Take A Look At The Mobile POS Big Picture

By Cheryl Knight, contributing writer

Mobile point of sale (mPOS) continues to gain popularity, a trend that is a result of retailer efforts to drive sales through a more flexible merchant-customer transaction process. Mobile POS brings the transaction to customers, allowing them to make buying decisions at their own pace. The technology also reduces the need to queue up customers to check-out at a specific counter.

A recently released IHL Services study, Mobile POS: Reaching Escape Velocity – All Systems Go, details the current state of mPOS in North America, adoption rates across retail vertical markets, and details by device type — pointing out tablet use is particularly important, with double-digit growth in shipments expected to continue. The report states mobile in retail is now a $7.8 billion business worldwide.

The Benefits Of Mobile POS

Mobile POS can be a win-win for both retailers and their customers. For merchants, advantages of mobile include improved customer retention, new sales opportunities, and credibility with younger shoppers. Their customers have the ability to make more informed buying decisions.

While some consider mobile POS little more than hype in the context of replacing current models, the real power lies in this technology’s ability to enhance both the retailer’s and the customer’s experience, according to Lisa Falzone, CEO and co-founder of Revel Systems in the recent Business Solutions magazine article, “VAR's Guide to Mobile POS & Cloud POS.” “mPOS will allow employees to look up item information, check inventory, and even process payments without leaving the customer’s side,” Falzone says.

Looking At The Big Picture

When helping clients develop mobile POS capabilities for their customers, resellers should keep in mind of all of the components and services that make POS a reality, including wireless infrastructure, software, devices, peripherals, and support.

According to Greg Dixon, CTO of ScanSource, “Managing all components of the solution provides resellers with an opportunity to ingrain themselves with the customer and not give other companies the opportunity to provide services they should be offering.”