Retail POSs: What You Must Know before Switching to Tablet Software

Brick and mortar stores remain the customers’ top choice. The forecast predicts ecommerce sales will capture only 19.5% US retail sales worldwide in 2023. The rest of the sales are dominated by physical stores.

Yet, the in-store experience is changing. Three out of four US customers shop both offline and online, urging business owners to consider an offline-online hybrid mode.

This is why you need to keep extra focus on your retail POS system.

Your POS must be fast, contactless, and support your customers’ preferred payment methods. For example, retailers whose associates used mobile POSs enjoyed a 77% higher sales growth.

Although it takes time and effort to choose the best software development provider to meet your requirements, not taking the time to make a well-researched decision too-often results in even more time lost and money down the drain.

Find out how retail POS systems work, why you should audit yours, and what you should keep in mind for a successful evaluation.

POS software is an essential tool retailers use to efficiently process and save sales transactions.

A modern POS system can do even more for you:

What about system implementation? What is a retail POS: a standalone app or part of a software suite?

A POS can be both a standalone app (e.g., Vend) and a module within a large platform (e.g., Shopify POS).

You also have a choice: adapt an off-the-shelf solution or build a custom POS app that keeps pace with your growing business needs.

A POS system requires both software and hardware.

POS hardware is assembled into a single set consisting of the following:

There are several types of retail POS software systems. Based on currently used technologies and hardware, you can choose among the following:

Old-school software. Purchase a license and install software on your desktop.

But traditional POS systems lack mobility and updates are cumbersome. In today’s world, people prefer the convenience of mobility—they need something they can easily carry with them throughout their workday.

A step up in POS evolution is a cloud (SaaS) POS. It decreases costs needed to set up and run a system. Software requirements are low. Expansion is simplified. Updates are seamless and invisible to end users. But a stable Internet connection is mandatory.

Mobile POS systems are a specific subset of cloud POS. POS software for tablets prevails. Store owners and employees use wide tablet screens to register purchases and cameras serve as barcode scanners. They can integrate miniature peripheral devices like credit card readers and small wireless mobile receipt printers.

Self-service POS. Customers use self-serving terminals or smartphones to scan a purchase, pay for it, and show the receipt at the exit. When needed, sales assistants help check stock availability, colors, shapes, and discounts to assist customers to make an informed decision.

An omnichannel POS connects online and physical stores into one harmonized unit. Businesses use it to offer customers multiple ways to connect with them. This increases convenience and ensures the same level of services across all channels.

You have been using your POS for several years. There is still life left in it. Why should you consider a switch?

You need a modern tech-enabled retail POS system to be more efficient. 40% of shoppers consider bottlenecks at checkout the top focus area for improved in-store experience.

How many customers see checkout bottlenecks, put their intended purchases down, and just walk away?

Many. Customers have little patience for businesses that fail to meet their expectations and waste their time.

Don’t lose customers!

Here are key points to regularly evaluate the POS you use:

Check alternatives regularly for improved cost value: more features, less expensive plans, or extended support. Consider a tailor-made solution as an option for your growing business.

As a product owner, ensure you or your vendor keep tech modernization on your top priorities list. Ignore your software at your peril! When you ignore your software, it doesn’t take long for it to lose its security, stability, and compatibility. The result: you can neither upgrade your services nor efficiently manage your business operations.

Are you planning a short-term pop-up store or sales at an event? Time to free yourself from your desktop and cash register. Replace your old POS with a mobile solution. You can sell anywhere. Think of the freedom you have!

A modern POS provides value-boosting features such as real-time inventory tracking, support of over-the-phone payments, or emailed receipts. You might not feel the lack of them, but your customers and employees do.

A POS system must simplify returning management as a part of the sales cycle. This ensures personnel can complete a return and be mentally up and running in a few steps. Otherwise, the scope of work increases, unlike customer satisfaction.

More on the topic: Common signs your growing small business requires custom software. Plus, key points to consider for a successful launch.

Selecting the right solution can be daunting. You must consider several competing priorities to choose the best POS software.

Cost of ownership is the primary decision factor for when investing in a new technology. Cost structure is often complex. It includes hardware, subscriptions, and transaction commissions.

Integration tops the list of concerns. Why? Because if unchecked, it becomes a source of cost leaks. Check whether the retail POS system integrates well with existing software for inventory management and accounting to evade extra spending on making things work.

It is wise to stick to one specific device and one solution. Businesses managing multiple apps or devices struggle with feature management, security, logins, integrations, and technical issues.

Retail POS software boosts loyalty among tech-savvy visitors. Ensure your employees keep in lock step with their tech-savvy customers. Give them initial training to quickly know how to help.

Also, you must reevaluate and implement an enhanced in-store security policy (two-factor authentication, list of allowed apps, OS updates, and more). You must protect all sensitive information.

Businesses usually start with available market solutions. They try third-party POS services and adjust their business processes. But with growth, they eventually create their mobile apps based on their needs.

Think of the size of your business and your unique processes. The more employees you have and the more you must look after software security, integrity, and your secret strategies, the more you need a custom software solution.

IT Craft provides all-encompassing tech services and specialists—several developers or an entire IT department—to boost your tech capabilities:

Everything you need to stay flexible and competitive.

This custom-built, friendly POS system enables wine businesses to sell anywhere permitted just by using an iPad. The platform streamlines transactions, operations, and report management.

The IT Craft team took over an ongoing project. After an initial audit, the team decided to use the existing source code. Developers finalized it, launched the app, and focused on further expansion and integrations.

Over the long run, applying new technologies is cheaper than keeping your retail assistants stuck at the cash register.

Introducing new software can initially be overwhelming because it requires comprehensive study, work on integrations, and employee training.

But, of your two choices—being left behind or integrating new software—the latter seems to be the one and only winning strategy in our tech-savvy world.