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For short we refer to our Mobile Point of Sale solutions as mPOS. Our mobile point of sale (mPOS) solution allows for a non-wired, point-of-purchase payment of products or services offering a paper or electronic receipt. In addition, such systems can be used to streamline a variety of processes (i.e., queue-busting, order-taking and up-selling, bank transactions, management functions, delivery applications, event, travel traffic ticketing, and much more).
The mobile POS devices can be either Apple, Android or Windows Mobile devices that operate on your in-store or public network like other POS solutions. They can be designed to connect directly into back office applications making data available for stock control, business intelligence, work flow processes and customer service.
How Will Mobile POS Benefit My Organisation?
By enabling access anywhere within range of a secure wireless network, an mPOS solution can provide a seamless product/service transaction.
Each sales person can be equipped with an mPOS device in order to empower them to create a one-to-one relationship with each customer that visits your store.
Retailers can replace or compliment their existing retail check-out or cash-desk technology with mobile technology. This allows retailers the freedom to reconfigure the layout of their stores in ways that they would not have been able to consider previously.
Other benefits include:
- Eliminating queuing at traditional checkouts for sales or service
- Releasing valuable floor space for merchandising rather than checkout
- Allow for easier capture of customer details
- Offer mobile device based loyalty programs
- Saving paper by e-mailing receipts
- Increasing productivity of individual workers
- Get a greater return on wireless network investment
How Can I Help My Organisation Embrace Mobile POS Solutions?
Fixed POS systems will not likely be deemed obsolete anytime soon. We are still developing and upgrading our software offering for these devices. We are continuing to implement these touch screen system in new retail stores. However, we are seeing more and more retailers requesting that we supply a mix of the traditional fixed systems alongside a number of mobile mPOS devices.
For retailers that have an existing fixed mPOS infrastructure, integrating an mPOS solution can be a smooth process. Both fixed and mobile POS solutions can work together to effectively garner benefits for the customer as well as for the organisation.
Research shows that there are a number of components that can help an mPOS system succeed including:
- Staged Pilot Implementation—consider a pilot program, plan well, start small and evaluate the results.
- Let customer complete transaction in the area desired—seek to provide mPOS capabilities in areas that have heavy traffic but are relatively far from fixed ePOS
- Maintain data security—the more stringent requirements of a wireless network may foster greater mPOS system security.
- Integrate back-office systems— look at integrating the mPOS system into your existing retail ERP, accounting, customer relationship management (CRM) and other applications.
What Comprises A Mobile POS Solution?
Effective mPOS systems require multiple integrated components and applications, such as:
| Software Applications | This is the “app” that runs on the smartphone or tablet device. We have been writing retail software for 15 years and our mPOS app is an award winning solution. |
| Enterprise Database | The mPOS stores and uses essential data on board its fixed memory so that it can operate independently. The device connects to a retail database from time to time to synchronise data. |
| Wireless Network | Internet access is a requirement for an mPOS solution. Usually for in-store mPOS this will be via a wireless LAN. For outdoor or temporary pop-up stores this can be via a mobile phone network. |
| Input Devices | If your retail operation requires bar codes to be scanned then we can supply scanning sleeves for iPhone or Bluetooth scanners for Android & Windows implementations. |
| Payment Device | We are very proud to be able to integrate and deliver an accredited and secure Bluetooth mobile payment solution with very competitive rates for processing credit and debit card with EMV Chip & Pin. |
| Mobile/Fixed Printing | We can connect the mPOS to existing LAN thermal receipt printers or, if required, supply and configure mobile Bluetooth or LAN printers. |
What About Mobile POS And The Cloud?
We appreciate that retail is a mission critical 24/7 operation. Retailers must always be able to sell and no interruption in service can be tolerates. Some of our competitor’s mPOS systems only operate exclusively “in the cloud”. This means that if your store should lose internet connectivity the mPOS devices will fail to process sales.
We have also designed the Bluetooth payment module to ensure that offline payments can still be processed so that card sales are not compromised by poor or slow communications
We have implemented our mPOS in live and difficult environments in Ireland, UK and Mainland Europe. We have designed our mPOS devices as native applications with local database that synchronise data from time to time with cloud ERP database systems.
All of the mPOS data is generally stored in the Cloud. The devices can be configured and controlled from our cloud based ERP solution.
Getting Started With Mobile POS Systems?
We appreciate that mPOS is a new concept to retailers. We are ready to assist you with every phase of choosing and leveraging the right solution for your mobile point of sale environment. Give us a call and we can discuss the following as part of your mPOS strategy:
- An initial discovery session to understand your goals, requirements, and budget
- An assessment review of your existing environment and definition of project requirements
- Our recommendations and proof of concept proposal
- Procurement, configuration, and deployment of the final solution
- Ongoing product lifecycle support
- Overview of requirements and service assessment
Click here to download our m-Point Fact Sheet
