Global impact: goodbye oldschool Point of Sales

What does the future of omnichannel commerce hold? Karoline Lotz Jonassen went to London to gain inspiration on how retailers are meeting customers’ needs in Europe’s biggest shopping mecca.

This is the second article in a mini-series about the future of commerce. In this episode, she dives into omnichannel POS.

It should never be difficult for me to give a company my money. It is really that simple.

If paying comes with troubles or obstacles, I will start to reconsider the purchase itself.

After experiencing how brands use digital POS in London I am left with one thought; This should be implemented in every single omnichannel company!

Data from a cloud POS (cPOS) can be accessed from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.

Mobile POS (mPOS) is simply digital POS in a mobile setup which can be installed on both tablets, smartphones and computers – freeing in-store staff from the checkout counter and enabling smooth transactions.

For me as a customer, POS means that I no longer have to waste my time in line at the cash register. Instead, the payment process is more seamless and spread out over the entire store.

Let’s take a look at some of the stores where I tried POS.

Schuh has implemented mobile POS, and the in-store staff have adopted to the new technologies.

As I enter the store, it is clear that mPOS makes the job easier for the staff when it comes to inventory management and customer service. And even better, they understand what I and every other customer get out of the mobile POS – a smooth experience without friction and frustrating time wasting.

The wait time is almost eliminated. The employees in the store tell me, with great enthusiasm, how they use the system to create a seamless experience between channels.

The organisation’s adaption is always a great pitfall when it comes to digital transformation, but Schuh seems to be nailing it.

Browsing through the stores of London it is clear that Schuh is not the only retailer who has implemented omnichannel POS. Nike, Adidas and others have it as well.

We have also seen Scandinavian retailers such as GANNI, HiFi-klubben, and latest Matas implement omnichannel POS.

Although there is no doubt that the UK is a bit ahead in the journey of creating a single view of the customer, eliminating in-store wait time and optimising store operations.

In London, I experienced how the omnichannel POS creates a much better customer experience, and there is no doubt that it is relevant in all cases where you wish to access data on sales, stock and customer behaviour as well as delivering a great customer experience.

Omnichannel POS plays an important role in securing a future proof omnichannel setup with a single view of data – I will touch much more upon this area in the fourth episode of the London series.

After visiting London, I have reflected and discussed the importance of prioritising your point of sales with my colleagues. Therefore, I present to you: Why you must implement a POS.

Here are three benefits:

personalised experience

With a cloud POS your data floats between your systems. This means that you are provided with all relevant information across channels and teams. This creates a unique opportunity to offer excellent customer service in all channels.

You can utilise in-store data on stock, customer behaviour and intent online as well as the other way around.

You can activate and empower your team with the visibility of relevant information.

As an example, POS makes it easy to find customer’s design choices or the size and fit they usually buy or to create returns, change, cancel or modify orders no matter how and where you are in contact with the customer.

When it comes to stock data you can provide this information wherever it is needed. Whether it is showcasing in-store stock online or offering a great service when a customer asks for a size that is not merchandised on the floor.

The staff can easily access their own store, their sister stores and the online inventory in the POS system. This saves time on calling sister stores, the warehouse or even having to run to the stockroom to check availability.

All of what that provides the customer with a smooth and service-minded experience.

Agility in your setup

With oldschool analog technologies, you can almost be sure that your tools are outdated before you have even implemented them.

Where as cloud-based services help you make sure that you can quickly adapt to new trends and get the latest updates. A great example is the opportunity to accept all current and future payment methods.

Modern POS systems are much more user friendly for your staff and will provide a better customer experience.

Automation and efficiency

By tracking sales in real-time, you get an easy overview of performance and inventory levels, while accounting and reporting are made much easier with automation and cloud software.

Stock control is often a huge pain for retailers and brands using an outdated POS system – with stock accuracy as low as 60%.

With omnichannel POS, stock control is made both easier and more accurate.

In IMPACT we have seen our customers lift their stock accuracy to as 98% after implementing omnichannel POS.

Another way omnichannel POS makes the life of a brand easier is by providing features to set up automated triggers to reorder products when stock levels reach a certain low.

With a mobile POS system, the store staff is no longer tied to the cash register. This is a great way to remove unnecessary expenses on staffing, and it allows the employees to focus on helping the customer decide on the right products while providing a seamless experience.