Demand for more convenient product discovery, purchasing and supply, has acted as a catalyst for digital services in-store. Old and young alike now expect seamlessly connected services, with user journeys that can start, move and end across multiple channels and touchpoints in a single sales journey.
Best of both worlds
The ability to embrace technology that delivers joined-up commerce is now essential if bricks and mortar merchants want to win the loyalty of today’s digital consumers. To help them deliver the best of both digital and physical worlds, many are harnessing the processing power and connectivity of modern Android POS devices to make their operations more competitive.
Not only are they easy to deploy anywhere, in-store and out, but they also make it easy to use third-party apps and integrated software that can drive all the new experiences that merchants want to offer, and that modern customers increasingly demand. This includes:
Click and Collect
According to Barclaycard almost nine in ten retailers (87%) say Click & Collect is their fastest-growing delivery option, with seven in ten shoppers (68%) now choosing to pick up online orders in-store.
Order online and pay instore
This is an increasingly popular option for fast food and hospitality where users want to choose and buy online but then pay in-store. It helps reduce the effort when they get there but gives them the assurance that they don’t have to part with their money in advance of receipt/consumption.
Digital wallets
A global survey found that 56% of shoppers used their smartphones to shop or research items in-store. It makes sense that they want to buy and pay with them too. Contactless and QR-enabled Android POS can accept popular local and international digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Personalised promotions and e-loyalty
Offering personalized loyalty is a priority for many retailers and they are typically delivering these to customers via brand apps or email. Often containing QR or bar codes, customers can easily redeem them instore at the POS. In the UK 80% of consumers use their smartphones to access coupons or loyalty cards while shopping in physical stores.
Product discovery and guided selling
Customers don’t want to have to wait in a queue to find out about product availability in store. With Android POS, not only can store staff take a sale from anywhere, but they can also use its inherent connectivity, touchscreens and multimedia capability to provide customers with a concierge-style service that includes real-time stock information, product updates as well as videos, specifications and even curated suggestions and alternative options.
Android POS can connect business functions as well as customers
It’s not just front-end experiences that benefit from modern POS devices’ multi-functionality, back-office functions like marketing, finance, HR and commercial management can too.
With their advanced processors, high-performance memory and extended battery life, as well as secure connectivity and third-party integrations and apps, Android POS can deliver essential real-time data on transactions, resources, stock and performance. Seamlessly linking the shop floor to the back office and centralized systems, they can help to boost efficiency and reduce costs. Indeed, many small businesses now run their entire sales operations direct from their MPOS.
Some of the back-office functions available through Android POS include:
- Real-time visibility on transactions, sales trends and staff activity
- Dashboards for a single view of POS estate performance and faster alerts
- Management tools for remote POS updates and upgrades and easier auditing and compliance
- Access to ecosystem of VAS and apps for rapid introduction of new services
- Connected inventory and stock control and access to automated ordering and product sourcing
All round solutions for a connected world
Whether joining digital and physical worlds or front and back-office functions, Castles Technology’s world-class Android POS devices give retailers the best of all worlds.
We have everything modern retailers need to achieve better cost control while delivering the modern experiences their customer’s demand.
