Drawer

mPOS cash drawers are typically wireless and are triggered to open by your POS software. You should check that the cash drawer will be compatible with your intended software.

Card reader and cradle

As most transactions are now facilitated via bank cards, credit cards or payment options like Apple Pay, a card reader is a must. In some cases, these are available from your POS software provider but in Australia, they are more readily available via a bank or payment processing provider.

Card readers may also require a cradle, and these can be incorporated into your stand if required.

Receipt printer

These days, wireless receipt printers are easy to come by. The number of receipt printers you require will depend on the nature of your establishment. Most POS software also enables retailers to send receipts directly to the customer on their phone or via email.

Barcode scanner

Barcode scanners are available in a range of different makes and models with the key feature to lookout for being compatibility with your software.

Software and apps

Hardware is just one component of the affordable POS equation. When you opt for a tablet and operating system, you will need to select an app (software) that suits your needs.

The key considerations of which software to select include:

• Ease of use
• The size of your establishment
• The number of outlets you have
• Features available
• Cost (upfront and ongoing)
• Operating system

You can learn more about our tablet solutions for business here.