Going Mobile with Your POS

Editor’s note: this blog post was originally published in 2019 but has since been updated. 


According to Forrester, it is estimated that 86% of all U.S retail sales are still being completed in a brick and mortar store but customer expectations of these stores are changing rapidly. Forrester is estimating that 53% of all purchase decisions are becoming digitally influenced.

Customers are becoming more and savvier and they expect that their shopping experiences follow suit, demanding that some of the online shopping features they know and love are also available in-store. This includes access to detailed product information, ratings and reviews, easily comparable products, and the ability to skip long lines.

In times when foot traffic may be limited and safety and security is top of everyone’s mind, retailers need to find a way to meet customer expectations, a task that has proven to be tricky but it’s made easier with mobile technologies. 

A hand-held mobile POS enables your associates to have better interactions with customers, releasing them from the confines of a desktop terminal when completing a transaction or facilitating a conversation on the sales floor. They are free to walk around the store, help customers without disrupting a customer’s path to purchase, and take transactions to the curb where a customer may be waiting for pickup.

Having the ability to finish a sale and provide useful product information to the shopper wherever they are is a powerful tool in delighting customers, meeting their expectations, and providing safety and security during uncertain times. 

So, you’re thinking of adding a Mobile POS sounds like a good idea. You’d be right! But what should a Mobile POS include? We have put together four features that are must-haves to help make the move to a mobile POS a useful one.

Customer Relationship Management

Having the ability to look up customers past invoices and interactions with your company allows your staff to be prepared for questions a customer may have about their purchase history, past visits, or complementary products and accessories.

This is also is a great opportunity to offer suggestions, making the customer feel like your sales associates really care about them. It’s the first step to creating an experience that keeps a shopper coming back for more. 

Having that information right on hand is also incredibly helpful at, say, curbside pickup you can answers questions quickly and efficiently without having to run back into a desktop terminal.

Point of Sale with Integrated Payments

Having a mobile POS that lets you quickly and efficiently finish a sale with integrated payments means a transaction can be finished right where it started, even when that is away from your desktop.

If your system lacks integrated payments, it creates a disjointed sales process for the customer, who, during these times, is looking to get in and out as quickly as possible. Having a way to take payments away from a stand-up desktop terminal reduces wait times for customers while also meeting them exactly where they are in their purchase process – literally. 

Dropship Fulfillment Solution

A dropship service is one that lets you send items from a vendor or fulfillment location right to your customer’s. Having this tied directly into your mobile POS makes you inventory lighter and valuable shelf space more manageable, all while offering more options for customers, who can have the convenience of their purchase shipped directly to them, saving them from having to go out again.

Integration with a Desktop POS

While a mobile POS is a game-changing tool, it’s essential that it is interconnected with your desktop POS. No one wants to have to do double-entry to keep sales and customer interaction up to date! And having updated date in real time means numbers like profit and loss are always up-to-the-minute and you can stay in the loop. You’ll have an eye on every transaction as it happens with visibility from both your stand-alone and mobile POS terminals.

Go mobile for efficient services

Going mobile means convenience, speed, and safety. And with the right mobile technology, you can access all the features you need on the sales floor to help customers, process transactions, and check inventory counts, all without disrupting their path to purchase.