The speed of how technology has evolved nowadays is unprecedented. As businesses and enterprises move their infrastructures to mobile technology many can now look at a tablet-based point of sale system (POS). An iPad integrated into your retail operations with a powerful POS software solution will radically allow you to tailor the business efforts into a complete satisfactory shopping experience.
As customers increasingly adopt the use of mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), having a mobile-friendly sales process into the shopping experience makes daily operations run smoother. Potential clients for a majority of them expect shopping in a retail settings to be a lengthy process and assume staff on site have no interest acknowledging their presence.
Having an iPad as a POS will not just shift the perception of your retail services, but will definitely have a cool effect. Why you may ask? The whole point of these devices is that they can be carried anywhere, checkout a customer instantly from any location within the store if they are in a hurry. The operating system (OS) produces less glitches and runs more efficiently.
Benefits of running an iPad POS system
If your business can make the transition and become a technology-friendly retailer customers will remember you. Apple is a company recognized for an excellent customer service at the retail level and has strong brand recognition. Use these traits from the Cupertino Company and embed them into your brands identity.
Purchasing a couple of units to start out will most unlikely produce substantial results. According to an About.com analysis there are distinct advantages for using this tablet-oriented system:
- Cost savings
- iPad POS systems are powerful customer service tools
- Streamline the sales process
- Employee training is fast and minimal
- Environmentally friendly
The bottom line is your retail business will be better equipped and your staff will be grateful of this implementation. For example, a cloud-based POS provider-Vend-provides a system for many different retailers that uses their product. Combining the software with the iPad is a seamless experience without having to invest a lot of dollars to revamp everything.
The iPad’s interface is what has made it different and better than the competition. However, in recent months with the market for the iPad us maturing questions remain if Apple can respond with an improved model. The latest from Mashable has the company after exploiting the consumer market is moving into enterprise.
Takeaways from an iPad POS system
So perhaps you are still not quite convinced or sold on an iPad POS? Well sometimes we need to conduct research, find the proof and once all the evidence is gathered make a point. So, for this particular situation using a picture to tell a thousand words may just the trick.
According to the following infographic, your store will see the benefits of a tablet POS in three areas: instant pricing, faster checkout, and quicker returns.
You cannot force all of your employees to memorize all the pricing information for all the products. Now, with a tablet ready in the palms of your hands you can simultaneously profile your client and provide immediate pricing with the built-in scanner. This allows you to create a more natural relationship thanks to the technology.
Checkouts are the final stage before leaving the premises and this is where customers get easily annoyed. An iPad POS solution that includes a few units that can be carried around the floor will produce sales from customers who are in a hurry and do not have time to queue up.
When returns happen the customer should not have to wait long and should not exceed how long it took them to initially acquire the product. In their minds they will remember how long it took them and this is where the customer experience can be greatly turned into a positive moment.
Finally, the iPad POS solution at a time when retailers need to maximize the few interactions they have on a daily basis with customers makes sense. In addition, when economic forces continue to put pressure on how to drive more business this avenue is a cost effective and makes the business more mobile.