The boundaries between online retail and classic offline retail are increasingly blurring. Customers now expect the same flexibility and efficiency from brick-and-mortar retailers and service providers as they do online. mobilePOS - mobile payment terminals - offer new ways to make shopping efficient, flexible and secure.
What does mobilePOS mean?
mobilePOS stands for "Mobile Point of Sale". It is a mobile POS system that is installed on a smartphone or mobile device in the form of an application, for example. The installed software makes it possible to offer customers a fast and efficient mobile payment option anywhere and without a traditional terminal. This turns an NFC-enabled device into a mobile checkout in no time at all.
Traditional checkout systems consist of various individual devices and are connected to the internet via a cable. The devices are tied to a fixed location and are used together with a permanently mounted screen, an EC terminal and a receipt printer. In contrast, mobilePOS devices are mobile, efficient and fast. The POS application simply runs on a mobile device, providing a mobile POS system that can be taken anywhere without having to be connected to additional hardware in order to process payments. This gives retailers a fully-fledged POS system that fits comfortably in an employee's pocket.
How does mobilePOS work?
Retailers often ask themselves whether a mobile POS system can actually perform all the functions of a stationary POS system. Of course, this depends on the respective provider - for orientation purposes, we have broken down the functions of Snabble's mobilePOS below.
Weighing and quantity goods
Price and weight-encoded barcodes can be scanned so that weighed and quantity goods can also be recorded.
Digital and physical receipt
The receipt can either be generated digitally or via a receipt printer connected via Bluetooth or WLAN.
Couponing & loyalty cards
Scan coupons or select the relevant promotion digitally in mobilePOS. The mobile POS system also supports customer cards.
Discount & price adjustments
All the important functions of a regular, stationary POS system can also be found in the mobile POS system. For example, you can adjust prices for individual items or enter absolute or relative discounts on an item or basket basis.
Product search
With the product search function, employees can search for items via an input field and add them to the shopping cart.
Employee journal
Employees have access to the history of their sales at any time - and can thus, for example, reissue a receipt retrospectively and track Store Manager sales in your store.
TSE-compliant
As a POS system, mobiePOS is of course TSE-compliant and has a connection to Deutsche Fiskal and EfSTA.
Card and cash payments
Customers can pay for their purchases in cash or by card. The handling of high volumes of cash should be supported by additional tools if necessary.
Solutions for cashless payment options are developing rapidly. Now that the smartphone is already being used by customers for cashless payments, retailers now also have the option of using their smartphone as a payment station in the store, with software that can be installed on Android and iOS devices. The mobile checkout works in the same way as traditional EC terminals that accept contactless payments. If necessary, the PIN can be entered via the display, which is secured by pin-on-glass or tap-on-mobile technology.
Until now, a WLAN connection was required for POS terminals in order to be able to pay as a customer. Mobile cash registers have their own fast internet connection thanks to a built-in data card, which makes a mobile POS system an unbeatable companion on the go and suitable for various industries.
If a specific question has not been answered, you can find further information on the Snabble website.
Benefits of the mobilePOS system
The benefits for companies clearly lie in the flexibility and speed of check-out processes. But a flexible mobilePOS system can do even more:
- Reduces the need for expensive hardware: Instead of investing additionally in POS terminals, you have the option to simply invest in another mobile device with the appropriate software. For example, nothing more than the terminal and the appropriate application is needed for trade fairs.
- Digital receipts: Another feature of the mobilePOS system is that it allows companies to send digital receipts to customers. Instead of printing out long receipts one by one, a transaction log is created and the digital receipt is sent to the customer via email.
- Ideal for contactless payments: Contactless payment is on the rise. With a mobilePOS, you enjoy a high level of security and efficiency. They also have an interface that can be used for self-checkouts.
- Highly scalable: Most mobilePOS systems are cloud-based, so they are a good option for growing businesses. This makes mobilePOS systems an ideal choice for businesses that need to scale up or down depending on seasonal fluctuations.
- Reduce long checkout lines: Customers don't want to waste time waiting. With a mobilePOS system, indoor and outdoor payments can be processed quickly and efficiently in real time, significantly reducing queue time as well as improving the quality of service. The mobilePOS system can also be integrated with a self-checkout kiosk.
- Increased sales: Eliminating friction in brick-and-mortar retail can lead to more time spent selling, resulting in higher sales. Using a mobilePOS not only increases the overall customer experience, but also offers a variety of opportunities such as loyalty programs and discount promotions.
As an industry-independent pos system, the mobile cash register is suitable for a wide range of application scenarios. The software can be installed on mobile devices which, thanks to their small size, fit comfortably in a trouser pocket and can therefore be used anywhere and on the move. Take the progress of your business into your own hands and find out about the various application scenarios - either via the links below or directly on the Snabble website.
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Flexibility and mobility in brick and mortar retail with mobilePOS
Progress Report: MobilePOS integration at Gebr. Heinemann
