Mobile point of sale (mPOS) solutions have piqued the interest of 66pc of employees in the retail, hospitality and field service industries, and 42pc of them are now piloting or will start trials of mPOS within the next 36 months, a survey released by Motorola Solutions suggests.
The survey of full-time employees in North America, the UK, France and Germany reveals interest in mPOS as a core strategy for improving customer service.
Retailers, in particular, showed a strong interest in deploying mPOS solutions over the next couple years to provide shoppers with more personalised service and convenient payment while gaining opportunities to close the sale.
Retailers are taking on and trying out mPOS to cut the cost of traditional cash registers and to accept customer payments – including magnetic stripe and chip-and-PIN-based credit, debit, gift and loyalty cards, as well as near field communications (NFC) payments via mobile phone – wherever and whenever needed.
On average, survey respondents indicated they anticipate replacing 36pc of their fixed POS as a result of migrating to an mPOS.
Fifty-five per cent of survey respondents even plan to incorporate the ability to take cash as part of their mPOS operations.
“As retailers battle for shoppers’ hearts and wallets, mPOS serves as a valuable tool that can help turn browsing into buying,” said Michelle Crissey, Customer Solutions lead, Motorola Solutions.
“When the power of mPOS is in the hands of every retail associate, shopping becomes an experience and associates are always in a position to make the sale.”
Another survey conducted in December 2011 by Motorola revealed one-third of store visits ended with an average of US$125 unspent due to missed opportunities to purchase.
I payment processes were one of the leading contributors to those lost sales, the survey found, and more than 43pc of shoppers agreed their shopping experience improved when store associated used mPOS devices.
