POS has gone through many changes over the decades. But one thing that has stayed more or less constant is the fact that the point of sale usually means an actual fixed location – the point or place on business premises where sales get processed and payments made. Or the checkout counter, to you and me.
This tethering of POS to one place has largely been a symptom of technology. Whether it was cash registers or computer terminals, or the need to run wires for networked systems, for most of the history of POS, it just hasn’t been the kind of thing that’s been easy to move around from place to place.
But all of that has changed. The combination of device shrinkage, wireless networks and cashless payments means there’s no longer any technological reason to keep POS in one place. POS has been untethered.
Untethered POS utilizes mobile devices like wireless tablets as POS terminals. Also known as mobile POS devices, they can be carried around by staff to complete sales and process transactions anywhere, now just at the counter. More broadly, the untethered trend also ties in with POS happening away from the store via the customer’s own cell phone, for example for BOPIS/curbside collection orders.
Mobile POS and other ‘untethered’ POS options introduce new levels of flexibility that benefit both your business and your customers. These benefits include:
Increased sales opportunities
Mobile POS frees staff to roam the store rather than getting stuck at checkout, assisting customers with product inquiries and completing transactions on the spot. This means customers can get the help they want as and when they need it, which might just make all the difference in closing a deal. And a customer who is ‘just browsing’ might be more easily tempted into making an impulse buy if it can be completed there and then.
Better informed service
A mobile POS is not just a transaction processing resource. As staff move around the store looking for sales opportunities, their tablet can also be invaluable in helping to answer customer queries. Untethered POS can provide on-the-spot access to inventory databases, for example, allowing staff to check stock levels, share accurate product details, and advise on options even if an item isn’t immediately available.
Improved efficiency
As well as helping to improve service, spreading POS around reduces the risk of long checkout lines forming, a major reason customers end up deciding not to buy. Untethered POS helps to create a more streamlined, efficient checkout process, complementing your fixed POS. When lines start to build up, staff can be deployed to ‘queue bust’ with their POS tablets, reducing congestion and improving customer satisfaction.
Greater flexibility
Untethered POS systems are adaptable to your business needs. Say you want to attend an event or capitalize on some other ‘pop-up’ opportunity to sell your product outside the confines of your usual premises. You’ve got a job on your hands packing up, moving and then setting up a full POS terminal in a new location, only to do it all over again when the event is finished. For outdoor events, or simply for thinking outside the box about how and where your business operates, mobile POS solves logistical barriers that might otherwise make you re-think your plans.