Deeper integration of the mobile POS into the retail supply chain will transform the in-store shopping experience
attune Consulting, a premier global solutions provider to the fashion and lifestyle industries, today shared the top four technology advances to expect from retail mobile point of sale (POS) solutions over the next 12-18 months.
According to research from IHL Group, mobile in retail is now a $5.7 billion business worldwide and one that continues to grow rapidly. Retailers have embraced mobile POS solutions as a way to extend the reach of their in-store POS and engage with shoppers. However, these solutions remain in the "show and tell" phase, offering only limited information about products available in the store and the ability to scan and purchase those items.
Over the next 12-18 months, retailers can expect to offer a richer, more personalized omnichannel shopping experience through their mobile POS deployments. The emergence of new platform-agnostic solutions, along with deeper integration of the mobile POS to backend enterprise systems tied into the supply chain, will enable retailers to transform the physical store shopping experience and deliver:
-- "Anywhere, any store" shopping - If goods aren't available in the store,
with a few swipes of the fingertips, sales associates on the store floor
can instantly search for inventory across store locations, message other
store associates as needed, place an order for delivery, and have it
shipped to the customer from anywhere within the country.
-- Advanced analytics - Sales associates will have instant access to
customer data - including buying patterns, preferences, and recent
online or store purchases - to offer a more personal and customized
shopping experience. Store managers will gain access to real-time
reports on retail operations, such as the status of merchandise during
promotions or product performance that will empower them to improve
store performance.
-- Direct access to global data - Current mobile POS solutions have limited
access to global merchandise and inventory data. By directly integrating
into the retailer's central enterprise systems, mobile POS clients -
across all stores - are constantly synchronized with the latest
information. This will give sales associates the ability to easily view
merchandise information and availability offered at other stores in real
time so they can help customers find and purchase the products that best
fit their needs, regardless of location.
-- Global views into inventory...and the future - Today store personnel can
use a mobile POS to check and manage the delivery of inventory at their
store location. With deeper integration, retailers will not only be able
to extend that visibility to global inventory and deliver "anywhere, any
store" shopping, they will also be able to place orders for items not
yet manufactured. This glimpse into the future of shopping is entirely
possible - and probable - within the next few years with this level of
mobile POS integration.
"The true power of the mobile POS will come when it becomes an extension of the global retail supply chain, rather than being deployed as an extension of the store cash register," said Verlin Youd, regional director, Americas at attune. "By leveraging the mobile POS to connect what happens on the store floor to developments downstream at the factory or farm level - where products are sourced and manufactured - retailers with physical storefronts will have an opportunity to differentiate their services in a highly competitive market."
These viewpoints are based on attune's years of experience working with many of the world's most recognized fashion and lifestyle brands to deploy technology and service offerings that address all areas of their operations - from product design through manufacturing to the retail store.
attune is exhibiting (booth #1038) at the NRF Annual Convention & EXPO, January 13-14, 2014. Stop by to learn more about how attune is serving the needs of fashion and lifestyle retailers with attune for Retail, a retail enterprise solution, and to receive a demonstration of attune Mobile Store, a mobile POS solution designed to integrate with any retail enterprise system.
