Flexibility and mobility in brick-and-mortar retail

Mobility and flexibility mean variety, connectivity and experience. For retailers, however, they mean a radical rethink and a need to embrace the future of the industry.

Embracing change as an opportunity

The current situation in retail can be described as a kind of shock paralysis, but it is also an opportunity for creativity and progress. To meet the needs of today's society, retailers should take advantage of the many digital opportunities available to them through technological innovation. Zebra Technologies' Retail Shopper Report 2023 clearly shows that change is needed. 

Retail associates play a key role in meeting customer expectations by acting as the link between the business and the customer. However, it is clear that one of the biggest challenges is finding and retaining qualified staff. The Retail Shopper Report shows that both employees (78%) and decision-makers (84%) believe that technology can play a critical role in attracting, training and retaining the best people. However, despite the enormous pressure to keep up with ever-changing customer demands, many retailers are still reluctant to invest in innovative technology.

Taking action 

Technology is having a huge impact on the retail industry, bringing many benefits to the business as a whole. Used correctly, it improves the customer experience and creates positive experiences for employees. It also enables decision-makers to achieve attractive returns on investment. 

A good example of technology innovation in retail is self-service checkouts and mobile payments, which provide customers with a fast and convenient transaction and give staff more time to interact with customers. More than 80% of employees believe that using technology to speed up processes and ensure customer satisfaction would be beneficial. 

In retail, it is therefore important that the right devices are issued to the right employees. The number of technological devices that employees can access in their work is constantly increasing.These include mobile POS-Systems, which provide customers and staff with a mobile, flexible and, above all, consistent shopping experience:

With a mobile POS-System, the entire sales process can be mapped, from consultation to receipt. 

• Products can be conveniently added to a shopping basket via a search function or by scanning. 
• Payment is made by swiping, inserting or tapping a payment card or by digital means of payment. 
• To complete the transaction, the receipt can be printed or provided via a QR code. 

For bricks and mortar retailers, technological developments such as mobilePOS are an important step in supporting retail staff and increasing customer satisfaction. Once implemented, it is a practical addition to processes, enabling mobile checkout, queue busting and strategic upselling.

Conclusion

Overall, technology integration is the future of retail and offers many opportunities for businesses to succeed. The best strategy is to support staff in implementing and equipping profitable technology in every sense of the word.