We live in a mobile society, and the businesses that don’t go along for the ride could be left in the dust. Mobile technology is no longer the future—it’s the reality of now. Fortunately, point-of-sale vendors are providing mobile solutions that allow retailers to be more agile while also meeting the needs of customers who rely on their mobile devices more than ever before. Just how important is this mobile trend? 89 percent of retailers will be offering mobile solutions for associates by 2020 and 84 percent of retailers will be using mobile point of sale by that time.

What Mobile Can Do for You

“More retailers are gravitating toward mobile technology,” says Robert Josefs, marketing operations manager for Celerant Technology Corp., which has been providing modern and mobile POS systems for the paint and decorating industry for over 30 years. He acknowledges that some retailers have shied away from implementing mobile technology because of cost, lack of resources or limitations from current providers, but he encourages them to consider the gains that can be made with mobile in terms of sales and operational efficiencies. “A lot of retailers in the home improvement sector view POS and mobile technology as a cost center and not as a revenue generator,” Josefs says. “While all POS systems ring up sales, only experienced POS vendors can enable their retail clients to retain customers, streamline processes and increase the bottom line through mobile retail solutions. And it’s the mobile retailers—along with their mobile customers—who benefit the most from POS software.”

Three categories of mobile technology: mobile POS systems, mobile inventory and mobile email marketing. Each category presents unique benefits and opportunities. See how mobile POS, mobile inventory and mobile email marketing can benefit your operation here.

Mobile POS allows you to…

• Enable your staff to look up prices, create purchase orders, accept credit cards and complete transactions from anywhere in the store. “Imagine how much better the experience would be if you can help a contractor locate all the products they need, apply contractor pricing and ring them up—all without leaving their side,” Josefs says.
• Help shoppers compare prices in your aisles, which could increase the chance they buy from you and not the competitor down the street.
• Bring your business anywhere, such as a sidewalk sale, trade show, in-home consultation or contractor’s job site.

Mobile inventory allows you to…

• Scan inventory using a PDT (portable data terminal) or other hand-held device, which can decrease errors and increase efficiency.
• Perform cycle counts or physical inventories as well as make purchasing, receiving or inventory adjustments; price changes; and multistore transfers. “Retailers who utilize our inventory solution realize a dramatic increase in efficiency and accuracy across the board, including accuracy, on-hand quantities, labor savings and turnover,” Josefs says.

Mobile email marketing allows you to…

• Create personalized and automated email campaigns based on your customers’ prior purchases, brand preferences and demographics.
• Increase email open rates by sending professional email campaigns that look great on any device and email client.
• Make it easier for your audience to follow through with your campaign’s calls to action on any device, including downloading coupons, submitting online reviews, viewing their shopping cart or checking a gift card balance.

Article published by Paint and Decorating Retailers Association (PDRA)

Website: www.pdra.org
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